Delaporte is new Wipro CEO, says IT firm will emerge stronger from pandemic

Delaporte, who is the first foreign national to lead Wipro since its inception, said it was disappointing that he could not meet his fellow colleagues in India due to the ban on international travel

Thierry Delaporte, the new CEO and MD of Wipro, who took charge on Monday, said the IT services company would emerge stronger from the current pandemic despite the immediate challenges created due to the Covid pandemic.

“I am excited about joining Wipro and consider it a great privilege to be asked to lead Wipro, an exceptional global company with an incredible legacy,” Delaporte said in his first official communication with the employees.

Delaporte, who is the first foreign national to lead Wipro since its inception, said that it was disappointing that he could not meet his fellow colleagues in India due to the ban on international travel.  

“Over the next few days, I will be spending time with senior leaders and teams across units and functions to take a holistic view of our business and (get a) better understand our opportunities and challenges,” he wrote in the mail which has been reviewed by Business Standard. “Given the circumstances, our initial interactions may have to be limited to the virtual mode, but I plan to update you on our journey regularly.”

The new CEO, who will be based out of France, also said that he had discussions on wide-ranging issues with Wipro’s chairman Rishad Premji.

“I was struck by his (Premji's) clarity of thought, his principled approach towards leadership, and his commitment to bring about a cultural shift to create an environment that drives a growth mindset,” the communique said.

Delaporte, who joined Wipro from Capgemini, has its task cut out as he has to accelerate growth of the Bengaluru-headquartered firm to match its peers.

Experts are of the opinion that Delaporte as CEO will help Wipro win large deals and strengthen the most critical BFSI (banking, financial services and insurance) segment. His experience in overseeing Capgemini’s India operations — one of the largest delivery centres of the French IT services major — is also likely to come in handy in managing the operations of Wipro.