Tech consultancies Wipro and Atturra back local food charity organisations

Two of Australia’s leading tech consultancies – Wipro and Atturra – have partnered up with a pair of the country’s most prominent food provision charities, respectively OzHarvest and PonyUp.

Indian-origin IT consulting giant Wipro recently signed a three-year food-waste reduction partnership deal with OzHarvest, which is now chaired by former PwC partner Lawrence Goldstone alongside a line-up of consulting luminaries.

Meanwhile, local outfit Atturra has hooked up with Melbourne-based social enterprise Pony Up for Good to turn the consultancy’s decommissioned equipment into fresh meals for people in need across the country, via food rescue outfit SecondBite.

Wipro and OzHarvest

Wipro’s ‘Awesome Partnership’ arrangement with OzHarvest will see the tech consultancy support the development of the beloved charity’s digital strategy and distribution channels, with the aim of delivering an extra 120,000 meals at a minimum per annum over the next three years to people in need across Australia, via OzHarvest’s national ‘food rescue’ and delivery program.

“Food waste is fuelling climate change,” said A/NZ financial service lead Craig Ridley, who also heads up Wipro’s local ESG program. “Our partnership with OzHarvest reflects a commitment to sustainability and creating meaningful impact. Through Wipro Cares, our dedicated community service wing, we are eager to support OzHarvest’s mission of food rescue and delivery."

Established in 2004, OzHarvest has gone through a leadership transition of late, with founder Ronni Kahn handing over CEO duties to former BCG partner James Goth last year. Chaired by former PwC partner Lawrence Goldstone, the board also features a number of consulting heavyweights, including Bain’s Lucy d'Arville and ex-Publicis CEO and KPMG senior advisor Andrew Baxter.

“Technology plays a crucial role in how we operate and expand our reach to serve more people in need,” Goth stated. “By combining Wipro’s tech expertise and commitment to sustainability with OzHarvest’s mission to combat food waste and hunger, this partnership aims to inspire both teams, connect them to a shared purpose, and create a meaningful and lasting impact in the community.

Atturra and Pony Up

Meanwhile, Atturra, one of the country’s fastest growing sovereign consultancies, has also signed up to support food provision in Australia, after having last month rolled out a nation-wide donation drive among its almost 1,000 employees for basic pantry staples, which were in turn handed over to local food rescue organisation SecondBite for their annual end-of-year hamper deliveries.

Atturra has since followed up that effort by entering into a new partnership agreement with PonyUp, which provides secure collection, data destruction and risk mitigation services for discarded and donated tech devices and then passes on half of its profits to partner organisation Second Bite, effectively transforming digital bytes for real-world bites for those in need.

PonyUp co-founder Mardi Brown said; “As well as the security and ESG benefits, which demonstrate reusability and a diversion from landfill, by turning Atturra and their clients’ decommissioned tech into fresh meal donations via SecondBite, we are together making a real difference in the lives of the 14 million Australians who currently have limited financial resources.”