Digital
Unny Radhakrishnan to step down as Digitas India chief after 5.5 years
MUMBAI: Digitas India chief executive officer Unny Radhakrishnan will exit the agency at the end of September, drawing a close to a 5.5-year run at the Publicis Groupe-owned digital marketing firm.
Radhakrishnan, who took charge in March 2020, steered Digitas India through a period of growth that saw it expand to a 450-strong team split between local clients and a global delivery hub. Under his leadership, the agency pushed deeper into data, user experience and technology services, cementing its position as a marketing transformation partner for brands.
In a farewell note, he said leadership was about “bringing together people with different expertise and temperament to do things which otherwise could not have been done by any single individual”. He emphasised that before the “great place to work” labels, the focus was on being known for “great work and great people to work with.”
Radhakrishnan’s career spans nearly three decades across GroupM, WPP and Publicis, with stints as chief digital officer for Wavemaker South Asia and earlier as head of digital at Maxus. A strong proponent of team building, he often described business as having “the responsibility to influence people to become better human beings, looking beyond the financial scorecards.”
His next move has not been disclosed.
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.
