Kaylene O’Brien appointed CEO of NRI in Australia and New Zealand
Technology consultancy NRI has appointed former Capgemini managing director Kaylene O’Brien as its new CEO for Australia and New Zealand, replacing Dean Langenbach after five years.
Headquartered in Tokyo, NRI (Nomura Research Institute) has a regional headcount of 2,500 professionals, boosted by the $300 million acquisition of Planit and a series made by local subsidiary ASG, which rebranded to NRI last year.
The former managing partner of Deloitte Consulting, O’Brien took over as CEO and managing director of Capgemini’s A/NZ business in 2021, and brings more than three decades of experience to her new role commencing from the start of next month.
“Kaylene’s commitment to innovation and excellence in client service is evidenced by her successful track record and is well aligned with our goals for the business,” stated NRI Australia president Tomohiro Yamazaki. “She is well placed to work with the teams across our different businesses, collaborating and innovating to keep NRI at the forefront of digital transformation.”
Kicking off her career at Andersen Consulting in 1994, O’Brien then spent close to two and a half decades at Deloitte, and served as national lead partner for technology strategy & transformation and consulting COO prior to being promoted to managing partner of the $1 billion practice in 2018. For the past three years she led Capgemini’s business in A/NZ, which tripled in size during her tenure.
“I’m looking forward to leading and working with the NRI team to continue to support clients in their digital adoption,” O’Brien stated. “It is evident that NRI Global has deep expertise in AI, cyber, data and cloud – areas that are critical for clients now and in the future, and I look forward to embedding this expertise within the ANZ business and creating and nurturing a strong and unique culture.”
O’Brien takes over from Dean Langenbach, who has departed the firm after two decades, including the past five years as CEO of ASG Group and then NRI. During his tenure, Langenbach oversaw the acquisitions of design consultancy Pragma Partners, fellow Canberra outfit Group 10 Consulting, and Microsoft specialist Veralda, which continue to operate under their own brands.
“With the rebranding of the business completed last year, and a focus on driving organic growth opportunities, now is a natural time to transition to new leadership,” stated Yamazaki. “The business has a clear strategy, focused on being a leading digital solutions provider for clients in Australia and New Zealand. We thank Dean for his leadership of NRI in Australia over the last five years.”
