Appirio Announces CEO Transition

(Image of Chris Barbin courtesy of TechPoint.)

The co-founder of a technology company that relocated its headquarters to Indianapolis before being acquired for $500 million has accepted a larger role with the India-based parent company. Chris Barbin, who helped launch Appirio in the mid-2000s in San Francisco before making the move to Indy in 2015, is stepping down as chief executive officer to serve as global cultural officer of Wipro. Appirio Global General Manager of Customer Relationship Management Erik Duffield will succeed Barbin April 1.

Wipro acquired the cloud services provider in 2016. Early last year, the company said its new owners had plans to continue growing in Indianapolis. Barbin served has CEO since Appirio was created 12 years ago.

Wipro says it employs some 180,000 worldwide and has more than 1,300 customers, including Salesforce.com Inc. (NYSE: CRM). Appirio’s partner portfolio includes YP, eBay, Facebook and Home Depot.