Jan Siegmund | I AM | Diversity in Leadership | Cognizant

🎥 Jun 28, 2021 📺 Cognizant ⏱ 3m

Cognizant CFO Jan Siegmund has been out at work since 1996. Here he speaks about being an openly gay leader in the technology industry, why Diversity and Inclusion is a source of strength and credibility, and how the Aston Martin Cognizant Formula 1 team is leading on these issues. Learn more: https://cognizant.com/us/en/about-cog... Subscribe to this channel: https://cogniz.at/subscribeyt

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About Jan Siegmund

Jan Siegmund, Non-Executive Officer and Special Advisor at Cognizant, spoke in a June 2021 video about his role and his perspective on diversity and inclusion. Siegmund stated that his job as CFO gave him "insights and access to almost everything that the company is doing" and that he enjoys connecting with branches of the organization globally. He said that "everything we do is centered around delivering the best we can to our clients." Siegmund described himself as having been "an openly gay man in the technology sector" since 1996 and said that being "out and authentic is a huge source of strength and it's a source of credibility in your professional life." He expressed a belief that "diversity of thought, the diversity of cultural and professional experiences is greatly contributing to innovation" and said that Cognizant wants to "celebrate the diversity of ideas, the diversity of backgrounds for a business outcome." Regarding the Aston Martin Cognizant Formula 1 partnership, Siegmund said it was "a great marriage of a focus on innovation and performance and to tackle an important topic like LGBT and diversity and inclusion," and noted that the team "actively pushes the need for inclusion of our LGBT community." He added that the partnership offers a way to "send a strong signal to our own communities and stakeholders of how important the commitment to LGBT topics is."

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Transcript (5 segments)

Jan Siegmund0:12

I had long exposure in my history to Formula One. So when the topic came alive, a lot of memories for me came alive. And I got really excited to be part of the initiative.

My job as the CFO gives me really insights and access to almost everything that the company is doing. I enjoy connecting with the different branches of the organization all over the globe and allows me to have an impact in the performance of the company and the direction of the strategy that we're taking at Congress. And everything we do is centered around delivering the best we can to our clients.

Example to many, and I view that as a great opportunity to share it to some degree. A share of vulnerability, a sharing of difference. I am a big believer that that diversity of thought, the diversity of cultural and professional experiences is greatly contributing to innovation. We do want to celebrate the diversity of ideas, the diversity of backgrounds for a business outcome.

When I got first involved in developing the partnership between Martin and Cognizant, two or three things really came to my mind.

Community in the broader sense. To the forefront is a huge fan base in the LGBT community for motorsports, for innovation, for the excitement of fast cars. A passion for motorsports is universal, and it covers also many members of our LGBT community. It offers both of us, I think, to send a strong signal to our own communities and stakeholders of how important the commitment to LGBT topics is.