Discovery 2023

Simon Sinek

Speaker, Author

Simon Sinek believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together. Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Sinek teaches leaders and organizations how to inspire people, foster cooperation, build trust, and effect change. The author of the global bestsellers “The Infinite Game,” “Start with Why” and “Leaders Eat Last”, Sinek is an ethnographer by training whose work focuses on the remarkable patterns in how people and organizations think, act and communicate.

Fernando Alonso

Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 team driver

Spain’s Fernando Alonso is a double world champion (2005-’06) for Renault, a title challenger at both McLaren and Ferrari, and feared by rivals for his ceaseless combativeness over two decades in Formula One. Currently Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One's lead driver and a 32-time Grand Prix winner, he has ushered in an exciting new chapter for the team, providing the skill, speed and experience needed to further the team’s quest to become world title challengers.

Nina Schick

Generative AI expert, author, and entrepreneur

Nina is a prominent entrepreneur, author and advisor renowned for her expertise in generative AI. As the pioneer of the field, she authored the first book on AI-generated content in 2020, championing the accessibility of AI for all. Since 2017, Nina has not only analyzed the evolution of generative AI but also advised global leaders and technology firms, becoming a sought-after speaker at distinguished events and transforming our perception of artificial intelligence.

Ravi Kumar S

Chief Executive Officer
Cognizant

Ravi took the helm of Cognizant in January 2023, leading the company’s strategic vision and fostering a client-centric culture for sustainable growth. His extensive expertise spans digital transformation, technology services, data analytics and consulting.

Dr. Vishal Sikka

Founder and CEO of Vianai Systems

Known for his passion for applying software in purposeful ways to solve big global challenges, Dr. Vishal Sikka is the Founder and CEO of Vianai Systems, a leading AI company based in Palo Alto, California. Previously, he was the CEO of Infosys and before that was a member of the Executive Board of SAP leading all products and innovation. Dr. Sikka holds a PhD in AI from Stanford University, where he currently serves as an advisor to the Stanford Institute of Human-Centered AI. He also serves on the boards of Oracle Corporation, BMW and GSK.

Prakash Kota

Senior Vice President & Chief Information Officer, Autodesk

Prakash Kota oversees Autodesk’s global information technology, including the Autodesk employee technology experience, enterprise data platforms, vendor management, enterprise product management, cloud engineering, and reliability. Prakash also leads the digital transformation of Autodesk technology stacks, cloud transformation, systems support, global customer operations, product operations, and infrastructure. 

Prakash was named a Bay Area CIO “Global” Orbie award winner, a Forbes innovative technology leader on the “CIO Next” list, and a “Top 100 CIO” by the National Diversity Council.

Marc Berson

Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer
Gilead Sciences, Inc.

With deep experience in IT, business transformation, financial systems and finance, Marc leads IT function including Business Transformation & Innovation, DevOps, Analytics/Data Management, IT Strategy & Architecture, Info Security/Controls, and Infrastructure/Operations for Gilead. Marc also leads global business services for Gilead’s Raleigh, North Carolina, site. Among many previous achievements, Marc developed and ran the world’s largest business analytics cloud service.

Ray Wang

Founder, Chairman and Principal Analyst
Constellation Research, Inc.

One of the top technology analysts in the world, R “Ray” Wang (pronounced WAHNG) co-hosts the highly viewed weekly enterprise tech and leadership webcast DisrupTV, and he authors a business strategy and technology blog that has received millions of page views per month. Ray coined the term “Metaverse Economy” in 2020 and is a leading authority on the Web 2.0 to Web 3.0 transition. His newest best-selling book on the future of business, "Everybody Wants to Rule The World," was released in 2021 by Harper Collins Leadership.

Surya Gummadi

President, Cognizant Americas
Cognizant

Surya’s career with Cognizant spans more than 20 years. He currently serves as the President of Cognizant Americas, overseeing strategy and operations across the United States, Latin America and Canada. As a dedicated leader, he also guides the global large deals team, contributing to business growth and client-centric strategies.

Jeff Torrance

Senior Vice President and General Manager
Connected Smart Systems Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

Dr. Jeff Torrance serves as the senior vice president and general manager of the Connected Smart Systems (CSS) business within Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., where he is responsible for Qualcomm’s Internet of Things (IoT) strategy, product portfolios, P&L, customer relationships, ecosystem development and execution to unlock opportunities in the IoT value chain and help enterprises and industry customers harness the potential of how IoT can transform their business.

Sandra Notardonato

Senior Vice President, Partnerships and Alliances, Cognizant

As SVP of Partnerships and Alliances, Sandra is a seasoned veteran of the IT services industry, helping to build out Cognizant’s partnership and alliance ecosystem. Prior to Cognizant, Sandra spent 15 years with Gartner and 11 years with various professional services firms as a senior equity analyst.

Anil Bhatt

Global Chief Information Officer, Elevance Health

Anil Bhatt is Elevance Health’s Global Chief Information Officer. With over 20 years of technology leadership and transformation experience, Anil is a passionate technology and strategic thought leader who applies a zoom-out focus with a zoom-in strategic execution to stay abreast of the rate at which the healthcare market and consumer expectations are evolving. As a champion of equity-based inclusion and diversity, Anil believes a strong culture, clear vision, and common goals build long-lasting, highly motivated teams.

Deborah Eastman

Head of Platforms and SaaS & Vice President, Cognizant

Joining in 2018, Deborah is a VP at Cognizant that leads the Platforms and SaaS business segment. She leads a team of customer obsessed professionals that help clients achieve their business objectives and deliver profitable growth. She is the co-author of the Net Promoter Certification course and consulted with business leaders and customer experience professionals to help transform their business around the customer.

Prasad Sankaran

Executive Vice President, Software and Platform Engineering
Cognizant

Joining Cognizant in 2022, Prasad brings a pioneering spirit, balanced technical and business skills and deep experience in leading and delivering large, complex IT projects across digital, cloud, infrastructure and applications. In his current position, he leads strategy, offerings, solutions, partnerships, capabilities and delivery for Digital Engineering, Digital Experience, Application Development and Management, and Quality Engineering and Assurance.

Anna Elango

Executive Vice President, Core Technologies and Insights
Cognizant

Joining Cognizant in August 2016, Anna applies his passion for solving customers’ business problems by innovatively applying technology, automation and delivery models. He leads the end-to-end value chain across strategy, offerings, solutions, partnerships, capabilities, and delivery of cloud, infrastructure, workplace experience, cyber security, data, analytics and IoT practices. Anna also directs Cognizant’s HyperScaler Cloud Business Groups (Microsoft, AWS and Google Cloud).

Vijay Venkatesan

Vice President and Chief Analytics Officer
Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey

Vijay is Vice President and Chief Analytics Officer at Horizon BCBSNJ, New Jersey’s largest and most experienced health insurer. He oversees the next-generation data and analytics strategy to support business operations and diversification strategies as the Company advances its OMNIASM Health Alliance partnerships and health care transformation.

Sanjeev Sethi

Senior Vice President, IT Delivery, DIRECTV

Sanjeev Sethi is Senior Vice President of IT Delivery at DIRECTV, where he recently led a complex technology separation involving 900+ applications as part of a spinoff of DIRECTV from AT&T. A turnaround specialist, he has an established track record of unlocking business value and enabling profitable growth while modernizing complex legacy technology stacks, optimizing processes, and building high performance technology organizations.

Phil Fersht

CEO & Chief Analyst, HFS Research

Phil Fersht is widely recognized as the world's leading industry analyst focused on the reinvention of business operations due to technological innovations and the globalization of talent.

Spanning over two decades, he has a global reputation for calling out the big trends, being unafraid to share his honest views, driving a narrative on the technology and business services industries that shape many leadership decisions.

He is also the author and creator of the blog in the global services industry, entitled “Horses for Sources” now entering its fourteenth year. 

Ganesh Ayyar

EVP and President, Intuitive Operations, Automation and Industry Solutions, Cognizant

In his current role, Ganesh provides business process services, automation services and platform services to 200+ clients through 75,000+ associates across 25+ countries. Ganesh was previously recognized by CEO Connections as CEO of the year for his successful transformation initiatives and market value enhancements at a global IT services company listed in India. The Blackstone Group Inc. bought a majority stake in the company, marking one of largest investments of its kind.