Publicis Sapient has appointed Harshu Deshpande to the newly created role of VP, product and engineering lead for Australia.
The appointment ties in to Publicis Sapient’s ongoing global expansion.
Deshpande, who was most recently at Google as an advisor for Digital Natives, will be based in Melbourne.
“We are thrilled to welcome Harshu to lead our engineering and product teams in Australia. His deep expertise and innovative mindset align perfectly with our commitment to delivering cutting-edge solutions for clients,” Angela Robinson, country managing director, Australia, Publicis Sapient said.
“At a time when businesses are actively seeking fresh perspectives and transformative partnerships, Harshu’s appointment underscores our continued ability to attract top talent, enabling us to better serve our clients as they navigate this exciting and rapidly evolving AI-powered world,” Robinson added.
In this role, Deshpande will lead multi-disciplinary teams, delivering large-scale transformation programs and spearheading the delivery of innovative, scalable technology solutions for clients in Australia. He and his teams will leverage Publicis Sapient’s AI platforms, such as Sapient Slingshot and Bodhi, to drive more effective results.
Operating within Publicis Sapient’s integrated SPEED – Strategy, Product, Experience, Engineering, Data and AI – framework, Deshpande will foster practices to meet clients’ evolving AI-driven needs.
Deshpande’s appointment builds on the addition of Gavin Seewooruttun as vice president, data and AI lead for Australia. Together, their roles form a combination of engineering, delivery, and AI leadership that will drive solutions for clients across the region.
“I’m incredibly excited to join Publicis Sapient at a pivotal moment. AI is fundamentally reshaping engineering and the value clients are looking for, and with our proprietary AI platforms and SPEED capabilities, we are uniquely positioned to accelerate legacy modernisation, scale AI implementations and deliver end-to-end business transformation. I look forward to unlocking significant value and driving innovation alongside this talented team,” Harshu Deshpande, VP, product and engineering lead Australia, Publicis Sapient said.
Deshpande has over two decades of experience in leading and delivering digital products, services, and ventures for clients ranging from high-growth startups to large enterprises. Most recently, as field CTO and advisor for Digital Natives at Google.
Prior to Google, Deshpande served as managing director for Slalom Build in APAC, where he launched and scaled a team of more than 150 engineers, designers, and product owners across Australia and Japan. Over 15 years, he also held technology leadership roles at Accenture, driving large-scale application transformations and cloud adoption.
