The Leader Who Turns Tech Hype Into Trusted Progress, Sonia Eland

If you have ever sat through a transformation update that changed nothing about your day to day work, you will get why Sonia Eland’s leadership cuts through.

The HCLTech Australia and New Zealand Country Leader keeps returning to one idea, progress only counts when it lands with people, safely, clearly, and with outcomes you can point to. That is why she makes a compelling keynote speaker, she translates big shifts into something employees can trust and use.

A career built across industries
Eland was appointed Executive Vice President and Country Manager for Australia and New Zealand at HCLTech, effective 1 April 2024, after a career across consulting, technology, banking, retail, and travel, including a senior role at Deloitte Australia. That breadth sharpens a leader’s focus on what works in the real world, alignment, adoption, governance, and trust.

Clarity and consistency, the signal employees crave
In December 2025, Eland opened HCLTech’s Sydney Partner Advisory Council discussion by naming what many teams feel, expectations are rising, patience is shrinking, and partners are being judged on delivery, not promises.

Her message was direct, clarity and consistency matter, progress has to be reliable, and collaboration and trust are fundamental. She also pointed to a shift in expectations, less appetite for theoretical innovation, more focus on outcomes that integrate with core systems and lift productivity.

“Collaboration and trust are fundamental to how we support our customers.”

AI, practical confidence over hype
Eland’s public perspective on AI is written for the people who have to make change stick. In a recent interview, she put it plainly, you do not need to be a coder to use AI effectively. Start by being clear on what you want it to do, then apply it to small, routine tasks that drain time. Build AI literacy and confidence, because confidence is what turns a buzzword into a tool.

“You don’t need to be a coder to use AI effectively, just be clear on what you want it to do.”

Agentic AI, and the case for a “Super Agent”
In her LinkedIn long form article on Agentic AI, Eland argues we are entering the year of Agentic AI, with purpose built agents rolling out fast. Her warning is familiar, more tools can mean more fragmentation across platforms and experiences.

Her answer is a “Super Agent”, a unifying layer that orchestrates across platforms and gives people a simpler interface. The emphasis is on guardrails, security, transparency, privacy, control, and cost. It is not AI everywhere, it is AI that fits how people work.

Security and trust, culture, not just controls
Eland also describes cybersecurity as a cultural issue, not only a technical one, because even strong defences can be undone by one careless click. Resilience comes from habits, awareness, and inclusive teams that reduce blind spots.

Progress that shows up
When HCLTech was brought onboard to deliver IT services for Dunedin City Council, Eland framed it as a shared vision for lasting community value. In that same coverage, she noted the irony of AI, it promises ease of use, but organisations still need guidance and support to achieve that simplicity.

That is the thread running through her leadership, less theatre, more trusted progress, delivered in a way people can actually use.