Acquired in 2022, global technology giant IBM is launching its US-based Microsoft cloud consulting brand Neudesic in Australia, to be led by former SXiQ managing director John Hanna.

Founded in 2002 and headquartered in California, Neudesic has a team of more than 2,500 across the US and India providing a range of cloud and AI strategy, implementation and managed services based on the Microsoft Azure platform.

The company was purchased in 2022 amid an acquisition spree following the installment of Arvind Krishna as global CEO and IBM’s tilt towards hybrid cloud and AI, which in Australia included the addition of AWS and Azure specialist SXiQ.

With the latter now fully absorbed into IBM Consulting, former SXiQ managing director John Hanna has been tapped to drive Neudesic’s expansion as Australia CEO: “With this launch, our Australian customers gain a new Microsoft-pure play partner which brings more capabilities and assets to help them succeed on their digital transformation journeys,” he stated.

Those capabilities include a full suite of cloud infrastructure, application innovation, data & AI, and business strategy & transformation services, with ASX200 companies in the financial services, manufacturing, and energy & utilities sectors among those the local practice is aiming to target, according to a statement from IBM Consulting Australia managing partner David Ellis.

“This launch will significantly expand IBM Consulting’s portfolio of targeted businesses, providing an opportunity to strengthen an underserviced market,” said Ellis, who joined the firm from Bain & Company earlier this year. “Microsoft Azure is key to many of our clients’ ability to modernise and innovate, and Neudesic’s offerings will further advance our Microsoft Azure strategy in Australia.”

Alongside the recruitment of Ellis, IBM Consulting has been stacking its senior ranks over the course of 2024, including most recently with former executive David Burns, who returns to the firm after more than a decade at Telstra. Others to have joined or been promoted in recent months include hybrid cloud leader Iskra Nikolova, and Richa Arora, as head of cybersecutity services.

More broadly, the expansion of Neudesic into Australia follows IBM’s recent introduction of its ‘watsonx’ artificial intelligence platform downunder via IBM Cloud, housed within its Sydney-based data centre. The move aims to help meet Australia’s sovereign data storage regulations, with data lakehouse and governance & compliance solutions among the initial suite of offerings.