After spending 23 years in the company, Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp chairman and managing director (CMD) Ramkumar Ramamoorthy resigned last week and now the company is on looking for a new CMD.
What Does A Cognizant Say?
The chief executive, Cognizant, Brian Humphries said, “The new managing director will serve as the executive committee (EC) representative of our 200,000 associates in India and work with relevant Indian government agencies, chambers of commerce, universities, the media, and key policy-making bodies, including Nasscom,” in an internal email.
Friday is the last day for Ramamoorthy in Cognizant who used to report to the executive committee comprising senior leaders like chief financial officer Karen McLoughlin, Humphries, chief people officer Rebecca Schmitt, and chief operating officer Srinivasan Veeraraghavachary.
When This Position Will Be Filled?
So far, the timeline is not specified but Humphries said the search for a new CMD is expected to end in the coming months.
Although, it is yet not clear if the position will be filled by an external candidate or someone from within the company, according to a Cognizant spokesperson.
But most likely, the company will evaluate external candidates who are strong on corporate governance and also have a good understanding of the Indian business and emerging technologies said people familiar with the development.
Since joining the company in April 2019, Humphries has been focusing on four key digital areas including digital engineering, cloud, data and internet of things (IoT).
His main goal is to bring Cognizant back on the growth path.
As a result, Cognizant’s digital business grew by 19% y-o-y in the March quarter further accounting for 41% of revenue during the period.
Series Of Resignation In Cognizant
In recent times, Cognizant has seen a series of senior-level exits as Pradeep Shilige also resigned as a global delivery head after a 24-year stint.
Although, Andy Stafford has been hired as the new global head of delivery with immediate effect.
While Shilige will be with the company till 30 September to ensure a smooth transition.
In this regard, Humphries wrote, “I have asked Andy to take a fresh look at our delivery organization and refine our operating model to achieve world-class effectiveness,” in a separate email to the employees.
Apart from these, many other senior vice presidents and vice-presidents have also resigned in recent years.
Which includes names like Rajesh Balaji, Jaideep Poondir, Vinayambika Kidiyur, Archana Ramanakumar, and Vikash Gaur.
So far, the reason for the exits is not known, but according to industry insiders, it could be a conscious strategy to refresh the top-heavy structure of the company and make it more nimble and efficient.
Humphries added that Cognizant aims to improve its delivery function as client expectations continue to rise and evolve.
He said, “Core to our execution and, therefore, our success, is defining a next-generation delivery engine that blends innovation with automation and efficiency, and provides the highest levels of productivity and resilience,”.