Diversity and Inclusion has been a Hallmark of Cognizant since its earliest days. Fostering a feeling of belonging and value and enabling employees to be their true, authentic selves at work is a responsibility for all of Cognizant, as it leads to greater innovation and productivity as well as a deeper understanding of and engagement with clients and their needs. Part of Cognizant’s commitment to advance gender equality for women who are pursuing or progressing with careers in technology is its global Women Empowered program. 

Throughout the month of October, the company celebrated its diversity and inclusion (D&I) initiatives, honored its female associates and promoted the program with a range of activities:

• Cognizant announced it had reached its goal of employing 100,000 women and its plans to further grow D&I in the future. Celebrations from this important milestone, noted as “just the beginning” by CEO Brian Humphries, were held at more than 120 locations globally.
• Cognizant associates around the world participated in Estee Lauder’s Tech Day of Pink, wearing pink, taking selfies and posting on social channels, to raise awareness for women battling breast cancer and promoting the benefits of annual screenings.
• Cognizant Healthcare launched a public U.S.-based breast cancer screening locator, making a $0.25 donation to the American Cancer Society for every search made in the app by December 31 of this year. Further focusing on the importance of health, the company hosted a webinar with an oncologist and breast cancer survivor for its internal associates.
• The month rounded out with a webinar hosted by Women Empowered that included Cognizant U.S. Foundation Executive Director Kristen Titus and SVP and Strategic Business Unit Leader for Insurance Meera Krishnamurthy, who is also a board member for the foundation. During the webinar, the two discussed the importance of work-life balance and provided insight on how to work through challenges of being a women in the technology field.

Cognizant is committed to supporting gender diversity and inclusion across the workplace, leveling the playing field for women in tech around the world. “Businesses need to ensure that diversity is put into active practice through a culture of respect, inclusion and engagement that harnesses the richness of perspectives to create value for clients, employees and communities,” said CEO Brian Humphries.