Mumbai: OpenAI has announced the appointment of Nitin Bawankule as Head of Enterprise Sales for India, effective mid-May 2026, as the company strengthens its focus on enterprise adoption of artificial intelligence in one of its fastest-growing markets.
In his new role, Bawankule will lead OpenAI’s enterprise business strategy in India, working with organisations across sectors to accelerate the adoption and integration of advanced AI solutions at scale.
Bawankule brings extensive experience in driving digital transformation and scaling high-growth businesses, having held leadership roles at Google India, Disney+ Hotstar, and Amazon Web Services. Across these organisations, he played a key role in expanding cloud and AI capabilities and supporting enterprises in navigating large-scale digital transformation initiatives.
“India represents one of the most dynamic and fast-evolving AI markets globally,” said Nitin Bawankule. “As enterprises increasingly move from experimentation to large-scale AI deployment, the opportunity to drive meaningful business impact is enormous. I am excited to join OpenAI and partner with organizations across sectors to help them harness AI in a practical, responsible, and transformative way.”
In his new mandate, Bawankule will focus on helping enterprises move beyond isolated AI pilots toward organisation-wide transformation, embedding AI into core workflows to enhance productivity, creativity, and decision-making, while ensuring responsible and sustainable implementation.
Prior to joining OpenAI, he led initiatives at Amazon Web Services focused on accelerating cloud and AI adoption in India. Earlier, at Disney+ Hotstar, he contributed to scaling one of India’s leading streaming platforms, and at Google India, he worked closely with enterprises on digital transformation journeys.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to have worked alongside exceptional teams, customers, and partners throughout my career,” he added. “I look forward to building on those experiences in this next chapter with OpenAI.”
