Cognizant (NASDAQ: CTSH) today announced the appointment of Karima Silvent to its Board of Directors (the “Board”) as an independent director, effective immediately. In connection with Ms. Silvent’s appointment, Cognizant’s Board has expanded to 13 members, 12 of whom are independent.
Ms. Silvent currently serves as Group Chief Human Resources Officer and a member of the Management Committee of AXA, a French multinational insurance company. She brings over two decades of human resources and talent management experience to the Board, including experience developing and executing human capital strategies. The Board will also benefit from her extensive public policy and government affairs expertise on employment and social inclusion issues, gained from her service at various private and public sector institutions.
“We are pleased to welcome a talent management executive of Karima’s caliber to the Cognizant Board,” said Stephen Rohleder, Chair of the Board. “Karima’s experience serving in senior human resources roles at leading organizations will allow her to provide valuable insights to the Board and management as we continue to focus on becoming an employer of choice in the industry and creating value for all shareholders.”
The Board continues its efforts to expand its balance of director skills and tenures as well as increase Board diversity as part of its ongoing refreshment program. With the addition of Ms. Silvent, six new independent directors have joined the Board since 2020, three of whom are women.
About Karima Silvent
Ms. Silvent, 50, currently serves as Group Chief Human Resources Officer and a member of the Management Committee of AXA, a French multinational insurance company, having held this role since 2017. Prior to that time, she held various roles at AXA, including Human Resources Director for AXA French businesses from 2016 to 2017, Global HR Director in charge of workforce transformation, culture, employer brand, recruiting, talent and executive career management from 2013 to 2016, and Global HR Business Partner for COO functions from 2012 to 2013. Prior to her time at AXA, Ms. Silvent served in HR and Managing Director related roles with Korian, a private health group that operates clinics and retirement homes, and Groupe Société Nationale Immobilière, a French global operator of public interest housing. She began her career in the public sector with roles at the French Ministry of Employment and Health and the French state-owned Health Service (Assistance Publique – Hôpitaux de Paris).
Since 2019, Ms. Silvent has been a member of the board of directors of AXA Investment Managers, a global investment management firm headquartered in Paris that operates as the investment arm for AXA. From the beginning of 2018 through the present, she has also served as the Chair of the board of directors of the Establishment for Employment Integration (also known as the Organization for Youth Employment or EPIDE), a French state-owned non-profit organization that focuses on retraining young adults who left the school system early and integrate them into the workforce.
