Kyndryl, the IT infrastructure giant spun out of IBM, has named Simon Gillespie as its new Country Leader for New Zealand, doubling down on local leadership as demand for cloud, AI, and cybersecurity accelerates across the region.

Gillespie, based in Auckland, will oversee growth initiatives, deepen customer and partner ties, and steer the company’s strategy as Kiwi enterprises step up digital transformation.

A Veteran of New Zealand’s IT Scene

Gillespie is no stranger to the NZ tech landscape. He joins from Fujitsu, where he served as Sales Manager, and has held senior roles at NTT New Zealand, Spark Digital, and Dimension Data NZ. With more than three decades of experience leading large-scale IT infrastructure overhauls, government sector projects, and high-growth strategies, his résumé positions him as a steady hand in a turbulent market.

Why This Matters

Kyndryl may be less of a household name compared to hyperscalers like AWS or Microsoft Azure, but it’s firmly embedded in the mission-critical end of enterprise tech—keeping banks, utilities, and public agencies running. For New Zealand, where organizations are racing to modernize IT while juggling budget and skills constraints, Gillespie’s appointment signals Kyndryl’s intent to grab a bigger slice of the transformation pie.

It also marks another sign of intensifying competition in the region. Fujitsu, NTT, and Accenture have all been pushing hard on cloud and managed services in ANZ, while homegrown players like Spark and Datacom remain influential. Kyndryl’s bet seems clear: local leadership with deep market relationships is the key to staying relevant.

The Road Ahead

With cloud adoption maturing, AI-driven automation on the rise, and cyber threats escalating, the enterprise services market in New Zealand is far from quiet. Gillespie’s challenge will be balancing Kyndryl’s global muscle with a localized strategy—helping Kiwi organizations modernize without losing sight of practical outcomes.

Whether that translates into market share gains remains to be seen. But Kyndryl is clearly signaling it’s not content to play a supporting role in New Zealand’s digital shift.

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