Wipro picks Telstra’s Christopher Smith to lead A/NZ

Christopher Smith (Wipro)

India-founded IT consulting powerhouse Wipro has appointed Christopher Smith as managing director for Australia and New Zealand (A/NZ). 

Smith joins Wipro from Telstra, where he was the group owner of Telstra Purple, the telecommunications company’s managed services arm.

Smith previously spent seven years at the telco, where he most recently served as executive director of global services. Additionally, he also worked for three years as its managed network services practice lead. 

“The combination of Wipro's purpose, based on deep social impact and strategy to be a global leader in technology with local capabilities, is the perfect foundation to build and grow our business locally. Bringing world-class capabilities to clients in our region is what excites me and it is a privilege to lead Wipro in Australia and New Zealand,” Smith said. 

Smith replaces Sarah Adam-Gedge, who left the consultancy last month after joining as MD in April 2021.  

Anis Chenchah, Wipro CEO of Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa, said Smith’s appointment came during an “exciting phase of transformation in the [region’s] growth journey”.  

“[Smith] will focus on Wipro's ambition to help our clients, people and communities in A/NZ realise their boldest ambitions in an inclusive and purpose-driven way,” Chenchah said. “I am confident that his global experience, deep local market knowledge, impressive track record in hyper-growth and client relationships will position Wipro strongly.” 

The appointment comes just months after Wipro launched a sovereign cyber security offering in August aimed at the Australian government and critical infrastructure industries.

Called Wipro Shelde Australia, the new consulting arm aims to help navigate the cyber threat landscape. The unit came about following the acquisition of Ampion in 2021; in integrating its two businesses – Shelde and Revolution IT – into Wipro, it gained access to specialist Australian cyber security, DevOps and engineering capabilities.