Cognizant co-founder to step down from its board

BENGALURU:  Cognizant co-founder Francisco D’Souza will exit the board on March 31 as the software company embarks on its restructuring ‘Fit for Growth’ plan. He co-founded the company in 1994 and took over as its CEO in January 2007 till March 2019, making him the longest-serving chief executive officer of the IT services firm. He served as the president from 2007 to 2012 and held a variety of senior management positions, including chief operating officer from 2003 to 2006, the NASDAQ-listed IT firm said in a statement. “A key architect of Cognizant, Frank helped lead the company through a quarter-century of remarkable growth and success.

He leaves a powerful and unforgettable legacy as a global thinker, mentor, builder, and champion of initiatives that improve lives in our communities,” said Michael Patsalos-Fox, chairman of the board, Cognizant.Meanwhile, former MD, CEO of Britannia, Vinita Bali will join the Cognizant board as an independent member from February 24. Prior to Britannia, she spent most of her career in senior general management, corporate strategy and marketing roles for the Coca-Cola Company and Cadbury Schweppes Plc. 

“I also look forward to working closely with our newly appointed independent director Vinita Bali who brings to our board her extensive global strategic and operational leadership experience and deep India business expertise,” Fox said. Since Brian Humphries took over as CEO, it had outlined its realignment plan, which hit nearly 10,000 -12,000 mid-senior associate roles globally, while exiting from content moderation arm of its digital operations service. The focus on automation enabled services in its ‘Fit for Growth’ plan were expected to impact roles in the senior/middle management.