Sydney, Australia, May 2026 — Cognizant has appointed Carla Ramchand as its new Managing Director for Australia and New Zealand, strengthening its regional leadership with one of the technology sector’s most accomplished executives.
Carla joins Cognizant following an impressive leadership journey at Avanade, where she most recently served as CEO, Avanade Australia. In this role, she led one of Avanade’s most strategic global markets, overseeing business growth, people strategy, Microsoft ecosystem leadership, and AI-driven digital transformation initiatives across Australia.
Prior to this, Carla held multiple senior leadership positions at Avanade, including Managing Director – Technology Business Group, Growth Markets, Chief Operating Officer, Growth Markets, and executive leadership roles focused on digital workplace transformation, strategic growth, and operational excellence across Asia-Pacific, Japan, Brazil, Southeast Asia, China, and the Middle East.
Before Avanade, Carla served as Executive General Manager, Cybersecurity at IBM Australia and New Zealand, where she established and scaled IBM’s cybersecurity business across the region.
Her earlier career included over a decade at Telstra, where she held multiple senior executive positions, including leadership of Telstra’s $3 billion Networks, Applications & Services business, driving enterprise growth, digital transformation, and strategic innovation.
With more than two decades of leadership across enterprise technology, cybersecurity, consulting, operational transformation, and regional growth, Carla brings exceptional expertise to Cognizant’s ANZ operations.
About Cognizant
Cognizant engineers modern businesses by helping clients modernize technology, reimagine processes, and transform customer experiences. As a global technology services leader, Cognizant supports organizations in staying competitive in an increasingly digital world.
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