The latest exit is that of Cognizant president for global growth markets Rob Walker. Walker had joined Cognizant in 2021 as MD of the United Kingdom & Ireland business, but most recently covered all of Cognizant’s markets outside of the Americas region. An email to Cognizant on Walker’s exit did not elicit a response.
Others to leave recently include Anil Cheriyan, who was EVP of strategy and technology. He had joined three years ago. Before joining Cognizant, Cheriyan had served as the US presidential appointee in charge of technology transformation services. Earlier this year, Becky Schmitt, who was chief people officer, resigned from the company.
Lawrence Wieser, who was chief administrative officer, and EVP, quit after a three-year stint. Andy Stafford, who was EVP and global delivery head and who also joined about three years ago from Computacenter, has retired from the company.
Under Humphries, Cognizant lagged peers in revenue growth by a large measure, saw numerous top level exits, and higher employee attrition rates. He lost many long-tenured senior leaders and brought in a new set of senior executives.
Phil Fersht, CEO of HfS Research, says IT services is a people business, and its success is dependent on the culture of the firm. “Simply reaching outside and placing executives over the talent which built the firm is a recipe for failure. Smart leaders carefully assess their talent and take their time identifying the people to promote and those that do not fit the culture they want.”
