Latest news with #Cognizant
Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Morning Brief Podcast: Corner Office Conversation: Cognizant CEO Ravi Kumar S on its AI Playbook
Morning Brief Podcast (ET Online) Corner Office Conversation: Cognizant CEO Ravi Kumar S on its AI Playbook Anirban Chowdhury | 25:35 Min | July 11, 2025, 7:25 AM IST LISTEN 25:35 LISTENING... What happens when 20% of your code is written by machines? In this Corner Office Conversation, host Anirban Chowdhury speaks with Ravi Kumar, CEO at Cognizant, to unpack how the tech major is reimagining IT services through AI, automation, and open innovation. With a strong push toward interdisciplinary talent, Ravi explains how Cognizant is redefining productivity and expanding access to software development beyond traditional STEM fields. From open-sourcing its NEURO platform to preparing for an AI-led future, the company is building a more agile and inclusive tech ecosystem. As India positions itself as a global AI hub, the episode explores whether frugal innovation and a strong digital backbone can help it overcome constraints in computing power and regulation and power the next chapter of global tech transformation.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Nasscom Launches US CEO Forum in New York to Strengthen India-US Tech and Innovation Partnership; Ravi Kumar S, CEO, Cognizant Appointed as Chair
NEW YORK, July 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- In an era defined by digital disruption, frontier technologies, and global rebalancing, tech collaboration has emerged as a central pillar of bilateral engagement. The United States and India share one of the world's most strategic and future-facing technology partnerships. To further deepen this collaboration, Nasscom has announced the formation of The US CEO Forum at the Consulate General of India in New York. The Forum brings together leading Indian technology CEOs and influential US stakeholders to drive high-level strategic dialogue across innovation, enterprise, policy, and talent development. Nasscom also announced the appointment of Ravi Kumar S, CEO of Cognizant, as Chair of the US CEO Forum, with Amit Chadha, CEO and MD of L&T Technology Services, joining as Co-Chair. Conceived as a premier leadership platform, the Nasscom US CEO Forum aims to advance the technology and innovation partnership between India and the United States, one of the world's most forward-looking bilateral relationships. The Forum will also include other prominent leaders from the Indian diaspora, including, Mohit Joshi, CEO & MD, Tech Mahindra, Sudhir Singh, CEO & Executive Director, Coforge, Sandeep Kalra, CEO, Persistent Systems, R Srikrishna, CEO & Executive Director, Hexaware Technologies, Angan Guha, CEO & MD, Birlasoft, Vikram Sehgal, Co-Founder, Nagarro, Balkrishan Kalra, President & CEO, Genpact, Manish Tandon, CEO & MD, Zensar Technologies, Partha De Sarkar, Whole-time Director, Hinduja Global Solutions, Chinmay Pandit, Whole time Director, President – Americas, KPIT, Pranay Agrawal, Co-founder & CEO, Fractal, Srinivas Pallia, CEO & MD, Wipro, Mohit Thukral, CEO, Arise, and, Rostow Ravanan, Chairman & CEO, Alfahive. Rajesh Nambiar, President, Nasscom, said, "The launch of the Nasscom US CEO Forum marks an important milestone in deepening the India–US technology partnership. This platform brings together industry leaders to foster meaningful collaboration, align with key stakeholders, and explore new frontiers in innovation, talent, and investment. As both nations look to shape a future driven by technology and shared values, the Forum aims to strengthen connections that generate lasting impact across economies, communities, and global markets." Speaking at the launch, Amb. Binaya Srikanta Pradhan, Consulate General of India, New York, said, "We are delighted to host the launch of the NASSCOM US CEO Forum at the Consulate in New York. Creation of this platform is timely and it has potential to act as a force multiplier for India-US tech partnership and the future of innovation, talent, and global leadership." Through strategic dialogue, policy engagement, and thought leadership, the Forum advances the broader vision of deepening bilateral trade, as outlined in the Mission $500 Billion initiative by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump. With technology as a key pillar of the TRUST agenda, the Indian tech sector is poised to play a central role in realizing this shared ambition. The US CEO Forum will serve as a sustained engagement platform to reinforce the India–US tech corridor as a foundation for global digital transformation and inclusive economic growth. It will also focus on advancing the India–US tech partnership from collaboration to co-creation, unlocking the transformative potential of AI, semiconductors, clean tech, and future skills. It will explore how cross-border partnerships can build resilient, secure, and innovation-led digital ecosystems. With the foundational theme "India Tech for America's Growth," the Nasscom US CEO Forum positions Indian technology industry as a strategic partner in shaping the digital century. About Nasscom Nasscom represents the voice of over $284bn technology industry in India with the vision to establish the nation as the world's leading technology ecosystem. Boasting a diverse and influential community of over 3500 member companies our network spans the entire spectrum of the industry from DeepTech and AI start ups to multinationals and from products to services, Global Capability Centres to Engineering firms. Guided by our vision, our strategic imperatives are to accelerate skilling at scale for future-ready talent, strengthen the innovation quotient across industry verticals, create new market opportunities – both international and domestic, drive policy advocacy to advance innovation and ease of doing business, and build the industry narrative with a focus on Trust, and innovation. And, in everything we do, we will continue to champion the need for diversity and equal opportunity. For more details visit our website or write to us at: comms@ Logo: View original content: SOURCE nasscom Sign in to access your portfolio
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Business Standard
3 days ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Global capability centres not packing bags just yet for small-town India
The Indian government wants global capability centres (GCCs) to look beyond Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Chennai, and expand into Tier-II and Tier-III cities. But that shift won't happen anytime soon, say industry executives, citing weak infrastructure, inadequate talent availability, and an ecosystem that's still developing. That ecosystem will only solidify once service companies build a critical mass in cities like Ahmedabad, Indore, Mysuru, Coimbatore, Mohali, or Bhubaneswar, followed by an influx of startups. While firms such as Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, Cognizant, and Wipro have set up delivery centres in these cities over the years, the startup landscape remains early-stage. As announced in the Union Budget, the government is likely to soon roll out a framework to guide states in establishing GCCs, especially in smaller cities. The guidelines will include suggestions for improving talent availability, infrastructure, by-law reforms, and industry collaboration mechanisms. Tamil Nadu and Karnataka already have policies and processes that can help firms set up technology (tech) centres in different parts of the state. 'GCCs exist not in silos but in an ecosystem,' said Sangeeta Gupta, senior vice-president and chief strategy officer at Nasscom. 'You need to get service companies in, you need to energise the startup ecosystem, and only then do GCCs make sense. They can't exist in isolation.' That holds for engineering talent considering a return to their hometowns in smaller cities. Without a strong company presence, switching jobs for better opportunities may still require moving back to the metros. Arindam Sen, partner and GCC sector leader — tech, media and entertainment, and telecommunications at EY, said that while states are promoting smaller cities, they're also expanding their major ones, making companies hesitant to commit elsewhere. 'Most still aren't biting the bullet, apart from a handful of cities. Connectivity is another issue — double- or triple-hop flights or long layovers are common. Smaller cities need much stronger promotion,' he said. As GCCs have become the backbone in India's services sector, the government is turning its focus to them to create thousands of jobs in areas like artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, data analytics, natural language processing, and generative AI. This comes as hiring slows across traditional information technology (IT) firms due to a tepid growth environment. Unlike traditional business process outsourcing outfits, which handle select functions like payroll or general ledger, GCCs typically run end-to-end processes, manage platforms, and drive product development and engineering. Many are now leading their parent companies' AI-first transitions. 'The existing hubs are getting oversaturated with strained infrastructure, limited talent, and high attrition. And costs are climbing, not just in compensation but in real estate and operations too. It's only a matter of time before the newer locations start taking off,' said Lalit Ahuja, co-founder and chief executive officer of ANSR, in a conversation with Business Standard. India has around 1,760 GCCs, according to Nasscom data, with a growing emphasis on high-value services and engineering research and development (R&D). That number is projected to hit 3,000. More than 500 of these centres are already armed with AI capabilities and a global AI charter, up from 210 in 2023. While many existing GCCs are arms of Fortune 500 companies, the next wave is expected to come from Forbes 2000 firms — smaller, cost-sensitive players for whom Tier-II and Tier-III cities could be ideal. 'The challenge is infrastructure — real estate, tech parks, connectivity, hotels. There are public-private partnership initiatives and financial incentives underway, such as capital expenditure subsidies or hiring sons of the soil. Universities are also being supported to produce more GCC-ready talent. There's growing visibility, awareness, and interest,' Ahuja added. Of the 1,760 GCCs as of last year, only 13 per cent had a Tier-II presence, according to consulting firm Zinnov. A few examples include Bosch, which has a unit in Coimbatore alongside its Bengaluru base; Oracle in Lucknow; and British International Telecom in Pune as well as in Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Gurugram. Ashish Grover, former chief information officer of Chilean e-commerce firm Grupo Falabella, believes that smaller GCCs with limited staff needs are better suited to thrive in Tier-II cities. 'With remote work and AI, it's more about getting the right set of people rather than quantity.' Still, hiring at scale remains a hurdle, which keeps cities like Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Gurugram firmly in the lead. The talent demographic in smaller cities often skews towards professionals in their late 30s and 40s who settled there after the pandemic and aren't as open to frequent job changes. 'Will companies move to smaller cities just for the incentives if the talent isn't there? The answer is no,' said Nitika Goel, chief marketing and strategy officer at Zinnov. 'The Karnataka government is investing in Grade A infrastructure in Mysuru to make GCCs more accessible. They're also investing in airports and building roads that cut travel time to Bengaluru to two hours. The quality of life is better, and the costs of living are lower. They've set up centres of excellence too. Even if talent isn't readily accessible now, the right incentives can develop that.' The Centre is taking a three-pronged approach to address the talent gap. First, it's looking at the pipeline by understanding what qualifications and expertise companies need. Second, it's working with states to bring on board approvals and incentives for setting up GCCs. And third, it's involving the IT ministry to help states and GCCs curate talent and integrate R&D into their operations. 'The challenge is the talent maturity, especially in emerging tech. Tier-II cities still don't offer the depth. A hybrid model could work, where low-end transaction and processing tasks are handled from these cities to start with,' said Shalini Pillay, partner and India leader — GCC at KPMG.
Mint
3 days ago
- Business
- Mint
Coforge emulates Cognizant, Infosys in on-site consulting push to fuel growth
Coforge Ltd, formerly NIIT Technologies, is taking a leaf out of Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp and Infosys Ltd's proven business strategy, as the information technology (IT) services company looks to emerge as a larger industry player in the coming years. Coforge, the country's seventh-largest information technology (IT) services company, is now placing business consultants at client locations to mine more business from its largest customers, analysts said. The Noida-based company's decision to place consultants with clients comes at a time when non-essential tech spending has dwindled. 'Companies have to be proactive in shaping opportunities with clients. Coforge distinguishes itself through its solutions team, composed not of traditional delivery personnel but of business experts with consulting backgrounds, often embedded at client locations," said Kotak Institutional Equities analysts Kawaljeet Saluja, Sathishkumar S, and Vamshi Krishna in a note dated 26 June. Also read | Coforge's turnaround story is one for the books. But what now? 'These teams conduct iterative workshops to deeply understand the client's business challenges, existing tools, and operational processes before crafting tailored solutions. This approach enables Coforge to drive proactive large deals rather than waiting for RFPs (request for proposals)," said the Kotak analysts from their discussions with Coforge's management. However, this is not new. IT outsourcers have previously hired top business consultants to identify new work in their clients' businesses that could lead to incremental revenue. Both Cognizant and Infosys had embarked on a similar practice about two decades ago when they started their consulting practice. At one point, Cognizant was among the biggest recruiters from business schools. According to a July 2014 report by the Economic Times, the Nasdaq-listed company had one MBA graduate for every 20-25 tech professionals. It hired over 500 MBA graduates in 2014 across business schools in India, North America, Europe and APAC and over 200 such professionals in the preceding three years. Peer Infosys had also embarked on a similar venture when it launched its own consulting business. 'We have taken a somewhat unconventional approach to build our consulting capabilities. Having witnessed numerous failed mergers and acquisitions in the industry, we are instead assembling a dream team of top consultants from all the major firms," said S Gopalakrishnan, who was then the chairperson of Infosys Consulting, in a press release dated 8 April 2004. Also read | Coforge secures $1.56 billion contract from US-based travel tech firm Sabre Both Cognizant and Infosys hired business consultants, because both worked with domain experts who helped them win contracts beyond traditional IT servicing. This was also the beginning of the social, mobile, analytics, consulting, and internet of things (SMACI) revolutions when new technologies were emerging. This helped Cognizant more than anyone else. Under former chief executive Francisco D'Souza, the software services company outperformed its peers to clock a revenue of $14.81 billion in 2017 from just about $1.42 billion in 2006. Significant challenge Coforge aims to top $2 billion in revenue by FY27, though its efforts to secure more client business face a significant challenge in competing with the top five IT firms. TCS, Infosys, HCLTech, Wipro, and Tech Mahindra are the country's top five IT firms by revenue. In its response to Mint's queries, Coforge said it had set up its Consulting and Solutioning division nearly eight years back. 'We were also one of the first to invest material dollars in building exceptional industry functional expertise in very select sub-segments, including Speciality Insurance, Capital Markets Buy-side and Airlines. That group of functional consultants, hired eight years back, has grown materially and continues to have a significant percentage located onsite," said Coforge in a response to Mint's email on 5 July. Also read | Coforge's $1.56 bn Sabre deal win sparks fresh optimism in a shaky IT sector According to the company, the Consulting and Solutioning team includes members with business backgrounds in North America and Europe. However, hiring and deploying these professionals has not been easy as these are MBA graduates and business consultants who come with hefty paycheques. The company's profitability has been under pressure and has been declining since FY22 to 13% at the end of last fiscal. A second analyst said that an integrated consulting practice was handy in improving the IT outsourcer's relations with the client. 'An integrated consulting practice helps IT companies in three key ways—graduate from a vendor to a trusted partner, advising the client on their growth journey every step of the way; shape deals rather than merely participate in RFPs (request for proposals), and in many cases, sole-source these deals by getting ahead of the curve," said Ramkumar Ramamoorthy, partner at Catalincs, a tech advisory firm. He said that the consulting practice helps IT outsourcers nurture the long-term strategies of the client, which indirectly helps grow relationships from 'tens-of-million-dollars to hundreds-of-million dollars." Aided by acquisition Coforge ended FY25 with $1.47 billion in revenue, up 31.2% on a yearly basis. Much of it was on the back of Cigniti, the Hyderabad-based engineering services company that it bought last May, in its biggest acquisition. The company's move to mine clients comes as two of its peers are actively hunting deals through such efforts, according to a Mint report on 11 June. Cognizant's Americas president, Surya Gummadi, said his company bagged two large deals through its mining efforts, fetching upwards of $500 million in revenue. He added that both deals came after Cognizant passed on artificial intelligence (AI)-led productivity gains to clients, leading to additional investments in IT work. 'Both the mega deals that I spoke about, they were originated by us, they did not come from an RFP," said Gummadi, adding that 'the ideas originated from us." Cognizant ended last year with $19.74 billion in revenue, up 1.98% year-on-year. Also read | Coforge to acquire Cigniti Technologies' 54% stake at ₹1,415 per share Smaller peer Zensar Technologies Ltd's management expressed a similar view, where chief executive Manish Tandon said the pipeline of large deals the company created was better than the pipeline that came from the clients' side. Ramamoorthy said that this was the perfect time to increase consulting investments. 'Consulting capability comes in very handy especially when businesses are buffeted by structural shifts in technology and business. What we are witnessing today is a perfect time to double down on investments in consulting to address challenges arising from rapid technology change, geo-political instability, enhanced tariffs and regulations, and changing customer behaviour," said Ramamoorthy. Also read | Coforge eyes 4x growth in 4 years, as stock crashes 10% in a day
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Cognizant Schedules Second Quarter 2025 Earnings Release and Conference Call
TEANECK, N.J., July 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Cognizant (Nasdaq: CTSH), a leading provider of information technology, consulting, and business process services, will announce results for the second quarter of 2025 on Wednesday, July 30, 2025 after market close. Following the release, Cognizant management will conduct a conference call at 5:00 p.m. (Eastern) to discuss operating performance for the quarter. To participate in the conference call, domestic callers can dial 877-810-9510 and international callers can dial 201-493-6778 and provide the following conference passcode: Cognizant Call. The conference call will also be available live on the Investor Relations section of the Cognizant website at Please go to the website at least 15 minutes prior to the call to register and to download and install any necessary audio software. For those who cannot access the live broadcast, a replay will be available by dialing (877) 660-6853 for domestic callers or (201) 612-7415 for international callers and entering 13753923 from two hours after the end of the call until Wednesday, August 13, 2025. The replay will also be available at Cognizant's website for 60 days following the call. About Cognizant Cognizant (Nasdaq: CTSH) engineers modern businesses. We help our clients modernize technology, reimagine processes and transform experiences so they can stay ahead in our fast-changing world. Together, we're improving everyday life. See how at or @cognizant. Investor Contact:Tyler Scott, Vice President, Investor Relations, (551) 220-8246, View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation
