After two decades at Cognizant, Azhagiri Selvarajan reflects on leadership, resilience, and what it takes to keep people at the heart of transformation.
It’s rare these days to find a leader who has spent two decades in one organisation, especially in the high-turnover corridors of the tech industry. But for Azhagiri Selvarajan, Senior Vice President, Head of HR – India and Global HR Leader for Tech Service Lines at Cognizant, longevity has never been about comfort zones. When we spoke over a call, his voice carried both the steadiness of someone deeply anchored in his values and the urgency of someone who understands the pace of change in today’s work landscape.
“I’d worked in three organisations before joining Cognizant,” he recalled, “and I realised pretty quickly that I didn’t need to look anywhere else. Cognizant offered a vast ecosystem that supported internal mobility and cross-functional growth. The culture was — and still is — genuinely people-centric.”
That people-first approach has been more than just a professional philosophy for Selvarajan; it’s been the compass for navigating some of the toughest moments of his career.
The pandemic: a defining leadership test
Like many HR leaders, he counts the COVID-19 pandemic as one of the most defining moments in his two decades at Cognizant. “We were responsible for 250,000 associates in India and their families,” he said. “It went beyond business continuity — we were setting up vaccination camps, securing hospital beds, and even sourcing portable oxygen cylinders.”
The challenge, as he described it, wasn’t just logistical but deeply human. “People needed to know the organisation was standing firmly behind them, no matter what. That commitment from Cognizant reminded me why I’ve stayed.”
The period also reinforced a belief he holds strongly: that HR’s role is not just to respond to crises, but to anticipate the next shift.
When I asked how HR leadership has changed since he started out, Selvarajan didn’t hesitate. “We’ve moved from being operational to strategic, from support to influence. But the anchor must remain the same — people.”
For him, the most critical capability for the next phase of HR is the ability to foresee change and guide transformation while protecting the human experience. “Even as roles evolve or become redundant, the job is to make sure associates continue to have meaningful career paths.”
**Resilience at scale
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In 20 years, he’s seen plenty of disruption — from industry shifts to internal transformations — but two challenges stand out: the pandemic and the wave of resignations that followed.
“The Great Resignation tested us in a completely different way,” he said. “We had to rethink how we engage, retain, and support people in an ultra-competitive market. It came down to listening — deeply — and adapting without losing sight of our values.”
Listening, he emphasised, is not a soft skill in HR leadership; it’s a strategic imperative.
Career pathing has been a personal focus for Selvarajan throughout his tenure. What’s changed, he said, is the speed at which roles are being redefined.
“Cognizant is a learning powerhouse,” he said. “We’ve become far more tailored and agile. For example, we have a US patent-pending tool that spots industry and tech trends early and recommends skilling opportunities based on an associate’s unique profile.”
The aim is to empower employees to take charge of their own development while giving them the intelligence to make informed choices in a volatile market.
Sustaining culture in difficult times
Leadership during downturns, he told me, is what truly tests an HR leader’s credibility. “Especially when things are tough, people look for consistency. A high ‘say-do ratio’ is essential — if you do what you say, you reinforce trust.”
Last year, Cognizant refreshed the language of its values to better reflect principles that have been part of the company’s DNA for decades. For Selvarajan, that act of articulation matters. “It’s about living those values every single day.”
One of the unique aspects of Selvarajan’s role is the duality: he leads HR for Cognizant’s massive India workforce while also serving as a global HR leader for three tech service lines. The scale is enormous; the contexts are varied.
“I don’t see business needs and people priorities as competing,” he explained. “They’re deeply interconnected. When you invest in your people — their skills, careers, benefits, and engagement — you enable them to deliver business outcomes.”
Catering to a generationally diverse workforce
With Gen Z entering the workforce and mid-career professionals seeking renewed purpose, expectations are more polarised than ever. Selvarajan’s approach is pragmatic: “Treat associates the way they want to be treated.”
This philosophy requires both breadth and precision. Cognizant offers vast learning opportunities — “hundreds of thousands of upskill options,” as he put it — and supplements them with AI-driven personalised recommendations. The aim is to give each individual the tools to shape their own career.
Culture, he believes, is the bridge between generations. “Whether you’re Gen Z or Gen X, people want to feel that their work has meaning and that they’re part of something inclusive and impactful.”
If he could pass on one hard-earned insight, it would be to remember the reason the profession exists. “The function is called Human Resources for a reason. It’s easy to get caught up in being a strategic partner or a business advisor, but you can’t lose sight of the human part.”
The throughline: purpose and adaptability
Across our conversation, a few constants emerged — the centrality of purpose, the necessity of adaptability, and the discipline of staying aligned with values. Selvarajan’s journey is not a story about staying in one company out of habit; it’s about seeing that company as a living ecosystem where his own growth and the organisation’s evolution are interlinked.
“I’ve had opportunities here that I might have had to change companies multiple times to experience elsewhere,” he reflected. “And in each phase, I’ve been able to contribute in ways that felt meaningful.”
Two decades on, his focus hasn’t shifted. In an industry where change is the only constant, Selvarajan is proof that you can adapt without losing your anchor — if you keep people at the centre.
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