Cognizant EVP Malcolm Frank to retire, India chairman Rajesh Nambiar to replace him

BENGALURU: Malcolm Frank, Cognizant EVP and president of digital business & technology (DB&T), is retiring from the firm effective September 1. Rajesh Nambiar, EVP and chairman of Cognizant India, has replaced Frank effective June 4, while continuing his India role, the company said in an SEC filing on Friday.
“Frank ceased to be an executive officer as of June 4, 2021, but will remain an employee through his retirement date of September 1, 2021, to assist with the transition,” Cognizant said in the filing.
Frank has been an integral part of Cognizant's journey for the last 16 years, rising from the position of chief strategy and marketing office to lead the company’s digital business and technology. He oversaw Cognizant’s broad digital services portfolio including digital strategy, AI & analytics, interactive, digital engineering, IoT, digital content platform, and Cognizant’s Accelerator Program, which incubates new industry-specific digital ventures.
Frank’s retirement comes just months after Cognizant merged the two service lines, digital business and digital systems and technology and assigned him to lead it. Digital is the fastest growing segment for the company, just like for its peers. Revenue in that segment grew 15% in the first quarter compared to last year and now constitutes 44% of the total revenue compared to 39% in the same period last year.
In a note to employees, Humphries said, “Malcolm has built a reputation inside and outside Cognizant as an influential futurist and evangelist, and his foresight about the increasingly central role digital plays in creating value helped Cognizant become one of the world’s leading technology services companies.”
Humphries said he is delighted to appoint an internal leader with Nambiar’s operating rigour and wealth of experience to the critical and expansive role. “Having him based in India will bring the added benefit of driving better DB&T alignment with delivery,” the note said.