Wipro buying cloud-based customer experience solutions company Appirio for $500mn

BANGALORE, INDIA:  Wipro has signed a definitive agreement to acquire US-based cloud services company Appirio, that creates next generation worker and customer experiences for about USD 500 Million. 

Appirio is a trusted partner to some of the world’s leading brands, including Stryker, Robert Half, Johnson Controls, Cardinal Health, Coca-Cola, eBay, Facebook, Home Depot, and Sony PlayStation. Appirio is headquartered in Indianapolis with offices in San Francisco, Dublin, London, Jaipur, and Tokyo and has 1250 employees worldwide.

Wipro’s acquisition of Appirio is expected to create significantly large cloud transformation practices for today’s as-a-service and digital economy.

Appirio also brings Topcoder, a leading crowdsourcing marketplace connecting over a million designers, developers and data scientists around the world with customers.

“In an increasingly digital world, as consumer behaviors and expectations continue to be reshaped by experiences, companies are recognizing that they need to transform how they engage with customers and employees by leveraging the power of Cloud. Appirio and Wipro are coming together to unlock transformational synergies in the applications space and help enterprises create new business models,” said Abidali Z. Neemuchwala, Chief Executive Officer & Member of the Board, Wipro.

“When you combine Wipro’s global scale and deep digital focus with Appirio’s transformative worker and customer experience expertise, and best in class team, brand, and partners, you create a formidable force in the industry,” said Chris Barbin, Chief Executive Officer of Appirio. “Together, our aim is to dominate the market and claim the top spots in industry Net Promoter Score, market share, and best places to work.”

Wipro will consolidate its existing cloud applications practices of Salesforce and Workday under the Appirio brand and structure. Chris Barbin, Chief Executive Officer of Appirio, will lead the expanded business.

“Chris and his team have spent the last decade building Appirio into a global leader delivering amazing customer experiences with Salesforce,” said Marc Benioff, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Salesforce. “I couldn't be more proud of Appirio as it joins Wipro, where together they will continue to drive customer success on a much larger scale.”

“As one of our earliest partners, Appirio has played a key role in the Workday Community, and we’re thrilled to see such a great opportunity for the team’s continued growth,” said Aneel Bhusri, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Workday. “With Appirio, Wipro gains an organization with deep industry expertise and a strong commitment to customer service, dedicated to helping companies take their businesses to the cloud.”

The acquisition is expected to be closed in the quarter ending December 31, 2016.