Publicis Sapient appoints data & AI lead for Australia

Publicis Sapient has appointed Gavin Seewooruttun as Vice President, Data and AI Lead for Australia.

This newly established position is based in Melbourne and reflects the company's increased investment in the Australian market and its focus on supporting digital business transformation through artificial intelligence and data solutions.

Seewooruttun brings more than 20 years' experience working at the nexus of technology, innovation and business. Prior to joining Publicis Sapient, he served as Asia-Pacific Consulting Leader for AI and Analytics at EY. In this role, he was responsible for building one of the region's largest AI teams and helping design and implement data and AI strategies for major clients in financial services, government and retail sectors.

Publicis Sapient's Country Managing Director for Australia, Angela Robinson, said, "Gavin is an incredibly important addition to our Australian leadership team. His appointment reflects the priority we are placing on AI-driven offerings in disrupting the consulting industry to drive more value for our clients. Publicis Sapient has been recognised widely for its global leadership in the development of AI-driven solutions."

She added, "Gavin has proven that he is an innovative and trusted advisor to clients. He is ideally positioned to drive the evolution of our data and AI capabilities and play a key role in accelerating our strategic growth across the region."

In his new role, Seewooruttun will be responsible for helping organisations utilise AI and data to transform customer experiences, create new revenue streams and improve operational effectiveness. This appointment underscores Publicis Sapient's ongoing commitment to integrating and scaling AI-driven solutions for its clients in Australia.

Seewooruttun said, "I am incredibly excited to join Publicis Sapient and contribute to a forward-thinking team that is passionately committed to leveraging data and AI to drive impactful digital business transformation. Australia is poised to be a leader in the digital age, and I am eager to help our clients unlock new opportunities and achieve sustainable growth through innovative AI-driven strategies."

Publicis Sapient has placed data and AI at the core of its SPEED capabilities, a framework representing Strategy, Product, Experience, Engineering, Data and AI, which is central to the company's digital business transformation services.

Earlier in his career, Seewooruttun was Program Director at a major systems integrator, specialising in managing a global portfolio of data-driven transformation programmes. His experience includes leading multi-disciplinary teams in engineering, product and corporate strategy. He joined EY through the acquisition of C3, a data and analytics firm where he was Head of Analytics.

More recently, Seewooruttun led the launch of Advaise, an AI-focused startup offering professional services automation solutions.

His educational background includes degrees in Banking and Finance from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and in Electronic Engineering from the University of Southampton.