OpenAI has appointed Sheeladitya Mohanty as its India Marketing Lead, underscoring the company’s commitment to expanding in one of its fastest-growing markets. The move comes as OpenAI prepares to open its first Indian office in New Delhi later this year.
Mohanty, a seasoned marketing professional with over 15 years of experience, announced his new role on LinkedIn. He joins OpenAI from Meta, where he served as Marketing Lead for Meta AI and Facebook across the Asia-Pacific region. During his tenure, he played a pivotal role in the rebranding of Facebook to Meta in India and led campaigns that boosted brand visibility and product adoption.
Prior to Meta, Mohanty held senior positions at Microsoft and Nokia India. An alumnus of XLRI Jamshedpur (Class of 2009), he brings extensive expertise in technology marketing and brand strategy to OpenAI’s growing operations in the country.
OpenAI’s expansion in India reflects the surging adoption of its flagship product, ChatGPT, which has seen weekly active users in the country quadruple over the past year. Alongside Mohanty’s appointment, Akash Iyer, formerly with Netflix India’s marketing and social teams, has joined OpenAI as Social Lead for India operations.
The company recently registered a legal entity in India and introduced ChatGPT Go, an affordable subscription plan priced at ₹399 per month, aimed at democratizing access to generative AI.
Looking ahead, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman—who is scheduled to visit India next month—highlighted the nation’s strategic importance, citing its world-class tech talent, vibrant developer ecosystem, and supportive policy environment. Altman reiterated that India is well positioned to play a pivotal role in shaping the global AI landscape.
With this strengthened leadership and on-ground presence, OpenAI is gearing up to deepen its engagement with Indian users, businesses, and developers, positioning the country as a key growth hub for the future of artificial intelligence.
