Synopsis
Kiran Mani has departed JioStar as CEO – Digital to become OpenAI's new Managing Director for Asia Pacific. He will lead regional strategy and operations from Singapore, a move that underscores OpenAI's focus on the rapidly growing AI market in the region, with India being its second-largest global user base.He will take on the newly created role in June, reporting to OpenAI’s Chief Strategy Officer Jason Kwon, and will relocate from India to Singapore, they added.
At OpenAI, Mani will lead regional strategy and operations across APAC, a market that has emerged as a key growth engine for the company. His appointment comes amid rapid adoption of AI tools across Asia Pacific, with India now ranking as OpenAI’s second-largest market globally by weekly users, and countries such as Japan and Indonesia also featuring among its top markets.
Enterprise usage is also accelerating, with Japan emerging as OpenAI’s largest market outside the US for ChatGPT business users, while India is among the leading markets for Codex adoption.
Mani exits JioStar after playing a pivotal role in shaping its digital ambitions. As CEO – Digital, he led the company’s platforms spanning sports and entertainment and was instrumental in the launch and transformation of JioHotstar into a major destination for premium content, live sports, and digital-first experiences across devices.
Under his leadership, JioStar focused on integrating content, technology, and monetisation to scale its offerings across India’s rapidly expanding digital ecosystem.
He joined Reliance Industries-controlled Viacom18 in 2023 as CEO for Digital Ventures, where he led efforts to transform JioCinema into India’s premier destination for curated content across mobile and connected TV platforms.
In 2024, Viacom18 merged with Disney-owned Star India to form JioStar. He also played a pivotal role in the integration of Disney+ Hotstar and JioCinema into a single streaming platform, JioHotstar, launched in February 2025.
With over 25 years of global leadership experience, Mani brings deep expertise in building and scaling digital and technology businesses. Prior to JioStar, he held senior leadership roles at Google, including Managing Director for Android and Google Play in APAC, where he oversaw platform growth across diverse markets.
His earlier career includes stints at Microsoft and IBM, along with entrepreneurial experience in founding and scaling a technology startup.
His move to OpenAI aligns with the company’s broader push to expand its international footprint. Since opening its Tokyo office in April 2024, OpenAI has established a growing presence across the region, including offices in Singapore, Australia, Korea, and India. The company is increasingly partnering with enterprises and organisations across APAC to deploy AI tools at scale and integrate advanced models into products and services.
