Cognizant sees spate of senior-level exits
NEW DELHI: In two top-level exits, Cognizant India chairman and managing director Ramkumar Ramamoorthy and head of global delivery Pradeep Shilige have resigned after spending over two decades at the software services company.
The exits were announced on Thursday by Nasdaq-listed Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp. chief executive Brian Humphries in an email to employees.
The departures of Ramamoorthy, who was elevated as chairman and managing director of Cognizant India in September, and Shilige are the latest in a series of senior-level exits after Brian Humphries took charge last year as CEO of Cognizant.
In recent months, several senior vice-presidents (SVPs) and vice-presidents (VPs) have resigned. They include three SVPs Jaideep Poondir, Rajesh Balaji and Vinayambika Kidiyur, and VPs Archana Ramanakumar and Vikash Gaur.
A Cognizant spokesperson, confirming the exits, said some of those who are leaving may be on their notice period or may have delayed their departure to support the organisation during the covid crisis.
Humphries, in his mail to employees, said Ramamoorthy has decided to retire from Cognizant effective July 17.
“I would like to thank Ramkumar for his successful tenure here, for his many contributions over the years, and for being a passionate brand ambassador of Cognizant with our multiple external stakeholders. We are particularly grateful for Ramkumar’s leadership role during the pandemic, where he ensured associate health and safety and effectuated the transition to work from home,” Humphries wrote.
He also named Andy Stafford, who has been with Accenture for nearly two decades, as the new head of global delivery.
He said Shilige is leaving to spend more time with his family and pursue his next challenge, and that he will be with Cognizant until September 30 to ensure a smooth handover to Stafford.
Ramamoorthy, who rose from the ranks to become chairman, wrote in a LinkedIn post that he now wants to focus on education, skilling and mentoring entrepreneurs.