Humphries, who joined Vodafone only two years ago after 11 years with Hewlett-Packard and four years with Dell, replaces co-founder Francisco D’Souza, who will become vice chairman of the company, based in New Jersey.
Humphries said: “Cognizant is renowned for being laser-focused on its clients’ needs, developing business solutions and services that help clients position their companies for the future.”
The Vodafone Business division has revenues of about €12 billion a year. Cognizant is a bit bigger, with full year revenue of $14.8 billion.
D’Souza, who helped start the company 25 years ago and spent the last 12 years as CEO, said: “I believe this is the right time for me to step aside and for the company to name a new leader to build on the strong foundations we’ve created and take Cognizant into the future.”
Humphries said on his LinkedIn page: “I’m very excited for this opportunity and can’t wait to get started. It’s bittersweet of course. … We have launched Vodafone Business as a brand … We’ve invested in the future by attracting and promoting amazing talent, and reaching record diversity levels.”
Cognizant board chairman Michael Patsalos-Fox said of Humphries: “Brian brings a global perspective and a keen knowledge of our businesses and the technologies with which we innovate.”
