Ramkumar Ramamoorthy's 23 year-long stint with Cognizant ends

In a surprising development, chairman and managing director of Cognizant's India arm, Ramkumar Ramamoorthy, has resigned from the company, ending his 23-year long stint with the American tech giant.

Meanwhile, head of global delivery Pradeep Shilige has also stepped down after spending almost two decades in the IT services firm. Shilige was replaced with former Accenture executive Andy Stafford as the new head of delivery.

CEO Brian Humphries announces decision

The two top-level exits were announced on Thursday (July 9) by CEO Brian Humphries in an email to employees.

Back in 2019, Ramkumar Ramamoorthy took charge as CMD of Cognizant India and resigned in less than 10 months after taking over the position.

Ramamoorthy has held various senior positions in Cognizant, including Senior Vice President (Marketing, Research and Communications), Chief Knowledge Officer and Executive Director, India previously.

Ramamoorthy's Linkedin bio says:

"In this role, I am responsible for the company's India operations with over 200,000 employees, spread over 13 cities (Chennai, Kolkata, Pune, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Coimbatore, Kochi, Gurgaon, Noida, Mangalore, Mysuru and Ahmedabad). Cognizant is arguably the largest multinational employer in India for over a decade."

During my 22 plus years with Cognizant, I have had the good fortune of incubating, nurturing and/or managing many portfolios—with P&L ownership in some cases—including Cognizant Interactive, Corporate Marketing and Communications, Investor Relations, Industry Analyst and Advisor Relations, Government and Corporate Affairs, Knowledge Management, Market Research and Intelligence, Cognizant Outreach, and in the recent years, India Operations."

Before Cognizant, Ramamoorthy was with Tata Consultancy Services. Prior to which, he was a Lecturer for about six years and officiated as the Principal of an arts, science and commerce college affiliated to the University of Madras.

I am currently a member on the Board of Cognizant Foundation, the President of the 184-year old Madras Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) and a member of the National Executive Board of the American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) in India. I am also a member of the Governing Council of the NASSCOM Skill Sector Council, a member of the Strategic Academic Advisory Board of the Xavier Institute of Management (Bhubaneshwar), and a nominee of the Honorable Governor to the Senate of the Tamil Nadu Dr. MGR Medical University," read his bio.

This major reshuffle is one among many senior-level exits that Cognizant has seen after CEO Brian Humphries took charge in 2019. Recently, several senior vice-presidents (SVPs) and vice-presidents (VPs) have stepped down, including three SVPs Jaideep Poondir, Rajesh Balaji and Vinayambika Kidiyur, and VPs Archana Ramanakumar and Vikash Gaur.

However, Ramamoorthy, who was elevated as the Chairman last year in 2019, is the latest among the series of top-level exits Cognizant has witnessed in the last one year.