Cognizant inducts 6 women SVPs to boost gender diversity

Cognizant appoints 6 women SVPs to boost gender diversity initiatives. CEO Ravi Kumar emphasizes need for systemic change to recruit, hire, develop, promote, engage & retain talent.

Cognizant, a New Jersey-based tech firm that engineers modern businesses, has appointed six women Senior Vice Presidents (SVPs) to boost its gender diversity initiatives.

Cognizant’s newly promoted women leaders (SVPs) include: Elisa de Rocca-Serra, Thea Hayden, Patricia (Trish) Hunter-Dennehy, Sailaja Josyula, Archana Ramanakumar, and Sandra Natardonato.

Rocca-Serra has been promoted to SVP, EMEA General Counsel and Contract Lifecycle Risk Management (CLRM). Hayden is now the SVP, Global Marketing. Hunter-Dennehy has been promoted to SVP, Healthcare Provider/Payor Business Unit. Josyula has been promoted to SVP, Intuitive Operations & Automation (IOA) for the Banking, Financial Services, Insurance (BFSI) industry for the commercial markets in North America as well as global delivery.

She will also be the Centre Head for Hyderabad, the second-largest delivery centre for the company with over 56,000 associates. Ramanakumar rejoined Cognizant as SVP, Industry Solutions Group (ISG) and Natardonato joined Cognizant as SVP, Partnerships and Alliances, as per a company statement.

“These announcements are something we should collectively celebrate. Advancing diversity must be systemic, woven into everything we do starting with how we recruit and hire, develop, promote, engage and retain talent,’‘ said Cognizant, CEO, Ravi Kumar.

Mr. Kumar had earlier stated (while assuming the new role in January 2023) that Cognizant’s priority would be to increase diversity, including gender, in its overall talent pool comprising leaders, in addition to focusing on making the company an employer of choice, accelerate revenue growth, and enhance operational discipline.