Cisco’s chief technology and strategy officer Padmasree Warrior, who announced earlier this month that she is leaving the company, may be considering an advisory or Board role in India’s third-largest IT services company Wipro.
Multiple sources told TOI that the Vijaywada-born Warrior, one of Silicon Valley’s most influential technology leaders, is being wooed by Wipro. Warrior would be seen as a savvy addition at a time when the $7.5-billion IT company is attempting to bolster its digital and IP-based offerings and reduce dependence on the commoditized IT services business.
Rival Infosys brought in SAP CTO Vishal Sikka as its CEO a year ago. That again was driven by the need to create IP-driven, productized solutions.
When TOI contacted Wipro, the company said, “We are currently in the silent period ahead of our first quarter earnings.” An email to Warrior did not elicit a response till the time of going to press.
“I suspect it’s a board role,” said Peter Bendor Samuel, CEO of US-based IT research advisory firm Everest Group.
Padmasree, he said, would be able to make a significant contribution to Wipro, helping guide them through the transition from a firm exclusively focused on the industrial arbitrage space to a firm which seeks to establish itself as a leader in the as-a-service and automation markets. “This transition is going to be very challenging and bringing in outside points of view from leading industry thinks such as Padmasree will be essential,” he said.
