Cognizant crosses 1-lakh women employees-mark, 75K of them in India

US-based Cognizant on Tuesday said women now comprise over 34% (one lakh employees) of its 2.88-lakh workforce. While the 1,00,000 women professionals represent more than a hundred nationalities, India alone has more than 75,000 women professionals as part of its operations.

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"When I look at the diversity and inclusion progress we have made as a company, I am encouraged by how far we have come. As such, our leadership team is determined to drive even greater diversity and inclusion throughout the company and to heighten awareness of this need across every industry," Cognizant CEO Brian Humphries said in a post on LinkedIn.  

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The one lakh employee milestone

Interestingly, the company had set a goal to employ at least 1,00,000 women around the world by 2020. Nearly 38% or over 75,000 of Cognizant's India headcount consists of women professionals. Of the company's total base of 2.88 lakh employees, two lakh are located in India. When contacted, Cognizant India Chairman and Managing Director Ramkumar Ramamoorthy said, the company will continue building on the one-lakh women employee milestone and investing in career development for its women associates. 

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'Advancing gender equality is just one aspect'

He added that in Tier-two locations such as Coimbatore, Kochi, and Mangalore, the proportion of women employees in the total headcount at those locations is approaching 50%. (We are) supporting programmes to stimulate interest and draw women overall into careers in tech. It is important to recognise that advancing gender equality, while a key focus, is just one aspect of a broader organisational imperative to drive greater diversity and inclusion throughout our culture, he added. 

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