Though they haven’t quite got around to updating their website with the news yet, new Wipro CEO, TK Kurien’s inaugural reorganisation sees Enterprise Applications Services (EAS) head Sangita Singh promoted to run Wipro’s newly created Pharmaceutical, Healthcare and Life Sciences and Services unit. Healthcare is one of the key verticals Kurien has tagged as high growth, and a market in which rival Cognizant has claimed much turf. Singh replaces industry veteran Rajiv Shah, who like the prior CEO combo (see Wipro surges in Europe and turfs joint CEOs) found the allure of a career outside of Wipro irresistible.
I have known and admired Singh for a number of years, indeed since the time she was in a senior marketing role at Wipro. While later running EAS, she made it her mission to ‘convert’ me – with perhaps modest success – to the Wipro EAS story, no mean feat given Wipro’s relatively low penetration in this area compared to most peers. Today Wipro derives about 13% of its revenues from ‘package implementation’, a couple of points up over the past few years but still about half that of archrival Infosys. I wish her much success in her new role.