December 06, 2016 - Cognizant (NASDAQ: CTSH), a leading global provider of information technology, consulting and business process services, today announced the expansion of its operations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) with the opening of a new office in Riyadh.

Cognizant’s expanded presence in KSA will enhance its existing operations in the Middle East and further enable Cognizant’s clients to leverage the technical and business capabilities available in the region for building digital businesses, operations and systems.

Cognizant currently employs more than 200 professionals in KSA, delivering a broad range of services—across digital business, operations, and systems and technology—to more than 25 leading organisations in industry sectors such as financial services, insurance, energy, utilities, telecommunications, and retail. 

“We congratulate Cognizant on the inauguration of its new office in Riyadh,” said Meletis Meletiou, Chief Financial Officer at Kudu Company, a leading restaurant chain in KSA. “In working with us on a key ERP programme, Cognizant has proven itself to be a reliable and highly professional strategic partner who combines deep business and technology capabilities and experience. We thank Cognizant for its hard work and collaborative approach to helping us further strengthen our market leadership through greater efficiency, reduced operational costs and superior performance.”

“We started operations in KSA in 2011 and have steadily grown our presence and investment in the country,” said Narayan Iyer, Vice President, Middle East and India, Cognizant. “Our expansion in KSA underscores our confidence in the country’s talent pool and its ability to help our clients drive not just operational efficiencies, but also digital transformation for the needs of tomorrow. We will continue to work closely with the academia in KSA and build talent across our full range of services by helping STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) graduates become software professionals of global standards and work on helping clients navigate the shift to the digital era.” 

In 2012, Cognizant launched its graduate recruitment programme in KSA to hire entry-level technical and management talent from premier institutions in the country and has been hiring graduates from institutions such as King Saud University, King Fahad University of Petroleum and Minerals, King Faisal University, King Khalid University, Al-Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, and Alyammamah University. 

As part of its commitment to building talent for the future, Cognizant provides technical and soft skills training to entry-level hires in line with global benchmarks and deploys them to technology and consulting projects upon the successful completion of the training. The objective of this uniquely designed programme is to create a young, dynamic and local talent supply that can deliver value to the company’s clients in the region and elsewhere. Cognizant’s new office houses a state-of-the-art training facility for new and experienced hires.