Julian Lim succeeds Peter Vakkas as Australia country lead at Slalom
Global technology consultancy Slalom has appointed managing director Julian Lim as its new country lead for Australia, taking over from Peter Vakkas who will continue on at the firm.
Based out of Melbourne, Lim has been with Slalom since joining from Accenture in 2021, having spent more than a decade and a half at the tech consulting giant before being recruited to lead Slalom’s local industry & go-to-market functions.
Meanwhile, his predecessor Vakkas has headed the consultancy since inaugural A/NZ boss Mike Shimota’s elevation to Asia Pacific & Japan chief in 2024, and will continue on in an executive advisory role supporting strategy & quality assurance.
“Julian steps into the role bringing a deep understanding of our clients, people, strategic partners, and business, having been central to our amazing growth across Australia over the past few years,” the firm stated. “Peter has built an amazing platform for Slalom Australia and we are privileged to be able to continue with his experience within our business and for our customers.”
The trio were all previously poached from Accenture, with Shimota and Vakkas on board since Slalom’s local inception (just prior to the onset of the global Covid-19 pandemic) and Lim joining soon after, before then being promoted to managing director in 2024. He previously spent over a decade and a half at Accenture, including time as industry groups managing director.
Lim will now oversee a team of more than 300 consultants and technologists spread across offices in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and Canberra, with the former two having recently been upgraded to support the firm’s ongoing growth – to 570 Bourke Street in Melbourne, and to 121 Harrington in Sydney’s historic Rocks district. Slalom was in 2024 named as Australia’s best place to work.
Lim’s ascension marks a double leadership handover for Slalom’s A/NZ region, with former go-to-market leader Christina Wells recently taking over from Nick Walton as New Zealand country manager after the latter’s departure to Microsoft.
Wells joined Slalom from Lab3 in 2024, and has been responsible for the firm’s recent expansion to Wellington from its original Auckland base.
