# Kumar Mahadeva

> Kumar Mahadeva is the Sri Lankan American founder and former chairman and CEO of Cognizant Technology Solutions. His career spans BBC research, McKinsey, AT&T and Dun & Bradstreet, followed by cross-border investing through Kubera Partners. He is associated with Mahadeva Family Office in Miami Beach.

- **Role:** CEO at Mahadeva Family Office
- **Organizations:** Cognizant Technology Solutions, Mahadeva Family Office, Kubera Partners, Dun & Bradstreet, AT&T, McKinsey & Company, BBC, Antuit
- **Nationality:** Sri Lankan American
- **Education:** Master’s in Electrical Engineering, University of Cambridge, MBA with distinction, Harvard Business School
- **Known for:** Founded Cognizant and guided its emergence as an independent IT services business., Led Cognizant through its 1998 Nasdaq flotation., Cognizant recorded $368.2 million revenue in 2003, his final year as CEO.

## Career timeline

- **1970s** — Worked in BBC research and development in London before Harvard Business School.
- **1978–1985** — Worked at McKinsey, helping develop its technology practice.
- **1985–1989** — Worked at AT&T, including strategy and corporate development.
- **1989–1993** — Chaired Dun & Bradstreet India and China.
- **1994** — Founded Cognizant, initially Dun & Bradstreet Satyam Software in Chennai.
- **1998** — Became chairman and CEO in March; Cognizant completed its Nasdaq IPO in June.
- **2003** — Announced retirement on December 22; Lakshmi Narayanan succeeded him as CEO.
- **2004** — Remained through April to support the transition.
- **2006** — Co-founded Kubera Partners with Ramanan Raghavendran.
- **2015** — Joined Antuit’s board of directors.

## Achievements

- Founded Cognizant and guided its emergence as an independent IT services business.
- Led Cognizant through its 1998 Nasdaq flotation.
- Cognizant recorded $368.2 million revenue in 2003, his final year as CEO.
- Helped establish a strategy of client focus, selective industry coverage and reinvestment.

## Latest updates

- **—** — Public LinkedIn activity includes a Cognizant thirtieth-anniversary reflection with a launch-ceremony photograph, as well as commentary on artificial intelligence and software careers; exact post dates were not exposed in the accessible profile.

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kumar-mahadeva-6755b65

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/kumar-mahadeva
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-21