Cognizant names Ravi Kumar S as Chief Executive Officer By CIOTechOutlook Team

Cognizant names Ravi Kumar S as Chief Executive Officer

CIOTechOutlook Team | Friday, 13 January 2023, 03:06 IST

Ravi Kumar S has been named CEO and a member of the board of directors of Cognizant, the company stated. In both jobs, Kumar replaces Brian Humphries. Humphries will work with the company as a special advisor through March 15, 2023 in order to ensure a smooth transition.

After a 20-year career at Infosys, where he held a number of leadership positions, including most recently serving as President from January 2016 through October 2022, Kumar joins Cognizant. He oversaw the Infosys Global Services Organization in this capacity, leading service lines for enterprise package applications, data & analytics, consulting, technology, and engineering services, as well as services related to digital transformation.

Stephen J. Rohleder, a board member for Cognizant since March 2022, was also named chair of the board, according to the company. Michael Patsalos-Fox, the previous chair, will continue to serve as an independent director on the board. As part of the Board's continuous Board refreshment process, Rohleder was appointed to the Board in March 2022. Over the previous three years, the Board has appointed three more independent directors.

In his 35 years in senior roles with Accenture, Rohleder held the positions of Group Chief Executive, North America, Group Chief Executive, Health and Public Service, and Chief Operating Officer. He also served as Chairman and CEO of GTY Technology Holdings. Rohleder brings decades of experience managing operations, creating strategy, advising clients, and building teams in the technology sector.

Kumar had earlier been welcomed by Cognizant as President of Cognizant Americas. Surya Gummadi has been appointed President, Cognizant Americas, by Cognizant, which was also announced in conjunction with the CEO change. The position had been held temporarily by Gummadi, a 24-year Cognizant employee who had previously held the position of SVP of the company's Health Sciences business division.