CEO Ravi Kumar Compensation Journey: From Infosys President to Cognizant CEO

During his career in IT Ravi Kumar S. achieved successive managerial roles that coincided with smooth salary growth. Executive compensation at Cognizant demonstrates the growth trajectory of technology market pay after twenty years at Infosys where Ravi Kumar S. progressed to lead the organization.

Two Decades at Infosys: Moving Up the Corporate Structure

The twenty years span of his employment at Infosys included various executive positions. Ravi Kumar assumed the presidency at Infosys before he departed from the company in 2016. Ravi Kumar managed the service lines of consulting along with technology and infrastructure and engineering and process verticals to direct operations across all industries as President of Infosys during his tenure at the organization. As Infosys President he developed essential organization strategies to better penetrate the U.S. market.

During his Infosys tenure the company awarded Ravi Kumar with increasing compensation packages according to his growing leadership positions. Ravi Kumar maintained a position among Infossys highest-paid executives when serving as their president yet his salary information remained undisclosed for the entire Infosys tenure. The fiscal year 2021-22 executive compensation details reveal that Ravi Kumar secured the third position at Infosys with compensation of approximately ₹36 crore after CEO Salil Parekh and then-COO UB Pravin Rao.

His experience as an executive across various positions and strategic power roles within Infosys paved the way for his future role as CEO. During October 2022 he left Infosys to start a new professional path following twenty years with the company.

Executive Leadership identified Ravi Kumar S as the new Cognizant employee since January of 2023.

Ravi Kumar S. assumed the Chief Executive Officer role at Cognizant during January 2023 to direct this worldwide IT services corporation. The company aimed to grow rapidly while enhancing its market position when Ravi Kumar S took over the position.

Upon becoming Cognizant CEO Ravi Kumar S accepted an executive compensation package due to his responsibility for managing a global enterprise. During his time as Cognizant CEO in 2023 Ravi Kumar S. received compensation amounting to $22.6 million. The bulk of his compensation wage stemmed from an equity bonus that surfaced upon his CEO appointment because such rewards drive executives toward durable business accomplishments.

Compensation for Fiscal Year 2024: An Increase in Direct Pay

According to SEC filings Ravi Kumar received $16.1 million in fiscal year 2024 compensation since U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission received the data recently. The recent SEC filings demonstrate how Kumar earned $16.1 million in annual compensation during FY2024 which represented a 11% yearly increase although the 2023 special equity award is excluded from this number. The 2024 compensation package consisted of different elements that resulted in a total annual payment of $16.1 million.

Exponential growth at 20% elevated the base salary to $1.2 million throughout the fiscal year 2024.
The established target for Annual Cash Incentive (ACI) reached $2.4 million for this year but executive performance delivered an actual payout of 107.3% relative to expectations.

The Performance Share Unit (PSU) program experienced an elevated value of 9% from the previous year thus attaining $7.5 million. PSU units get unlocked only when specified performance targets within multiple time periods are successfully completed.

The director received Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) valued at $5.0 million because these stock units showed an increase of 9% since 2023 and he got quarterly distributions from them.

The director received $8.2 million in realized compensation for 2024 although his target direct compensation stood at $16.1 million. The vesting requirements of Performance Share Units constitute the main reason for the compensation difference. His total realized compensation consisted of base salary amount and ACI payout and RSU vesting value which combined to $4.49 million.

Based on their evaluation of Ravi Kumar’s first-year performance as CEO the Cognizant board decided to extend his target direct compensation because it matched his peer group’s CEO pay. He leads Cognizant toward becoming one of the top four IT services companies worldwide by 2027 according to board members who support his leadership and strategic approach.

Comparing with Peers in the Industry

CEO Ravi Kumar of Cognizant receives compensation that positions him at the top end of executive salaries in India’s IT services industry but this position changes depending on organizational size and performance and individual compensation structure choices. In FY2023-24 Infosys CEO Salil Parekh earned ₹66.25 crore which translates to $7.9 million using present exchange rates while Wipro’s previous CEO Thierry Delaporte received ₹166 crore or approximately $20 million but this included severance benefits.

The majority of executive compensation packages contain performance-linked components such as stock options and performance-based incentives which create a direct connection between leadership interests and shareholder values and corporate development.

Conclusion: An Examination of Expectations and Leadership

Ravi Kumar’s success in the IT industry parallel the evolutionary executive role which demanded progressively higher workplace achievements from him. The compensation package given to Ravi Kumar as he shifted from the Infosys presidential role to Cognizant CEO level matched the requirements of leading an international enterprise. The board of Cognizant awarded Ravi Kumar a higher level of direct compensation for FY2024 based on their assessment that he will deliver successful execution of company strategies. The Cognizant CEO compensation scheme will link directly to strategic execution and operational success together with organizational performance achievements as he leads the organization through fast-developing technological developments.