Inde appoints Nish Sudhakaran as AI & data director

Inde has appointed Nish Sudhakaran as technical director, AI and data, North Island. He is based in Auckland.

Sudhakaran joins the technology company from New Zealand Post, where he was head of automation and worked on a major digital transformation programme that helped deliver six automated sortation centres across the country.

He has also held advisory roles at EY and PwC, working with executive and business leadership teams on data strategy for large organisations.

The appointment adds senior experience in data platforms, cloud architecture, artificial intelligence, machine learning and business intelligence to Inde's North Island business. The role includes direct engagement with executives and business leaders across Inde's client base on AI and data strategy.

Sudhakaran is also expected to strengthen consulting expertise within the technical team and broaden the company's AI and data work. That includes helping clients address data governance, structure and security before moving to implementation.

Consulting shift

Sudhakaran said the role appealed to him because it combines strategic advice with delivery.

"In the big consulting firms, the work is largely advisory. You assess where a customer is, recommend where they need to get to, and the implementation usually happens somewhere else. At Inde, I get to do both, understand a customer's problem, advise on the right solution, and then work with a technical team to actually deliver it and see the benefit land. That combination is what excited me most about this role," he said.

The hire comes as many organisations review how to adopt artificial intelligence tools while addressing governance and security issues. Sudhakaran will work with customers on those foundations before projects move into execution.

He also pointed to the pace of change in the market and the still limited level of adoption in New Zealand.

"It's the era of generative AI, copilots and agentic AI, and there's a lot of noise in the market. AI adoption in New Zealand still sits under 50%, and that needs to keep moving. I want to help our customers turn their AI and data vision into practical reality, so they can reach their goals sooner," he said.

Growth plans

For Inde, the appointment is part of a broader push to deepen its AI and data work as clients modernise technology systems. The addition of Sudhakaran strengthens senior expertise as the company expands that part of the business.

Royden Burt, general manager solutions at Inde, described the hire as an investment in that area.

"Nish combines technical depth with genuine consulting skill. He understands the customer's business problem and the outcomes they need to achieve. Then he brings the right expertise to deliver a whole solution, not just a point fix. That's the kind of partner we want to be: working alongside our clients' teams, sharing accountability for outcomes, and growing their capability as much as our own. Nish will play a key role in helping our clients navigate their AI and data journey with confidence," Burt said.

Before joining Inde, Sudhakaran built experience across automation, cloud and data programmes in both operational and advisory settings. That background spans work at a national postal operator and two global consulting firms, giving him exposure to both board-level strategy discussions and large-scale implementation.

His role at New Zealand Post placed him in one of the organisation's largest transformation efforts. The programme involved the rollout of six automated sortation centres, linking digital systems with physical operations across multiple sites.

That mix of operational delivery and consulting experience is likely to be central to his brief at Inde as it seeks to expand its AI and data services while helping organisations put governance, structure and security in place before wider deployment.