Cognizant released its 2023 Sustainability and Corporate Citizenship Report today. In the last year, Cognizant has reinforced its commitment to finding innovative, difference-making solutions for its people, communities, and the planet while making significant progress in workforce preparation and responsible artificial intelligence (AI) development.

Since 2018, Cognizant has invested $70 million in philanthropic funds to 77 organizations dedicated to workforce preparation for all ages. Last year, Cognizant expanded its long-standing commitment to training and educating the global workforce with the launch of the Synapse skilling initiative - aiming to train one million people on gen AI and other cutting-edge technology skills to build the future workforce by the end of 2026.

Cognizant also bolstered its commitment to increasing women's representation in the workforce with the introduction of Shakti, a unified framework of women-centric programs and policies that aims to accelerate careers and women's leadership in technology in India.  In 2023, more than 41% of new hires were women and the representation of women at the Senior Vice President level and higher rose from 11.1% in 2022 to 19.4% globally.

Cognizant remains on track to fulfill its sustainability commitments, including its net zero emissions reduction goals. In 2023, the Company’s emissions were 47% lower than its 2019 net zero baseline year. In addition, Cognizant has set a goal to deliver zero e-waste to landfill by 2030.

"I'm extremely proud of everything our associates accomplished this past year to support not only our people but communities around the globe,” said Tobi Young, Cognizant Senior Vice President and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer. “From our new Synapse initiative to the 162,000 hours our employees devoted to volunteering, we're empowering people to succeed in tomorrow’s jobs and shaping a more sustainable future.”

Other notable achievements in 2023 included:

• Cognizant published its Generative AI Security Standard, released the Neuro AI client platform, and launched the Cognizant Google Cloud AI University as part of its commitment to responsible AI use
• Cognizant supported more than 270,000 associates in acquiring at least one skill through its learning ecosystem
• Cognizant had more than 29,000 associates complete a newly introduced climate training course to learn how their roles relate to sustainability and can support client decarbonization efforts
• Cognizant was also named one of America’s Greatest Workplaces by Newsweek; listed among the Top 25 Most Innovative Boards by Fortune; and scored a 100 on the 2023-2024 Corporate Equity Index by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation.

For more information on Cognizant's sustainability and corporate citizenship efforts, please click here.