Digital
Sawhney jumps ship to Campbell Pacific, eyes Indian media pie
MUMBAI: Rajiv S Sawhney, a seasoned tech and digital whizz, has landed a new gig as country manager for India at Campbell Pacific Media, hot on the heels of his stint at Thakral Corp. Sawhney, who boasts a CV sprinkled with big names like Amazon, Yahoo, and even a sojourn with Manchester United, is set to spearhead the firm’s expansion into the bustling Indian market.
Campbell Pacific Media, a “unique independent media consultancy,” is betting on Sawhney’s knack for forging strategic partnerships and navigating the choppy waters of emerging markets. The aim? To leverage his expertise in CRM and new media to whip up customer engagement strategies that’ll have brands and ad tech companies salivating.
With a network of over 1000+ entrepreneurs, founders, industry experts, agencies, brands & freelance partners, Campbell Pacific is clearly aiming to be the go-to for anyone looking to crack the Asian market.
Prior to this, Sawhney clocked nearly five years at Thakral Corp, where he steered the ship as vice president and general manager for India and South Asia, and briefly as chief executive officer of Thakral One Solutions. His past exploits also include a stint as a strategy advisor for Manchester United.
Before that, he was busy at Amazon, leading business development and partnerships in Singapore, and at Yahoo, where he was senior director and head of global partnerships for APAC. He also served as a founding team member and business head at Reliance Group’s Zapak Digital Entertainment, and as head of ecommerce at Times Internet.
Sawhney’s move signals Campbell Pacific’s ambitious play in India’s burgeoning digital and ad-tech landscape. With his track record, they’re clearly hoping he can score a hat-trick in the Indian market
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.
