Cognizant Appoints Soma Pandey as Global Head of Talent Management

NEW DELHI: Cognizant (NASDAQ:CTSH) today announced the addition of Soma Pandey to the HR global leadership team as Head of Talent Management. In this role, Soma will drive and shape the enterprise talent strategy including addressing key people practices, talent and performance management, learning and leadership development, culture and employee experience.

Soma brings over 25 years of progressive HR leadership, with experience spanning diverse sectors and roles in organizations such as Accenture, Randstad, Mastek, and ITC Ltd. She joins Cognizant from Firstsource Solutions where she was the CHRO for close to five years.

“At Cognizant, we firmly believe that people are our most valuable asset,” said Becky Schmitt, Chief People Officer, Cognizant. “We are excited to welcome Soma to the Cognizant family at a time when we are investing in the career growth and engagement of our talent more than ever. I look forward to how Soma will foster our distinct, high-performance culture, accelerate careers, drive engagement, and empower new-age leadership capabilities that will engineer impact for our clients.”

Soma is accomplished at envisioning and executing large-scale transformations in people practices, and has stewarded businesses through culture transformations, leadership transitions, business divestments and acquisitions, HR technology and shared services deployments in myriad global contexts.

“Journeying through the long months of pandemic, we have embraced tremendous change and learned to be more human than ever. The learning we have gained is driving innovation, both as we think about the future of work and how we create energizing experiences for people that inspire, develop and engage them,” said Soma Pandey, Head of Talent Management, Cognizant. “I am excited to join at this time of growth, and partner with team members across all levels to ensure Cognizant continues to be a place where everyone is driven by purpose and empowered to do their life’s best work.”

Soma is an alumna of the Xavier Labour Relations Institute (XLRI) in Jamshedpur, India and is an SHRM Senior Certified Professional. She is passionate about wellness, diversity & inclusion, and humanizing work systems to help employees live fuller lives. Residing in Bangalore, she enjoys exploring new places and cultures with family and friends.

Cognizant continues to experience rapid growth, with more than 300,000 employees globally, the highest headcount in its history, and adding more than 17,000 new employees globally in last quarter alone. The company continues to invest in employee success, career development, equity and inclusion more than at any other time. Cognizant is ranked #2 top employer in India by LinkedIn and named among the Forbes list of “World’s Best Employers” and “Best Employers for Diversity” globally.