'RISHAD IS CHAIR, I'M CEO, AZIM PREMJI IS A SHAREHOLDER'

Wipro is in the middle of a "tough transformation" and Thierry Delaporte says he has Rishad's support

- Varun Sood & Satish John

In July 2020, Thierry Delaporte took over as the chief executive officer (CEO) of Wipro Ltd, becoming a rare non-Indian to lead a large homegrown IT services company. His tenure, however, is now under scrutiny—due to slowing growth, declining profitability, weak share price, and the periodic departure of senior management from the company. On 21 September, 20 minutes before Mint sat down with Delaporte for an interview, at Wipro’s office in Gurugram, the company announced that its chief financial officer (CFO) Jatin Dalal had resigned.

Dressed in white JM Weston sneakers, blue jeans, and a white shirt, Delaporte appeared unfazed by the exits and defended his leadership style. Here’s what he said (edited excerpts):

You started well. In the first 18 months of your tenure, Wipro hardly got anything wrong. But over the last five quarters, growth and profitability have started declining amid senior executive departures, giving the impression that the buzz or energy has fizzled out…