Bengaluru: Wipro Ltd’s head of Asia Pacific, the Middle-East, and Africa (APMEA), has resigned, marking the first senior departure since the company appointed Srinivas Pallia as the chief executive officer last month.
Anis Chenchah, who was appointed as CEO of Wipro’s APMEA region by former Wipro CEO Thierry Delaporte in April 2022, announced his departure on Thursday, according to a company filing with the stock exchanges. The APMEA region had contributed 11.5% to Wipro’s $10.8 billion revenue in FY24.
Chenchah will, however, serve in his role till 31 May to ensure a smooth transition, the company added.
During his stint as the APMEA chief, Chenchah also served as a member of the 11-member Wipro Executive Board. His resignation comes amid challenging times for Wipro’s APMEA business.
In FY24, Wipro’s APMEA region generated $1.2 billion in revenue, the lowest among all its geographies. Before Chenchah assumed the role, the business from this region in FY22 also stood at $1.2 billion, indicating flat growth during his tenure as CEO.
Wipro replaced Chenchah with Vinay Firake, a Wipro veteran of 26 years, and formerly the managing director of the company’s Nordics business, with immediate effect. Firake will be based out of Dubai.
“Vinay has a great track record in the Nordics business unit, where he was instrumental in signing several prestigious clients, and I am confident that he will bring the same rigor and success to APMEA,” Pallia was quoted in the company’s stock exchange filing.
Mint had reported that Wipro chairman Rishad Premji had asked Delaporte to put down his papers in late March. Following Delaporte’s exit, the fate of 18 members of Wipro’s 32-member executive committee, hangs in balance.
Executive search firms said the company may witness several top-level departures. However, a talent exodus could pose bigger problems for Pallia early in his role as the CEO, primarily because a stable management team is required for faster growth. Besides, the IT major has witnessed several senior management exits, with many as 750 senior personnel ranked senior vice-president and above, leaving the company since Delaporte took over as the CEO in July 2020.
Firake’s appointment follows that of Malay Joshi, another Wipro veteran, who took charge of its largest and fastest growing market, the Americas 1 unit, in April 2024. Both appointments come less than two months after Pallia took charge on 6 April.
Chenchah was also a member of the Wipro Executive Committee, one of three members appointed by Delaporte. His departure highlights two key points.
First, CEO Pallia is appointing his trusted leaders to guide the company forward. Second, the uncertainty surrounding the other two members—Ajit Mahale, currently serving as the chief delivery officer, and Amit Choudhary, who is the president and chief operating officer of the IT services firm.
Firake’s appointment can also be considered as a means to boost revenue from the APMEA unit, which is currently the least lucrative of Wipro’s four units.
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Published: 10 May 2024, 08:47 PM IST