Founder Profile
Kumar Mahadeva
Last reviewed: October 2026 · By Swet Parvadiya
Who is Kumar Mahadeva?
Kumar Mahadeva is a founder of Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation, which was founded in 1994 with Francisco D'Souza and Lakshmi Narayanan.
- Company founded
- Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation
- Founded
- 1994
- Co-founders
- Francisco D'Souza and Lakshmi Narayanan
Background
Wijeyaraj 'Kumar' Mahadeva led Dun & Bradstreet Satyam Software from its 1994 start in Chennai and served as Cognizant's chairman and CEO through its spin-off from Dun & Bradstreet and 1998 Nasdaq listing, until 2003.
Founding Story
Kumar Mahadeva was a Dun & Bradstreet executive who headed the company's new Chennai software unit when it was formed in 1994 as a joint venture with Satyam Computer Services. He pushed the unit to sell its services beyond D&B, guided it through the 1996 move into Cognizant Corporation, the 1997 renaming to Cognizant Technology Solutions, and the 1998 initial public offering on Nasdaq. He led the company as CEO until 2003, when Lakshmi Narayanan succeeded him and Cognizant became fully independent of IMS Health.
Education: Harvard Business School. Kumar Mahadeva was born in 1939.