Wipro poaches top TCS exec Neemuchwala as new COO

Wipro, India's third largest IT services company, today Monday announced the appointment of Abid Ali Neemuchwala as group president and chief operating officer with effect from 1 April.

Previously, Neemuchwala headed business process outsourcing (BPO) services at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), where he spent over 23 years of his career.

In his new job, Neemuchwala will head several of Wipro's service lines, including global infrastructure services, business application services, business process services, and advanced technology solutions.

He will also head business operations across geographies comprising continental Europe, Africa, and Latin America; strategic engagements, advisor relationships as well as the marketing function, Wipro said in a statement.

''Abid brings invaluable experience with his track record of building and scaling businesses. I am confident his deep understanding of technology and expertise in all facets of IT & BPS businesses will help power our businesses to greater heights,'' said T K Kurien, chief executive officer of Wipro.

Wipro had earlier tried several structural models including having joint CEOs, but this was not effective.

The COO position has been vacant since A L Rao retired in 2009 after being made an advisor in October 2008.

Commenting on his appointment, Abid said, ''I am honored to join Wipro, a company with a rich heritage of technology innovation and unflinching commitment to values. I look forward to contributing towards the company's next phase of growth.''

A chess buff, Neemuchwala is an electronics and communication engineer with a degree from NIT, Raipur and a Masters in industrial management from IIT Mumbai.