Rajesh Nambiar

Rajesh Nambiar

Chairman, Cognizant Foundation &
Chairman & Managing Director, Cognizant India

If there is one thing that our long fight against a global pandemic has underscored the most, it is a sense of interdependence with the larger world. We are far more convinced of the enormity of both our collective progress as well as interconnectedness. At Cognizant Foundation, that has always been at the heart of every thought and every deed ― the strong belief that success is a function of the value an enterprise creates for its stakeholders, including the communities in which it operates. This has been the driving force behind the Foundation’s commitment to fostering a sustainable future and improving lives, as it continues to extend its rich history of fulfilling the education, healthcare and livelihood needs of the underprivileged in India.

Rajesh Nambiar is the Chairman of Cognizant Foundation and Chairman & Managing Director of Cognizant India.

Rajesh is a global citizen, who has lived and worked in India, Asia Pacific, Europe and the U.S. for three decades. Now based in India, he serves as a member of the Cognizant Executive Committee representing the 200,000 employees in the country.

Prior to joining Cognizant, Rajesh served as Chairman & President of Ciena India, a leading network solutions company. He joined Ciena from IBM, where he served as Global Leader of Application Services, Managing Partner for ASEAN, and General Manager of the Global Delivery & Services Integration Hub. Before joining IBM, Rajesh spent over 18 years at Tata Consultancy Services as Regional Head in the eastern United States.

He has served on the Executive Council of NASSCOM, the premier trade association of Indian IT and BPO companies. Rajesh is a graduate of Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program.

Board of directors