Rajiv Pillai
CIO, Americas
Wipro
Rajiv Pillai is the CIO for Americas (US, Canada & Latam) for Wipro Ltd. - a $12+ billion dollar global system integrator. He is responsible for 21k+ employees and IT operations and strategy for a geography that generates over 60% of Wipro's revenue.
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Give us a brief overview of the path that led to your current role.
Commencing my career as a typewriter mechanic in '95, I possessed an innate aptitude for discovering ingenious solutions. This, coupled with an insatiable drive to engage with cutting-edge technologies, propelled me to spearhead transformative solutions for Apple before assuming leadership roles in Wipro, overseeing various emerging technologies such as mobility, cloud, and software-defined everything. My present position represents the culmination of years of honing my problem-solving skills and putting them into action.
What is one of your guiding leadership principles?
Leadership is not about being the best. It is about bringing out the best from everyone involved.
With disruption being a key theme of recent years, where do you see the CIO role going in the next 1-2 years?
The landscape for the Chief Information Officer (CIO) has already experienced remarkable transformations, and this trend will persist in the future. The CIO will increasingly be required to assume the responsibilities of various key positions such as CEO, CHRO, CDO, CMO, and more, often within the span of a single day. This dynamic shift places the role at the forefront, actively shaping and driving organizational strategies rather than merely serving as a support system.
What advice would you give to someone just starting out as a CIO?
Technologies can be made simple and businesses can be understood, but people are the most complex. Conquer the people with your understanding and rest will feel like a cake-walk.
Tell us 3 fun facts about yourself.
- I have been a professional photographer for over a decade.
- I can never say "No" to desserts.
- The origin of languages has always intrigued me.
What is the value of joining an Evanta community?
I believe that there is an underlying "Pay it Forward" mantra.
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