HCLTech names Sonia Eland country leader for A/NZ region
Global technology consultancy HCLTech has recruited Deloitte’s Sonia Eland as its new country leader for Australia and New Zealand.
Sonia Eland brings thirty years worth of experience across digital consulting, marketing and financial services, and takes over from Michael Horton after ten years in the top role – joining Capgemini’s Kaylene O'Brien and Jane Livesey of Cognizant as local female leaders of leading global ICT consultancies.
Eland will officially assume the role from April, with Horton using the coming months to handover his responsibilities.
“HCLTech has a remarkable background in engineering and digital transformation, and I’m thrilled to join this amazing company with the right DNA for the next wave of digital transformation,” Eland said of her appointment. “With big data, AI, IoT, cloud and cyber security playing an increasingly significant role in our day-to-day lives, businesses need trusted partners with the experience, capability and creativity to harness the full power of digital.”
A mathematics graduate of the University of Sydney, Eland kicked off her career with a decade in financial services marketing between the Commonwealth Bank, Westpac and HSBC before moving into the digital consulting realm, initially as general manager of marketing & communications at Fujitsu. She later joined CSC, working her way up to global strategic partner & digital ecosystem vice president prior to the merged creation of DXC in 2017.
Clocking up over a decade between the two companies, Eland continued her rise at DXC Technology – serving as A/NZ CEO of ServiceNow practice DXC Fruition and ultimately general manager of the firm’s global SeviceNow build & offerings business. In 2020 she crossed to Deloitte as a technology strategy & transformation partner in Sydney, where as national ServiceNow leader she continued to navigate M&A activity.
“We are delighted to welcome Sonia to HCLTech,” stated APAC growth markets president Swapan Johri, with Eland receiving an extra in-person welcome from HCLTech chair Roshni Nadar Malhotra during recent Diwali celebrations.
“I am confident that her rich experience adds immense value to our clients and our growth strategy in A/NZ. On behalf of everyone at HCLTech, I would like to thank Michael for his immense contribution in boosting the company’s growth in the region.”
Soon stepping into a consulting role, Horton has helmed HCL Tech for the past decade – or close to half of the company’s local operations. Yet, while the official handover isn’t until April, the news comes as HCLTech enjoys perhaps its most prominent moment in the national spotlight, serving as the digital partner of Cricket Australia and jumper sponsor of the Australian men’s team on its march to the World Cup semi-finals – a subject of keen interest to Horton in his writing.
