Cognizant promotes Rajeev Mehta; Paul Howard joins Mercer

Cognizant has promoted company veteran Rajeev Mehta to the role of President, succeeding Gordon Coburn. Mercer Jelf Financial Planning has meanwhile added financial services expert Paul Howard to its ranks, he joins from the Royal Bank of Scotland.

Rajeev Mehta joined Cognizant’s Technology Solutions wing in 1997, rising over the following 20 year career through roles including Chief Operation Officer of Cognizant’s Global Client Services, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Cognizant’s Financial Services, and Group Chief Executive, on the way to his 2013 promotion to Chief Executive Officer of IT Services.

In his latest role at Cognizant, Mehta becomes President of the company, becoming responsible for its delivering the firm’s 2020 digital strategy. He takes the helm at a time of crisis for the firm, succeeding Gordon Coburn, who resigned from the firm suddenly in Autumn 2016, amid an internal probe into the alleged violation of US anti-corruption practice, relating to payments to India.

Francisco D'Souza, Chief Executive Officer, remarked that Mehta has proven himself as a leader with strong client relationships forged over his 20 year tenure at the firm. "For the past decade Raj has been responsible for leading our market-facing teams in delivering industry-leading growth. He has a deep understanding of new technologies and new delivery models, and their potential to fundamentally transform businesses. I look forward to continuing to work closely with Raj in the coming years as we execute on our Cognizant 2020 strategy focused on helping our clients become digital enterprises,” he adds.

Raj Mehta said that he is “honoured” to assume his new role “at an exciting time in Cognizant's history". He further commented, “Over the past year, we have designed and introduced a new operating model to support our strategic vision and growth. I look forward to working with our clients, our associates, and our business partners to take the company to the next level.”

Paul Howard meanwhile joined the Royal Bank of Scotland in 1990 and, during the intervening years, rose through the ranks to the role of Regional Quality and Development Manager for Specialist Advice. Howard’s earlier roles include that of Area Manager at the Royal Bank of Scotland, from 2009 until 2013, and Independent Financial Advisor at Barclays, from 2004 until 2005.

In his new role, Howard join’s consulting firm Mercer’s Mercer Jelf Financial Planning team as a Regional Leader for the financial planning business. The role will see Howard responsible for the development, profile and growth of the financial planning business across the UK’s North.

Grant Hughes, Head of Financial Planning at Mercer Jelf Financial Planning, said that he is “delighted” about the addition of Howard to Mercer Jelf Financial Planning. He adds, “As a Chartered Financial Planner himself, he brings a great deal of experience of both wealth management and corporate financial planning to an already strong leadership team, which further complements our chartered status and commitment to support both businesses and their employees with all aspects of financial planning.”

Commenting on his excitement at joining the grant team, Howard stated, “I am confident I can bring my skills and experience to complement what is a strong and forward thinking business to deliver great outcomes for our customers.”