Cognizant is an American multinational corporation that provides IT services, including digital, technology, consulting, and operations services. Cognizant was founded as an in-house technology unit of Dun & Bradstreet in 1994, and started serving external clients in 1996.

Information Technology

Cognizant

Nella joined Cognizant’s Board in February 2023. She most recently served as the Chief Financial Officer and a member of the Management Committee of Dataminr, a leading artificial intelligence company that detects emerging risks from publicly available information, from September 2020 to September 2021. Prior to joining Dataminr, Nella was Chief Financial Officer and a member of the Operating Committee at Bridgewater Associates, a global leader in institutional portfolio management and the world's largest hedge fund, from 2015 to May 2018, after serving as a Strategic Advisor to its Management Committee from 2012 to 2015.

Prior to 2012, Nella held senior strategic and financial positions at other prominent companies, including Citadel Investment Group, Credit Suisse and the Monitor Consulting Group. She currently serves on the board of directors of AllianceBernstein Holding LP and, from May 2020 to October 2022, she served on the board of Change Healthcare Inc.

Nella received her bachelor’s degree in English literature from Georgetown University, her juris doctorate from Georgetown University Law Center and her Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School, where she graduated with high distinction as a Baker Scholar.

Nella Domenici

Eric Branderiz brings to Cognizant’s Board of Directors significant experience in finance, accounting, M&A execution, risk management, ESG and corporate governance across various energy and technology sectors.



Eric Branderiz

Surya Gummadi is President of Cognizant Americas, responsible for the strategic direction and operational performance of Cognizant’s business in the United States, Latin America, and Canada. Additionally, he is responsible for the global large deals team.

During his more than 20-year career at Cognizant, Surya has distinguished himself as a passionate, goal-oriented, client-centric leader and team builder, helping to drive business growth and strategy.

Prior to being appointed President of the Americas, Surya served as senior vice president of Cognizant’s Global Health Sciences organization where he led 80,000 professionals dedicated to serving the needs of providers, payers, pharmaceutical companies, biotech and biopharma organizations, and medical device companies.

Surya successfully led Cognizant’s acquisition of TriZetto, the largest in the company’s history, and its commercial integration. He also spearheaded the Global Health Sciences go-to-market strategy, product road maps and the digitization agenda, leading multiple client accounts in large transformational projects.

Surya grew up in Hyderabad, India, and holds a degree in mechanical engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay. He moved to the United States in 2003.

Surya Gummadi

Prasad Sankaran is the Executive Vice President, Software and Platform Engineering at Cognizant. In this role, Prasad leads strategy, offerings, solutions, partnerships, capabilities and delivery for Digital Engineering, Digital Experience, Application Development and Management, and Quality Engineering and Assurance. He joined Cognizant in November 2022.

Prasad has deep experience in leading and delivering large, complex IT projects across digital, cloud, infrastructure and applications, resulting in balanced technical and business skills. He spent over two decades with Accenture where he rose to the level of Senior Managing Director, holding several senior leadership positions including Global Lead for Intelligent Cloud and Infrastructure, Technology Lead of  North America and Global Financial Services Lead for Technology.

Prasad was also part of the core Accenture team that pioneered the establishment of offshore IT in 2001, which became the foundation of the global delivery model that extended to their network of global Delivery Centers.

Since leaving Accenture in February, Prasad held the position of Senior Vice President at Bain and Company, a leader in the Enterprise Technology and Private Equity practices.

Prasad has an M.S. in Management Information Systems and an M.B.A in Finance  from Texas A&M University, and a B.Tech in Chemical Engineering from Osmania University.

Prasad Sankaran

Rob Vatter is currently the EVP of Global Enterprise Platform Services at [Cognizant](/org/cognizant). Prior to this, they served as the Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) for ClickFox from January 2018 to August 2022. In this role, they were responsible for managing the sales and marketing team, directing campaign design and execution, as well as customer support, pricing, and revenue management. Previously, they were the CEO of North America for [Altran](/org/altran) from January 2015 to December 2018. Before that, they served as the Senior Vice President of ATOS Outsourcing/Managed Services from January 2012 to December 2015. Prior to that, they were the Vice President of Communications, Media, & Entertainment - Services for HP from January 2004 to December 2012.

Rob Vatter has a Bachelor of Arts in Business Management from Hartwick College and a PMD 73 in Business from [Harvard Business School](/org/harvard-business-school).

Rob Vatter reports to Brian Humphries, CEO. They work with Rob Walker - President, Global Growth Markets, Rebecca Schmitt - Chief People Officer, and Andrew Stafford - EVP, Global Delivery and Software and Platform Engineering.

Rob Vatter

Annadurai Elango

Rob Walker is [Cognizant](/org/cognizant)’s President of Global Growth Markets, which covers all of [Cognizant](/org/cognizant)’s markets outside of the Americas region. In this role, Rob plays an integral part in helping to further globalize [Cognizant](/org/cognizant)’s business across several dimensions: growing the company’s revenue across targeted geographies, accelerating growth in digital internationally, investing in strong local leadership and talent and extending its delivery footprint to access the best talent globally and meet client demand.

Rob joined [Cognizant](/org/cognizant) in January 2021 as Managing Director of the United Kingdom & Ireland business. Previously, he spent 24 years at Ernst & Young, most recently helping clients improve the efficiency of their business using emerging technologies and digital capabilities across a wide range of sectors and industries, including technology, media and telecommunications, advanced manufacturing and engineering and consumer products. Throughout his career, Rob has excelled at driving growth and turning around performance while successfully building and leading highly effective teams.

Rob holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from [Newcastle University](/org/newcastle-university) and is a chartered accountant.

Rob Walker

John Kim, [Cognizant](/org/cognizant)’s Executive Vice President and General Counsel, leads the company’s legal, compliance, corporate affairs and company secretary functions.

Previously, he served as Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, Global Commercial Contracts, and was the global legal executive responsible for [Cognizant](/org/cognizant)’s commercial engagements. In this role, he oversaw client negotiations and designed global commercial legal strategies to address client and company objectives in ever-evolving marketplaces.

Prior to joining [Cognizant](/org/cognizant) in 2019, John served as Global Head of Big Deals at [Capgemini](/org/capgemini), where he closed over $2.3 billion in new business and led a legal team responsible for the company’s most strategic and critical transactions. Before [Capgemini](/org/capgemini), he served as U.S. Counsel for [WNS Global Services](/org/wns-global-services) and as General Counsel for [Travelport](/org/travelport), a leading travel technology company, as well as a number of technology service companies. 

John holds a bachelor’s degree in English Literature from [Columbia University](/org/columbia-university). He obtained his law degree from Cornell Law School, where he was a member of the Cornell Law Review.



John Kim

Rajesh Nambiar is President, Digital Business and Technology, and Chairman of [Cognizant](/org/cognizant) India. As President, Digital Business and Technology, Rajesh brings together the industry’s most compelling technology vision, strategy, roadmap, capabilities, solutions, partnerships and subject matter expertise into a single integrated powerhouse. As Chairman of [Cognizant](/org/cognizant) India, Rajesh enhances relationships with government agencies, chambers of commerce, universities, the media and key policy-making bodies.

Prior to joining [Cognizant](/org/cognizant) in November 2020, Rajesh served as Chairman and President of [Ciena](/org/ciena) India, a leading network solutions partner. He joined [Ciena](/org/ciena) from IBM Application Services, where he led $8 billon of data, AI and analytics offerings. He also served as IBM's Global Delivery Leader and led a team of 90,000 through the company’s next generation of globally integrated delivery capability. Before IBM, Rajesh spent over 18 years at Tata Consultancy Services as a Regional Head in the eastern United States.

Rajesh serves on the Executive Council of NASSCOM, the premier trade association of Indian IT and BPO companies. He chairs the [Cognizant](/org/cognizant) India Foundation.

Rajesh holds a master’s degree in Statistics from the Indian Statistical Institute in Kolkata and is a graduate of [Harvard Business School](/org/harvard-business-school)’s Advanced Management Program. He also completed the JLDP, a prestigious leadership program conducted by Fortune 500 CEOs.

Rajesh Nambiar

Tyler Scott is currently the VP, Head of Investor Relations at [Cognizant](/org/cognizant). Prior to this, they were the Senior Director, Corporate Financial Planning & Analysis at [Conduent](/org/conduent) from January 2017 to July 2019. Tyler started their career as an Associate Analyst, Equity Research at [Wells Fargo](/org/wells-fargo) from July 2011 to January 2017.

Tyler Scott completed a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Business, Organizations, and Society/Applied Math Minor from Franklin & Marshall College. They then went on to receive certification from the [CFA Institute](/org/cfa-institute) as a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).

Tyler Scott reports to Jan Siegmund, CFO. Some of their coworkers include Peter Cumello - SVP, Finance - Global Head of FP&A & Enterprise Transformation, Charmian Uy - SVP, Treasurer.

Tyler Scott

Charmian Uy is the current SVP, Treasurer at [Cognizant](/org/cognizant). Charmian has over 25 years of experience in leadership roles in finance. 

Charmian started their career as an analyst at [U.S. Department of the Treasury](/org/u-s-department-of-the-treasury). Charmian quickly rose through the ranks and became the Chief Investment Officer, leading the US Treasury’s initiative to sunset TARP (Troubled Assets Relief Program). Charmian was successful in balancing the stability of the impacted institutions and the interests of the taxpayer, collecting approximately $16 billion in proceeds.

After their successful tenure at the Treasury, they joined First Data Corporation as SVP, Financial Planning and Analysis. There they established and organized the infrastructure and processes for corporate financial planning, forecasting and analysis.

Most recently, they were at CA Technologies as SVP, Treasurer. There they directed a team of 17 professionals, with 2 direct reports. In a rapidly changing environment, they focused on strategic excellence, collaboration and employee engagement. Charmian also directed Capital Allocation and Execution in the Capital Markets. During the [Broadcom](/org/broadcom) acquisition in 2018, they spearheaded due diligence response and negotiated terms of the Purchase Agreement.

Charmian Uy has a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from The Wharton School and a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Management Engineering from [Ateneo de Manila University](/org/ateneo-de-manila-university).

They work with Tyler Scott - VP, Head of Investor Relations, Peter Cumello - SVP, Finance - Global Head of FP&A & Enterprise Transformation. Charmian Uy reports to Jan Siegmund, CFO.

Charmian Uy

Peter Cumello is the SVP of Finance and the Global Head of FP&A & Enterprise Transformation at [Cognizant](/org/cognizant). Peter has over 20 years of experience in finance and has held various leadership positions at companies such as [WorkFusion](/org/workfusion), Archetype, [Avanade](/org/avanade), and [Accenture](/org/accenture). Peter started their career as a Biotechnology Research Associate at UBS (Paine Webber) in 1996 and has since then steadily progressed in their finance career. Peter was promoted to Senior Specialist at [Accenture](/org/accenture) in 1997 and then to Managing Director of Finance in 2014. During their time at [Avanade](/org/avanade), they were responsible for North American finance and was a member of the global investment committee. In 2016, they left [Accenture](/org/accenture) to join Archetype as their CFO. Peter was with Archetype until December 2017 when they joined [WorkFusion](/org/workfusion) as their first company CFO. At [WorkFusion](/org/workfusion), they were responsible for the company's financial operations and strategic growth. Peter helped with acquisition due diligence, system reporting/implementation, and analytics to drive [WorkFusion](/org/workfusion)'s goals for global tech agency. In January 2021, they left [WorkFusion](/org/workfusion) to join [Cognizant](/org/cognizant) as their SVP of Finance and the Global Head of FP&A & Enterprise Transformation.

Peter Cumello has a BS in finance from the [University of Connecticut](/org/university-of-connecticut) and graduated magna cum laude. Peter also has a certification from [FINRA](/org/financial-industry-regulatory-authority-inc) in Series 7 and 63.

They are on a team with Charmian Uy - SVP, Treasurer, Tyler Scott - VP, Head of Investor Relations. Peter Cumello reports to Jan Siegmund, CFO.

Peter Cumello

Siegmund previously held various leadership and executive roles during his 20-year tenure at ADP, most recently serving as Corporate Vice President and Chief Financial Officer from 2012 to 2019.  Prior to that, Siegmund was Chief Strategy Officer and President of ADP's Added Value Services Division from April 2009 to October 2012, where he developed and executed the segment's growth strategy through technology investments, acquisitions, and the creation of new distribution channels.  He started his career at [McKinsey & Company](/org/mckinsey-company).  Siegmund is a member of the Board of Directors of The Western Union Company. 

Jan Siegmund

Anil Cheriyan is [Cognizant](/org/cognizant)’s Executive Vice President, Strategy and Technology. Overseeing all aspects of Corporate Strategy, Global IT and Global Security, Anil is responsible for [Cognizant](/org/cognizant)’s strategy, alliances and business development, and for strengthening the company’s global IT and security capabilities.  

Prior to joining [Cognizant](/org/cognizant) in August 2020, Anil served as the U.S. Presidential Appointee in charge of Technology Transformation Services, with a mission to improve people’s lives through technology. Working closely with the White House, agency leadership and the Federal CIO, he drove the technology transformation agenda across the U.S. federal government, accelerating the transformation of several agencies with industry-leading talent in AI, cloud, digital platforms, data and analytics, identity and citizen experience. 

Prior to his government role, Anil launched Phase IV Ventures, a consulting and advisory firm, advising banks, technology firms and late-stage growth startups. Before that, he served as EVP and CIO of SunTrust Banks, where he led the bank’s digital, operations and data transformation, advancing its capabilities in cloud, AI/robotics, digital transformation, data and payments. Earlier in his career, Anil held senior leadership roles at IBM Global Business Services, where he served financial services clients and led the insurance industry practice, and at PwC Management Consulting, where he led several global industry and technology practices.

Anil is an active leader in business and technology communities. He serves on the advisory boards of several late-stage growth startups and is an advisory partner to Insight Venture Partners and FTV Capital. 

Anil earned his Master of Science and Master of Philosophy degrees in Management as well as a Bachelor of Science degree in Electronic and Electrical Engineering from Imperial College in London.

Anil Cheriyan

Andy Stafford is the Head of Global Delivery at [Cognizant](/org/cognizant). In this role, Andy leads the delivery of all client services across the business, including digital, technology and operations. He joined [Cognizant](/org/cognizant) in July 2020.

Andy is an internationally experienced IT executive with extensive business leadership, operations management, technology delivery and consulting skills. Andy spent nearly two decades with [Accenture](/org/accenture) where he rose to the level of Senior Managing Director responsible for the firm's Global Delivery Network for Technology, an organization of 100,000 professionals operating in over 20 countries. He was also a member of the Global Leadership team for the firm's Technology business. Andy was one of the central leaders within [Accenture](/org/accenture) responsible for their transformation to a global delivery model, including spending five years based in Bangalore, initially responsible for Delivery for the firm’s India Delivery Center and later leading all their Delivery Centers across Asia Pacific (India, Philippines, China, Southeast Asia, South Korea).  

Since leaving [Accenture](/org/accenture) at the end of 2013, he has held a variety of executive positions including Chief Operating Officer of Computacenter PLC and Global Head of Services and Delivery for Unisys Inc.

Andy holds a bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering and Electronics from the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology in Manchester, England.

Andrew Stafford

Shameka Young is the VP, Global Head of Diversity & Inclusion at [Cognizant](/org/cognizant). Shameka has over 20 years of experience in Communications and High Tech. Shameka has a specialization in the Network Practice and has focused on strategic and technical consulting services to national and global companies in the telecommunications, high-tech and retail industries.

Shameka Young has a degree from [The University of Texas at Austin](/org/the-university-of-texas-at-austin) and certification from World 50, Inc. in World 50 Next Leader.

They are on a team with Kathryn Diaz - SVP, Total Rewards, Kathleen O'Driscoll - VP, HR - Global Benefits. Shameka Young reports to Rebecca Schmitt, Chief People Officer.

Shameka Young

Kathryn Diaz is currently the SVP of Total Rewards at [Cognizant](/org/cognizant). Prior to their current role, Diaz served as Vice President of Total Reward at Pearson from July 2019 to July 2020. Kathryn has also held the role of Vice President of Global Compensation and Mobility at PVH Corp from June 2014 to June 2019, and Director of Global Compensation at [Merck](/org/merck) from January 2008 to June 2014. In their role at [Merck](/org/merck), they were responsible for developing market-competitive pay programs and policies that aligned with the company’s business strategies. From January 2000 to December 2007, Diaz served as Regional Director of International Benefits at [Merck](/org/merck). 

Diaz has extensive experience in developing compensation programs that attract, retain, and motivate employees. Kathryn is an expert in compensation and benefits, and has a proven track record in designing and implementing effective programs. Her experience in both the US and international markets makes their an invaluable asset to their current organization.

Kathryn Diaz has a MBA from Lehigh University College of Business and a BS in Accounting from [Rider University](/org/rider-university). Kathryn also has a certification from World at Work in CCP.

Their manager is Rebecca Schmitt, Chief People Officer. Kathryn Diaz works with Kathleen O'Driscoll - VP, HR - Global Benefits, Shameka Young - VP, Global Head of Diversity & Inclusion.

Kathryn Diaz

Kathleen O'Driscoll is the current Vice President of Human Resources - Global Benefits at [Cognizant](/org/cognizant). Kathleen has over 20 years of experience in Human Resources, with a focus on benefits and global finance. Prior to their current role, they were the Vice President of Business Group on Health, where they oversaw the strategic direction and development of the Global Institute. Kathleen has also held senior HR positions at [Honeywell](/org/honeywell) and [Seton Hall University](/org/seton-hall-university).

Kathleen O'Driscoll has a Masters in Business - Human Resource Management from [Seton Hall University](/org/seton-hall-university) and a Bachelors of Arts in Psychology from [Montclair State University](/org/montclair-state-university).

Kathleen O'Driscoll works with Shameka Young - VP, Global Head of Diversity & Inclusion, Kathryn Diaz - SVP, Total Rewards. Kathleen O'Driscoll reports to Rebecca Schmitt, Chief People Officer.

Kathleen O'Driscoll

Rebecca (Becky) Schmitt is [Cognizant](/org/cognizant)'s Chief People Officer. She leads all aspects of people management and company culture, including attracting world-class, diverse talent and developing a future-ready workforce.

Becky has over 20 years of HR leadership experience. Prior to joining [Cognizant](/org/cognizant) in February 2020, she served as Senior Vice President and Chief People Officer at Sam’s Club, a division of [Walmart](/org/walmart), from October 2018 through January 2020. In that role, she championed the people experience and career development of 100,000 associates across nearly 600 locations. Prior to that role, she served as Chief People Officer for [Walmart](/org/walmart)’s U.S. eCommerce and Corporate Functions from 2016 to 2018, a role in which she supported an employee base of 40,000+ employees in 13 markets.

Before joining [Walmart](/org/walmart), Becky spent more than 20 years with [Accenture](/org/accenture), holding key HR leadership roles, including as HR Managing Director, North America from 2014 to 2016, where she was responsible for all stages of the employee lifecycle for 47,000+ employees in more than 58 locations; HR Managing Director, Global Delivery Network from 2013 to 2014, in which she oversaw people processes for 108,000 employees at delivery centers across 25+ countries; and HR Managing Director, India Delivery Centers (Bangalore) from 2010 to 2013, in which she designed HR strategy and led an operating model that supported growth from 45,000 to 70,000+ employees. Prior to these roles, she also managed HR functions for [Accenture](/org/accenture)’s Technical Architecture & SAP and Asia Pacific Telecommunications and High Tech Group.

Rebecca Schmitt

Ganesh Ayyar is President, Cognizant Digital Operations, which provides business process services, automation services and platform services to 100+ clients through 65,000+ associates across 25+ countries.

Previously, Ganesh was the CEO of [Mphasis](/org/mphasis) (a global IT services company listed in India) for eight years, from 2009 to 2017. He was recognized as the CEO of the Year in 2016 by [CEO Connection](/org/ceo-connection)s for his successful track record of transformation initiatives and market value enhancements. The Blackstone Group Inc. bought a majority stake in [Mphasis](/org/mphasis) in 2016, marking one of the largest investments in an India-listed company.

Prior to [Mphasis](/org/mphasis), Ganesh spent nearly two decades with Hewlett-Packard. He rose through the ranks, holding a variety of leadership roles across multiple geographies. Ganesh’s views on the role of corporate culture, talent and process in digital transformation are well documented.

Ganesh Ayyar

Gaurav Chand is [Cognizant](/org/cognizant)’s Chief Marketing Officer. In this role, Gaurav oversees all aspects of [Cognizant](/org/cognizant)’s global marketing, including brand, creative, digital, events, communications, field and corporate marketing.  Gaurav’s primary mission is to facilitate growth by developing and executing a comprehensive marketing plan that promotes [Cognizant](/org/cognizant)’s digital leadership, increases brand recognition and extends its competitive advantage in all market segments.

Before joining [Cognizant](/org/cognizant) in 2019, Gaurav served as the Chief Marketing Officer for cloud and network services provider CenturyLink. Prior to that, he was the Global Senior Vice President, Marketing of the Infrastructure Solutions group for Dell EMC, where he led the marketing strategy for a multibillion-dollar enterprise solutions portfolio. Gaurav has held a variety of senior marketing roles since 1996 and has extensive experience creating marketing strategies that result in revenue growth. 

Gaurav holds a bachelor's degree in Computer Science from [Fergusson College](/org/fergusson-college) in Pune, India, and an MBA from [Southern Methodist University](/org/southern-methodist-university).

Gaurav Chand

Ravi Kumar was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Cognizant in January 2023. In his role as CEO, Ravi sets the strategic direction of the company, promotes Cognizant’s client-first culture, and focuses on ensuring sustainable growth and driving long-term shareholder value.

He is a highly accomplished services industry executive with experience across digital transformation, traditional technology and engineering services, data and analytics, cloud and infrastructure, and consulting.

Prior to Cognizant, Ravi served as President of Infosys from 2016 to 2022, where he led the global services organization across all industry segments and served as Chairman of the Board of Infosys BPM Ltd. Previously, he was the Group Head for the Insurance, Healthcare, and Cards and Payments unit, and led the Global Delivery organization where he built the Oracle and CRM practices.

Before joining Infosys, Ravi served in positions of increasing responsibility at PricewaterhouseCoopers, Cambridge Technology Partners, Oracle and Sapient (now Publicis Sapient). The early part of his career was spent as a nuclear scientist at the Bhabha Atomic Research Center of India.

Ravi is a member of the Board of Directors of TransUnion and Digimarc Corporation. He is also on the Board of Governors of New York Academy of Sciences and is on the Board of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Shivaji University and an M.B.A. from Xavier Institute of Management, India.

Ravi Kumar

Stephen (Steve) J. Rohleder joined [Cognizant](/org/cognizant)’s Board of Directors in March 2022. He previously served as Group Chief Executive, North America of [Accenture](/org/accenture) plc (ACN) from June 2014 until his retirement in August 2015. This position capped a 35-year career with [Accenture](/org/accenture) during which Steve held several other executive leadership roles, including Group Chief Executive, Health & Public Service from September 2009 until June 2014, and Chief Operating Officer from September 2004 until September 2009.

Following his retirement from [Accenture](/org/accenture), Steve joined the Board of GTY Technology Holdings Inc. (GTYH), a software-as-a-service company that offers a cloud-based suite of solutions for the public sector in North America, from October 2016 until March 2020.  He served as Chairman, CEO and President from May 2019 until March 2020.

Steve has been the principal owner of SGR Equity Investments, a private equity and venture capital company, since August 2015.  He previously served on the Advisory Board for Apogee Inc., the largest provider of on-campus residential networks and video solutions in higher education, from February 2017 until January 2020 and on the Advisory Board for Kony, Inc., a cloud-based enterprise mobility solutions company and mobile application development platform provider, from November 2015 until December 2019.

Steve holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from the University of Texas at Austin.

Stephen J. Rohleder

Ken Greenwood

Joe nithin

Don Christo

Gunjan  Jain

Shadaab Mobin

aja p

rajesh m

Maria  Allen

Alphonsa Judy

Matt Davis

Raj leo

Swapnil Tiwari

Harish Narayanan

Ms. Wijnberg, 62, was most recently an Executive Advisor to Aquiline Holdings LLC, a registered investment advisory firm, from 2015 to early 2019, and from 2007 to 2014 was a partner and Chief Administrative Officer at the firm.  She was previously Chief Financial Officer at Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc.; Treasurer and interim Chief Financial Officer of Yum! Brands, Inc.; Chief Financial Officer, [KFC Corporation](/org/kfc-corporation) at PepsiCo, Inc.; and spent the early part of her career in investment banking at [Morgan Stanley](/org/morgan-stanley) and Lehman Brothers.

Sandra Wijnberg

Michael Patsalos-Fox joined [Cognizant](/org/cognizant)’s Board of Directors in July 2012 and was elected Chairman of the Board in September 2018. He is the former Chief Executive Officer of Stroz Friedberg, Inc., a global cyber security firm, a position he held from 2013 to 2016. He is currently Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Vidyo, Inc., a video telehealth platform provider, a position he has held since 2014.

Until February 2013 Michael was a Senior Partner at global management consulting firm [McKinsey & Company](/org/mckinsey-company), where he worked for 32 years. During his tenure at McKinsey, Michael served on its Board of Directors for 12 years. He also served on the firm’s Operating Committee. Michael led the Americas Region, the New York and New Jersey offices, the North American Corporate Finance and Strategy practice and the European Telecoms practice. From 2009 through June 2012 Michael led McKinsey’s new business growth opportunities around data, analytics and software.

Born in Cyprus, Michael has lived in Australia, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Sciences and Pure Mathematics from Sydney University in Australia and an MBA degree with distinction from the International Institute of Management Development in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Michael Patsalos-Fox

Zein Abdalla was elected to Cognizant’s Board of Directors in September 2015. Previously, from September 2012 through his retirement in December 2014, he was the President of [PepsiCo](/org/pepsico), Inc., a leading global food, snack and beverage company. Before that Zein served as Chief Executive Officer of [PepsiCo](/org/pepsico) Europe—a division of [PepsiCo](/org/pepsico)—starting in November 2009 and as President, [PepsiCo](/org/pepsico) Europe Region, beginning in January 2006. Prior thereto, he held a variety of senior positions at [PepsiCo](/org/pepsico) since joining the company in 1995, including General Manager of [PepsiCo](/org/pepsico)’s European Beverage Business, General Manager of Tropicana Europe and Franchise Vice President for Pakistan and the Gulf Region.

Zein has served since 2012 on the Board of Directors of apparel and home fashions retailer The TJX Companies, Inc., where he is currently a member of the Corporate Governance Committee and Finance Committee. Zein is also a board advisor to Mars, Incorporated, a global petcare, confectionery and food company, a member of the Board of Directors of the [Mastercard Foundation](/org/mastercard-foundation), a private foundation, a member of the Board of Directors of Kuwait Food Company, an operator of restaurants and food brands in the Middle East, and a member of the Advisory Board of the Imperial College Business School.

Zein holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Imperial College, London University.

Zein Abdalla

Joseph M. Velli joined [Cognizant](/org/cognizant)’s Board of Directors in December 2017. He previously served as Senior Executive Vice President and a member of the Senior Policy Committee of The Bank of New York (now [BNY Mellon](/org/bny-mellon)). During his 22-year tenure with The Bank of New York, Joe held a number of other positions, including heading Global Issuer Services, Global Liquidity Services, Pension and 401(k) Services, Consumer and Retail Banking and Correspondent Clearing and Securities Services. Most recently, following his tenure with The Bank of New York, he served from 2006 to 2013 as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Convergex Group, LLC, a provider of software platforms and technology-enabled brokerage services. Prior to joining The Bank of New York, Joe was head of Citibank’s Depositary Receipt business.

Since 2007 Joe has served on the Board of Directors of Paychex, Inc., a provider of payroll, human resource and benefits outsourcing services, where he is Chair of the Corporate Development Advisory Committee, Chair of the Investment Committee, and a member of the Executive Committee and Compensation and Governance Committee. He has served on the Board of Directors of Computershare Limited, a global provider of corporate trust, stock transfer, employee share plan and mortgage servicing services, since 2014 and is currently Chair of the Remuneration Committee and a member of both the Acquisition Committee and the Nominating Committee. Joe previously served on the Board of Directors of E*TRADE Financial Corporation from 2010 to 2014.

Joe has served as a Senior Advisor of Lovell Minnick Partners, LLC, a private equity firm, since 2016. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees for William Paterson University.

Joe holds a Bachelor’s degree from William Paterson University and an MBA from Fairleigh Dickinson University.

Joseph M. Velli

Maureen Breakiron-Evans was elected to [Cogni](/org/cogni)zant’s Board of Directors in May 2009. Maureen began her career as a financial auditor, ultimately serving as an Audit Partner with Arthur Andersen & Co. Subsequently, she served in senior executive positions in finance technology at Transamerica Corp., Visa and Cigna Corporation before retiring as CFO of Towers Perrin in 2008.

Since 2015, Maureen has served on the Board of Directors of Ally Financial Inc., an Internet bank, and is currently a member of the Audit and Digital Transformation Committees. Since February 2017, she has served on the Board of Directors of Cubic Corporation, a systems and services provider to the transportation and defense markets, and is a member of both the Audit Committee and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. Maureen previously served on the Boards of Directors of Heartland Payment Systems, Inc., the [Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh](/org/federal-home-loan-bank-of-pittsburgh) and ING Direct.

Maureen holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from [Stetson University](/org/stetson-university), an MBA degree from [Harvard Business School](/org/harvard-business-school) and a Master of Liberal Arts degree from [Stanford University](/org/stanford). She is also a certified public accountant in the State of California.

Maureen Breakiron-Evans

Dr. Leo S. Mackay, Jr. was appointed to Cognizant’s Board of Directors in September 2012. He is currently Senior Vice President, Ethics and Enterprise Assurance at Lockheed Martin Corporation (LM), a global security and aerospace company. Prior thereto, he held other senior positions with Lockheed Martin, including Senior Vice President, Internal Audit, Ethics, and Sustainability from 2016-2019; Vice President, Ethics and Sustainability from 2011 through 2016; and Vice President, Corporate Business Development, where he was responsible for leading the company’s strategic customer relationship development. Leo served as President, Integrated Coast Guard Systems LLC and Vice President and General Manager, Coast Guard Systems from 2005 through 2007. From 2003 through 2005 he served as Chief Operations Officer for ACS State Healthcare, LLC (now part of [Conduent](/org/conduent)), an IT/BPO services company in the healthcare space.

Leo was appointed by President George W. Bush, and confirmed by the senate, in 2001 to serve as Deputy Secretary and Chief Operating Officer of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), where he received the Exceptional Service Medal in 2003, the VA’s highest honor. A former Navy F-14 pilot, Leo is a Naval Fighter Weapons School graduate and a veteran of Operation Earnest Will. He is the 2012 recipient of the Black Engineer of the Year Award for Career Achievement from US Black Engineer and Information Technology magazine.

Leo currently serves as a director of LM’s $200M corporate venture capital arm, LM Ventures, and as an independent board director of USAA Federal Savings Bank. He is a former Chairman of the Board of Visitors of the Graduate School of Public Affairs at the [University of Maryland](/org/university-of-maryland), as well as a former director of the Center for a New American Security.

Leo holds a Bachelor’s degree from the United States Naval Academy, a Master’s degree in Public Policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at [Harvard University](/org/harvard) and a Ph.D. in Public Policy from [Harvard University](/org/harvard).

Leo S. Mackay Jr.

Nick Heiliger

Astha Gaur

Kaushal Menon Muralidharan

Anish Sethumadhavan

Archana (Archie) Deskus was elected to Cognizant’s Board of Directors in March 2020. She currently serves as Senior Vice President, Chief Information Officer for Intel Corporation, a position she has held since January 2020. Prior to Intel, she served as CIO for several other global companies in the technology, industrials, energy and consumer products industries. These companies included HP Enterprise, an information technology company; Baker Hughes, an oilfield services company; Ingersoll Rand, an industrial manufacturing company; Timex Group USA, a watch manufacturing company; and North America HVAC, part of Carrier Corporation, a heating, air conditioning and refrigeration solutions company.

Archie currently serves on the board of directors of Nasdaq-listed East West Bancorp, Inc., the holding company for East West Bank, the largest independent bank in Southern California. She also serves on the board of directors of East West Bank. She formerly served as a customer advisory board member for IBM Global Technology Services, as a board member for the non-profit Junior Achievement of Southeast Texas and as an advisory board member for the Data Science Institute of the University of Houston.

Archie holds an MBA from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a Bachelor of Science in business administration and management information systems from Boston University.

Archana Deskus

Sandra S. Wijnberg

Abhishek

Ulrik Hoffmann

Graham Hoffman

Deepthi M

Sarmad Jari

Ganesh Kota

John M. Dineen joined [Cognizant](/org/cognizant)’s Board of Directors in April 2017. From 1986 to October 2014 he served in a variety of leadership roles at General Electric Company (GE), a global digital industrial company, including Chief Executive Officer of [GE Healthcare](/org/ge-healthcare-limited), President and Chief Executive Officer of GE Transportation, President of GE Plastics, General Manager of GE’s Power Equipment business and General Manager of GE’s Appliances, Microwave and Air-Conditioning businesses.

In his 28 years at GE John held leadership roles in several industries around the world. During the late 1990s and early 2000s he held several international management roles while based in Asia and Europe. John then moved back to the United States as Vice President and General Manager of Plastics at GE Advanced Materials. In 2005 he was named President and CEO of GE Transportation, a leader in railroad locomotive and train control technologies.

John was elected Chair of the Board of Directors of Syneos Health, Inc., a multinational clinical studies contract research organization, in December 2018. Since 2015 John has also served on the Board of Directors of Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a bio-pharmaceutical company, where he is currently also Chair of the Organization and Compensation Committee. He also serves as an Operating Advisor of investment firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, LLC since 2015 and as Chair of the Board of two of Clayton’s privately held portfolio companies: Healogics, Inc., a provider of advanced chronic wound care services and Carestream Dental, which provides imaging, software and practice management solutions for dental and oral health professionals.

John has Bachelor's degrees in Biology and Computer Science from the [University of Vermont](/org/university-of-vermont).

John M. Dineen

Ms. Bali, 64, was most recently Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Britannia Industries, an India-based food company, from 2005 to 2014.  Prior to Britannia, she spent most of her career in senior general management, corporate strategy and marketing roles for [The Coca-Cola Company](/org/the-coca-cola-company) and Cadbury Schweppes Plc.

Vinita Bali

The executive team at Cognizant has a lot of experience in the industry, with members having worked as board members, chief financial officers, and chief strategy officers at companies such as Western Union and ADP. The team also has a lot of experience in management, with members having worked as senior engagement managers at McKinsey & Company and as CEO North America at Altran. In addition, the team has a lot of experience in the communications and media industries, with members having worked as vice presidents for communications, media, and entertainment at HP.

CEO and Executive Team

About

Team members

Other teams at Cognizant

Leadership Team

Board of Directors

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