Rajesh Varrier

President of Operations & MD and Chairman of Cognizant India, Cognizant

Search every verified Rajesh Varrier interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Rajesh Varrier, President of Global Operations and Chairman & Managing Director of Cognizant India, appeared at CNBC-TV18's Future Female Forward event on July 15, 2026, where he discussed the "responsibility of influence." He described the current period as one of the biggest changes in the industry and the world, driven by AI, and said India is at the heart of this transformation. Varrier stated that the real question is who will lead the change, as this will define the years ahead. He also spoke about equity, describing it as a source of advantage that organizations should compound on, rather than an obligation or something to merely measure and report. Varrier noted that Cognizant has 40% women associates and four of its centers are headed by women. He discussed the company's Shakti framework, a unified approach for the progression of women, and said Cognizant partnered with NASSCOM to drive this initiative. He mentioned that the company exceeded a goal related to training on the latest technologies using Synapse and is aiming to reach 2 million by 2030. Varrier emphasized the importance of sponsorship, which he defined as the moment a leader backs someone for a consequential opportunity, and called on leaders in the room to make an impact through such actions.