Digital
Sheetal Patole joins as Helium AI co-founder
INDIA: Helium AI has brought in Sheetal Patole as co-founder, a move aimed at pushing the Neural Arc-backed platform deeper into enterprise adoption as demand shifts from AI trials to systems that work at scale.
Patole, a globally recognised AI and data leader with more than 24 years of experience across banking, consulting and technology, joins at a time when companies are racing to turn AI experiments into tools that deliver measurable business value.
Her brief will be to shape Helium AI’s execution model, embedding the platform across core workflows and decision systems while ensuring transparency, governance and long-term resilience.
“Sheetal brings deep experience in building and operating AI systems across global organisations, with a strong focus on trust, accountability and real outcomes,” said Neural Arc founder and CEO Aniket Tapre. “That aligns with how Helium AI is designed — as a platform for consistent, dependable use at scale.”
Patole has held senior roles including chief data and information officer at Barclays and chief data and analytics officer at Macquarie Bank, and has led large AI and data transformations across multiple regions. Earlier, she worked with PwC, Deloitte and EY, building expertise at the intersection of consulting, technology and enterprise strategy.
“AI today is about building systems that are useful, safe and dependable, not just running pilots,” Patole said. “The focus now is on delivering long-term value with trust, transparency and accountability at the core.”
Her appointment bolsters Helium AI’s push to position itself as a secure, compliant and enterprise-ready AI platform, helping organisations move from experimentation to real-world deployment.
Patole has been named among the Top 100 Global Women to Watch in Data, Analytics and AI (2025) and was listed as a Top 10 Global Data Innovator (2024), underlining her standing in the global AI community.
Digital
OpenAI’s Stargate lead Peter Hoeschele exits with two senior leaders
Trio behind compute push set to join new startup amid leadership reshuffle
SAN FRANCISCO: Peter Hoeschele, a key figure behind OpenAI’s early Stargate data centre initiative, has exited the company, according to a report by The Information.
The departure is part of a broader leadership shift, with two other senior executives, Shamez Hemani and Anuj Saharan, also set to leave in the coming days. All three are expected to join the same new startup, although details about the venture remain under wraps.
The trio played a central role in OpenAI’s Stargate effort, an initiative aimed at building large-scale data centre capacity in-house to reduce reliance on external infrastructure providers. Their exits mark a notable moment for the company’s compute strategy as it continues to scale rapidly.
OpenAI spokesperson said in a statement to The Information, “We’re grateful for the contributions Peter, Shamez, and Anuj have made to OpenAI and wish them the very best in what comes next.” The company also pointed to the recent appointment of Sachin Katti to lead its industrial compute organisation, signalling continuity in its infrastructure roadmap.
OpenAI has indicated that it does not plan to directly replace Hoeschele’s role, suggesting a possible restructuring of responsibilities within the team.
As competition intensifies in the race to build next-generation AI systems, leadership changes in core infrastructure teams are likely to draw close attention. For now, the spotlight shifts to what this departing trio builds next, and how OpenAI adapts as it scales its ambitions.
