Cognizant India CMD Ramkumar Ramamoorthy to step down after 23 years of service

Ramkumar Ramamoorthy, Chairman and Managing Director, India, has decided to retire from Cognizant, effective July 17, 2020.

Cognizant India Chairman and Managing Director Ramkumar Ramamoorthy will retire from the company later this month, after 23 years of service at the firm.

Besides, Cognizant’s global delivery head Pradeep Shilige is also quitting the company after 24 years of working with the company. His last day at the company will be on September 30.

Cognizant CEO Brian Humphries made these announcements in an e-mail to employees.

“…after 23 years with our company, Ramkumar Ramamoorthy, Chairman and Managing Director, India, has decided to retire from Cognizant, effective July 17, 2020. 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,” Humphries said.

The e-mail also said that Shilige is moving out to spend more time with his family and pursue his next challenge, while Andy Stafford will replace him.

“Pradeep is a highly respected and loved executive who has contributed so much to our company. I support his decision, wish him only the best, and am grateful for his willingness to stay with us through September 30 to ensure a smooth handoff to Andy,” Humphries wrote.

He noted that the company is looking at building a global delivery network that will have centres throughout the world that will complement India, which houses Cognizant’s delivery centre and about 2 lakh employees.

“With that in mind, I’m pleased to welcome to Cognizant and the Executive Committee (EC) our new Head of Global Delivery, Andy Stafford, effective immediately,” he added.

Stafford has held a variety of executive positions including Chief Operating Officer of Computacenter PLC and Global Head of Services and Delivery for Unisys. He spent nearly two decades with Accenture.

“Building a more resilient and robust network of delivery centres across the world that complement our India hub will benefit clients and all of us. We’ll be able to better serve our clients and ensure greater continuity of service to them, which differentiates us, protects our brand, promotes growth, and will result in more opportunities for you to gain new experiences, expand your skills, and advance your careers,” Humphries said.

In a post on LinkedIn, Ramamoorthy wrote, “In the past few months, I felt a strong desire to double down on my abiding passion (also my first calling!) education, skilling and mentoring entrepreneurs. I am all set to explore that world again from July 17”.