Global IT consulting and services firm Wipro has made a number of senior appointments in its Australian business, bringing in Vikram Kannoth as chief financial officer, with Rene Morel appointed as APAC cyber lead and Bernadette Harkin and Craig Ridley as consulting and financial services heads.
After an early career start in audit and tax, Vikram Kannoth crossed to Capgemini as a senior finance manager in 2003, before steadily working his way up the ranks.
His time at the company has included roles in the US as finance director for Capgemini’s North American application management services division, in India, including as deputy CFO of the firm’s business services unit, and for the past six and half years as Australia CFO out of Sydney.
Ajesh Raithatha, financial controller of Empired prior to its $233 million acquisition, will take over as Capgemini’s A/NZ CFO, while Wipro’s latest leadership raid on its competitor mirrors the very top of the tree. Thierry Delaporte, appointed CEO in 2020, and recently-installed CCO Amit Choudhary spent more than than 40 years at Capgemini between them, with APAC chief Anis Chenchah also at the French firm for over a decade prior to joining Wipro last year.
Meanwhile, Melbourne-based IT veteran Rene Morel has been appointed as cybersecurity lead for Wipro’s APMEA region, which covers the Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa. Also heading up Wipro Shelde, an integrated cyber division launched locally last year, Morel joins after three years as a partner at Deloitte, having prior to that co-founded and led Deloitte acquisition Zimbani. Earlier senior experience includes security architect lead roles at ANZ and NAB.
Bernadette Harkin has been appointed as the head of Wipro’s Domain & Consulting business for A/NZ after previously spending five years at Accenture-Microsoft joint venture Avande in the US and Australia, including as chief operating officer out of Sydney. Earlier, she was IBM CIO advisory lead for the Asia Pacific and IBM Consulting managing partner in the Philippines, following a senior leadership stint at IT consultancy Logica in the Netherlands (now CGI).
After more than two decades at Accenture and the past year and a half at NCS, Craig Ridley has taken up a new role at Wipro as vice president and head of Financial Services based out of Melbourne. During his time as a managing director at Accenture, Ridley served as financial services head of innovation and fintech, while his recent stint as CTO at NCS coincided with a period of significant growth and responsibility for integrating several large-scale acquisitions.
Sourced from Consultancy.com.au