BENGALURU: Cognizant on Thursday launched Shakti, women-centric programmes and policies to accelerate careers and boost women leadership in technology. In the country , nearly 40% of Cognizant associates are women compared to the IT industry gender diversity average of 36%.
Cognizant said over half of 13 centres in the country have crossed over 40% in their women workforce, with two of the largest centres being led by women leaders. Through Shakti, Cognizant aims to reframe current programmes and policies and bring all women-centric initiatives under one umbrella.
Ravi Kumar S, chief executive officer, Cognizant, said, “Shakti will catalyze our efforts to enable more women to advance their careers and reach their full potential. Growth, innovation, and client-centricity all require a diverse and inclusive workforce, doubly so as generative AI permeates the workplace. We will see the most essential human skill shift from problem-solving to problem-finding, putting a premium on cognitive diversity.”
Additionally, Cognizant has partnered with nasscom to establish and prioritise best practices with a shared goal of making diversity and inclusion (D&I) a key differentiator of India’s tech sector, the company said. Cognizant also announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Thirdera, an Elite ServiceNow partner, to enhance cross-industry digital transformation with ServiceNow. This acquisition will add over 940 employees to Cognizant’s ServiceNow Business Group. Thirdera is the largest independent global pure-play ServiceNow consultancy.