Adebayo Ogunlesi, a senior managing director at BlackRock, has joined OpenAI’s board of directors, the company announced Tuesday. His appointment is part of OpenAI’s ongoing transition to a for-profit structure.
Ogunlesi, a founding partner of Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), brings extensive experience in infrastructure investment. GIP, which Ogunlesi co-founded in 2006, was acquired by BlackRock last year for $12 billion. Prior to his work at GIP, Ogunlesi spent 23 years at Credit Suisse.
“The rapid advancement and development of AI offers a unique opportunity to build a better future,” Ogunlesi said in a statement. “As part of this, thoughtful strategies and investment in infrastructure will be key to unlocking AI’s full potential and delivering its benefits responsibly. I’m excited to contribute to this effort and look forward to being a part of the OpenAI Board.”
Ogunlesi’s appointment comes as OpenAI continues its dramatic transformation into a public benefit corporation (PBC), allowing the company to pursue commercial ventures while maintaining a nonprofit arm for philanthropic initiatives in health care, education, and science.
The company’s board has undergone significant changes since late 2023, when CEO Sam Altman was briefly ousted and then reinstated.
OpenAI, originally founded as a nonprofit in 2015, announced in December its plan to adopt a Delaware PBC structure. This shift enables it to issue stock and operate more like a high-growth startup while maintaining a separate nonprofit wing.
The company, valued at $157 billion last year, has been a leader in the generative AI boom since the release of its updated large language models in late 2022. Ogunlesi also serves on the boards of BlackRock, Topgolf Callaway Brands, Kosmos Energy Holdings, and Terminal Investment Ltd.
