Cognizant appoints former Infosys President Ravi Kumar as new CEO

IT giant Cognizant has announced the appointment of Ravi Kumar as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and a member of the Board, effective immediately. 

Kumar succeeds Brian Humphries in both roles. 

To facilitate a smooth transition, Humphries will remain with the Company as a special advisor until March 15, 2023, the company said in a statement on Thursday.

Kumar joins Cognizant after a 20-year career at Infosys, where he held various leadership roles, most recently serving as President from January 2016 through October 2022. In this role, he led the Infosys Global Services Organisation across all global industry segments, driving digital transformation services, consulting services, technology services, engineering services, data and analytics, cloud and infrastructure, and enterprise package applications service lines.

In addition, he led the Business Process Management (BPM) Unit and was Chair of the Board of Infosys BPM Ltd. He has overseen Infosys business operations in India, Latin America, Japan and China.

Kumar has over 20 years of experience in the technology consulting space, incubating new practice lines, driving large transformational programs, and developing new business models across industry segments. 

"I have watched Cognizant fundamentally transform its business, expanding its digital portfolio and capabilities, strengthening client relationships and partnerships, and meaningfully enhancing operational discipline. Cognizant is well-positioned for growth, and I'm excited to unlock the Company's significant potential for our employees, clients, investors, and other stakeholders," said Kumar. 

The company also announced that Stephen J Rohleder, a member of Cognizant's Board since March 2022, has been elected Chair of the Board. Former Chair Michael Patsalos-Fox will remain on the Board as an independent director. 

Rohleder brings decades of experience overseeing operations, developing strategy, counseling clients, and growing teams in the technology space, gained from his 35-year tenure in senior roles with Accenture, where he served as Group Chief Executive, North America, Group Chief Executive, Health and Public Service and Chief Operating Officer, as well as his roles as Chairman and CEO of GTY Technology Holdings.

"We believe Ravi is the right person to take Cognizant into its next phase of growth. He brings world-class expertise in consulting, process, and technology transformation as well as demonstrated success building businesses. We are highly confident he can build on Cognizant's portfolio of in-demand solutions, strong brand, and significant international expansion opportunity to unlock enhanced performance and growth," said Rohleder.

Kumar currently serves on the boards of directors of TransUnion, where he is a member of the Mergers, Acquisitions and Integration Committee and the Compensation Committee, and Digimarc Corporation, where he serves on the Compensation and Talent Management Committee and the Market Development Committee. He also serves on the Board of Governors of the New York Academy of Sciences and the Board of Directors of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Cognizant had previously announced that Kumar would join the Company as President, Cognizant Americas. The role will now go to Surya Gummadi, a 24-year veteran of Cognizant, who had held it on an interim basis since July 2022 and previously served as SVP of Cognizant's Health Sciences business segment.