Cognizant Appoints Ex-Infosys President Ravi Kumar As CEO

Kumar quit Infosys in October and joined Cognizant as president of Cognizant Americas. At the time, many analysts speculated that he was in line for the CEO’s role. Humphries will stay on as a special adviser till 15 March to facilitate a smooth transition, according to a statement from Cognizant. He had stepped down from the CEO role earlier this month after a four-year stint.

Kumar, who had a 20-year stint at Infosys, held various leadership roles, most recently serving as president from January 2016 through October 2022 at India’s second-largest IT firm in terms of revenue. He also served on the boards of TransUnion and software services provider Digimarc Corp. He has a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Maharashtra’s Shivaji University and finished his Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) from Xavier Institute of Management.

“Cognizant is well-positioned for growth, and I’m excited to unlock the company’s significant potential for our employees, clients, investors, and other stakeholders," Kumar said.

Surya Gummadi, a 24-year veteran at the firm, will take over as president of Americas from Kumar. Gummadi held the role on an interim basis from July to October before Kumar took over.

Further, the firm announced that Stephen J. Rohleder, a member of Cognizant’s board since March, has been elected chair of the board. Rohleder joined the board in March.

Cognizant, which is set to announce its December quarter earnings on 2 February, has said it expects fourth quarter and annual revenue of approximately $4.8 billion and $19.4 billion, respectively, compared to prior expectations of $4.72 -4.77 billion for the fourth quarter and $19.3 billion for the full year.