The Wall Street Journal: Cognizant CEO Says a Board Seat Gives a Great Vantage Point on a Company

Francisco D’Souza, CEO, Cognizant

“As they groom their star executives, more U.S. businesses are working hard to find them outside board seats,” writes The Wall Street Journal.

Francisco D’Souza, CEO of Cognizant, says he decided to assist members of his executive team in seeking directorships outside the information-technology provider because he learned a lot by joining the board of General Electric Co. in 2013. “A board seat gives you a great vantage point on a company,” he adds.

Karen McLoughlin, Cognizant’s Chief Financial Officer, was wooed by a recruiter whom Mr. D’Souza approached informally on her behalf. Last September, she went on the board of Best Buy Co., a retailer of consumer electronics.

“Busy senior executives must learn to juggle the time demands of an outside board along with their own job,” notes WSJ.

McLoughlin rejected a chance to become a director of a foreign company whose board meets in Europe eight times a year. “There was no way that my schedule would permit that,’’ she says.

Click here to read more (requires paid subscription).