Three Cognizant consultants have been recognized as emerging leaders by Consulting Magazine; two as Rising Stars and another was named to the Rising Stars: One to Watch list. The Consulting Rising Stars of the Profession identifies those aged 35 and under who are leading the way in redefining the consulting profession.

Rising Stars
Recognized for Excellence in the Financial Services Industry, Senior Manager Shray Khajuria has worked with leading banks across the US and Europe to launch innovative new products such as automated account payables solutions and card product capabilities for a new digital-only bank. Some of his key accomplishments include delivering a complete product roadmap and three-year implementation plan for the rollout of the “data as a product” initiative for a leading US mid-west bank, with a targeted revenue of $2M in the first year post launch. The key objectives of the program included modernizing information reporting, building a payables and receivables digital reporting hub, and enabling actionable customer insights. Asked what’s the best advice he’s received during his career, Shray notes that, “It’s important to treat business not just as a contractual obligation between companies, but to always consider the human aspect and act with empathy. This helps you understand and solve problems and become a trusted advisor to your client.”

Raquel Alvarez Holgado, Senior Consultant, has been named a Rising Star in the High Tech Industry. Since joining Cognizant, Raquel has developed the market entry strategy for an intelligent neobank built around AI and automation. Always on top of new technologies, Raquel recently conducted the IoT strategy for a major payment provider in the US, where she built the long-term vision and enabled a key partnership with a $250M startup. Internally, Raquel also helps new MBA joiners get on-boarded and she leads the town halls for her practice. She is involved in several initiatives, such as internal training sessions and promoting women in consulting, a top priority for her. “I am passionate about each and every new journey. From creating a new business to building the digital strategy for a company, I always learn and grow,” says Raquel. “I love innovation because I am curious; I am passionate about the unknown, about creating what is new, about learning, about taking risks.”

Rising Stars: Ones to Watch
For Excellence in the Retail Industry, Abhimanyu Ravi, Senior Consultant, was named to the Rising Stars: Ones to Watch list. Abhimanyu designed and developed a consulting service offering, called Propel Commerce. The framework focuses on an in-depth data-driven approach for assessing the maturity of ecommerce platforms, observing customer journeys for different segments of customers including B2B, B2C personas, and providing key feature and optimization opportunities to boost revenue. He led the solution to market – with focus on the NA and UK regions, connecting with client stakeholders and helping them understand ways to improve and optimize their current digital landscape. Abhimanyu notes, “The right attitude and willingness to learn every day on the job have been critical factors in my success so far. Each engagement comes with its own set of challenges and I find that resilience and a positive attitude help achieve excellence in program execution.”

To see the full list of Consulting Magazine’s awardees, click here.