Ravi Kumar S, CEO, Cognizant says, “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.”
In India, nearly 40% of Cognizant’s associates are women as compared to the IT industry gender diversity average of 36%. More than half of 13 Cognizant centers in the country have crossed over 40% in their women workforce, with two of the largest centers being currently led by women leaders.
Also read: Tata Technologies to Tap 1,000 Women Engineers under the Gender Diversity Program
Through Shakti, Cognizant aims to reframe current programs and policies and bring all women-centric initiatives under one umbrella for greater impact. Shakti will include the recently introduced – RISE – a leadership development program for mid-level women associates in India; ‘Propel’ a global leadership development program focused on empowering women at senior levels to accelerate their careers through coaching and mentoring; ‘Returnship’ a 12-week paid program focused on upskilling to return to work after a career break; and ‘Be Gritty’ that trains fresh campus hires to develop a growth mindset.
Additionally, Cognizant has launched a company-wide allyship program. By understanding the challenges women face at work and helping address the biases they encounter, male allies make a significant difference in creating a more inclusive workplace. The company is also empowering its associates with inclusive leadership training and promoting a sense of belonging through dedicated affinity groups. The Women Empowered Affinity Group, with around 50,000 members and allies based in India, aims to improve the work experience for women and create an impact on the business.
Cognizant believes diversity and inclusion behaviours take hold when there is leadership engagement and accountability to drive policies and initiatives across each leader’s organisation. As an ongoing practice, the company engages the leadership to not only implement policies but also assess their impact.
