Rajashree Natarajan is a distinguished business, technology, and social impact leader with over 35 years of global professional experience spanning technology transformation, business strategy, organizational development, entrepreneurship, and social innovation. She is an executive coach, startup investor, advisor, and mentor, bringing a unique combination of corporate leadership experience and a deep commitment to using technology for meaningful societal change. Her professional philosophy is centered on building innovative, agile, and knowledge-driven organizations while creating solutions that address complex business and social challenges. She is particularly passionate about technology-led transformation, entrepreneurship, education, digital inclusion, and empowering the next generation of leaders.
During her extensive career at Cognizant Technology Solutions, Ms. Natarajan held several senior leadership positions, including vice president and global head of process, platforms, and knowledge management. She played a pivotal role in conceptualizing, developing, and scaling technology platforms such as Cognizant 2.0 and the Workport suite, which helped transform global service delivery through enterprise collaboration, knowledge sharing, process standardization, and digital innovation. Her contributions extended to large program delivery, P&L management, product development, process engineering, and quality transformation. As Head of Quality, she played an important role in institutionalizing Six Sigma practices and strengthening Cognizant’s quality management capabilities, contributing to its achievement of CMMI Level 5 certification. Her contribution to the creation of the Cognizant 2.0 platform earned her the prestigious Cognizant Leadership Award.
Subsequently, as Chief Executive Officer of Cognizant Foundation, she led the organization’s strategic direction, defining its CSR priorities, institutional framework, and program implementation across education, healthcare, and livelihoods. She championed technology-enabled social development, digital literacy, skill development, and partnerships with NGOs, government institutions, and social enterprises. She also mentored startups and encouraged innovative approaches to applying technology and process excellence to social challenges. Her commitment to education extends beyond corporate initiatives through her involvement in charitable organizations and the co-founding of a bilingual reading and learning program for underprivileged children. She has also contributed to education initiatives through Sri Sathya Sai Vidya Vahini, including its foundational literacy and numeracy program.
Following her departure from Cognizant in 2023, Ms. Natarajan has pursued opportunities aligned with her interests in technology, entrepreneurship, and social change. Her current professional engagement encompasses startup investment, mentoring, executive coaching, and strategic advisory, helping emerging businesses and entrepreneurs strengthen their strategies, organizational capabilities, and growth journeys.
Academically, she holds a master’s degree in electrical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur. She is also a Six Sigma Black Belt and a Certified Executive Coach, combining technical expertise with structured approaches to leadership development and organizational transformation.
