Cognizant appoints former Infosys president Ravi Kumar as CEO

Global ICT consulting and services firm Cognizant has appointed former Infosys president Ravi Kumar S as its new Chief Executive Officer.

Originally slated to join Cognizant as president of its Americas practice, Kumar’s surprise appointment as CEO follows a two decade career at rival Infosys, where over that time he held a number of senior leadership positions, including almost seven years as President until October of last year.

Prior to joining Infosys in Hyderabad in 2002, Kumar spent time at Oracle, Sapient, Atos and PwC, with his professional career dating back more than thirty years.

In a candid post to LinkedIn, Kumar noted that he felt more energised than ever, while admitting that he had barely slept. “It’s because the opportunity I see before me is incredible,” he stated. “I believe Cognizant’s potential is unlimited. What an honour and privilege to have the opportunity to lead this company during this golden era of technology. Cognizant has a startup culture and a founders mentality, and it’s clear there is a great deal of positive energy.”

Based out of New York, Kumar takes over from Brian Humphries with immediate effect, after the latter was appointed in 2019 to replace long-term CEO Francisco D’Souza. Humphries continued to grow the firm’s revenue during his time at the helm despite a shaky start in the face of Covid-19, with Cognizant bringing in $18.5 billion in global revenues over its 2022 financial year on the back of double digit growth and the demand for digital transformation.

“I am proud of our team’s achievements during my tenure,” said Humphries, who will stay on as an advisor until mid-March. “Our brand is more visible, our portfolio is stronger, our client relationships are more consultative and we are better aligned to high growth digital segments within our market. The company is in a great position for success. It was an honoUr to lead our talented associates and I wish the leadership team all the best for the future.”

Cognizant’s new chair

In addition to Kumar’s appointment as CEO, current board member Stephen Rohleder has been elected as chair. First joining the firm early last year, Rohleder previously spent three and a half decades at Accenture until 2015, where he served for five years as global COO before rising to CEO for North America.

Former chair and McKinsey & Company veteran Michael Patsalos-Fox will remain on the board as an independent director.

“As a proven leader with deep experience in building a culture of success, we believe Ravi is the right person to take Cognizant into its next phase of growth,” Rohleder stated. “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.”