Cognizant's Leadership Team Restructure Champions Diversity

By: WE Staff | Tuesday, 17 October 2023

Cognizant's CEO, Ravi Kumar, is producing a transformative overhaul of the leadership team as the company strives to rebound from a wave of high-level departures. Within his first ten months in office, Kumar has bolstered the executive cadre by appointing 26 senior leaders, comprising four executive vice presidents (EVPs) and 22 senior vice presidents (SVPs). These additions, a mix of internal promotions and external recruits, reflect the firm's drive to revamp its strategies and approach to future-proof its business in the face of heightened competition.

In the preceding era, Cognizant's leadership turnover and global expansion strategies had implications for offshore teams. The firm grappled with leadership replacements that did not always meet the highest standards, resulting in dull performance, slow growth in the banking, financial services, and insurance sectors, and diminished market share due to staffing challenges.

Kumar is forging ahead with an entirely new lineup of leaders under his stewardship, featuring four new EVPs and 22 SVPs. Apart from existing EVPs such as Surya Gummadi, President of the Americas at Cognizant, CFO Jatin Dalal, and CPO Kathy Diaz, the former Executive Vice President of Infosys, Narsimha Rao Mannepalli, is poised to become an EVP, potentially heading Cognizant's delivery unit.

Additionally, 12 SVPs were brought in from external organizations, including Infosys, Wipro, LTIMindtree, Accenture, General Motors, and Gartner. Notably, Shveta Arora, former Global Consulting Head at Infosys, is expected to join Cognizant as the Global Head of Consulting. In contrast, former Infosys EVP Richard Lobo may be tapped as Cognizant's India HR head.

Kumar is also putting an emphasis on diversifying the company's leadership by appointing nine women leaders. Among them are Kathy Diaz, who holds the role of Chief People Officer, and Jane Livesey, Senior Vice President and Head of Asia-Pacific & Japan. Sandra Notardonato, Senior Vice President and Head of Global Partnerships and Alliances, also takes on a key position. These appointments underscore the company's commitment to fostering gender diversity.

The overarching goal is to reinvigorate Cognizant's culture, restore growth, and address the gaps in pivotal industries, particularly financial services, manufacturing, and healthcare. Kumar's strategic additions aim to reinforce the company's reputation and customer service quality as it strives to reclaim its leadership position in the industry.