Publicis Sapient appoints Harshu Deshpande as VP, Product & Engineering Lead for Australia

Publicis Sapient, the digital business transformation arm of Publicis Groupe, has announced the appointment of Harshu Deshpande as Vice President, Product & Engineering Lead for Australia. Based in Melbourne, Deshpande steps into this newly created role to strengthen the company’s AI-driven engineering and product delivery capabilities in the region.

Angela Robinson, Country Managing Director, Australia, Publicis Sapient, welcomed the appointment, highlighting its significance for the firm’s growth agenda. “We are thrilled to welcome Harshu to lead our engineering and product teams in Australia. His deep expertise and innovative mindset align perfectly with our commitment to delivering cutting-edge solutions for clients,” she said.

In his new role, Deshpande will oversee multi-disciplinary teams delivering agile transformation programmes and large-scale technology solutions. He will also drive the adoption of Publicis Sapient’s proprietary AI platforms, including Sapient Slingshot and Bodhi, within the company’s integrated SPEED framework – Strategy, Product, Experience, Engineering, Data and AI.

With more than 20 years of experience, Deshpande has consistently guided organisations in modernising legacy systems, advancing AI adoption, and driving digital transformation at scale.

His appointment comes shortly after the company named Gavin Seewooruttun as Vice President, Data and AI Lead for Australia. Together, their addition reflects Publicis Sapient’s efforts to deepen its leadership bench and sharpen its focus on supporting clients in a market that is rapidly embracing AI and digital innovation.