Cognizant ANZ boss Jane Livesey handed APAC CEO duties
Cognizant has appointed Australia & New Zealand chief executive Jane Livesey as CEO of the firm’s Asia Pacific business.
Jane Livesey joined Cognizant toward the end of 2020 after spending more than a decade and a half between Accenture and PwC, and also presently serves as a director of Cognizant acquisitions Servian and Contino. For now, she continues to directly oversee A/NZ operations.
“I'm excited to be able to expand on our focus to help customers achieve their goals using digital services and encourage greater collaboration in markets,” Livesey told IT industry news publication ARN, which last year honoured her with a Women in ICT achievement award.
“We’re in a critical period where technology is shaping everything we do, impacting businesses and their customers all across Asia Pacific,” Livesey added.
Based out of Sydney, Livesey crossed to Cognizant after spending three years heading up PwC’s technology consulting business in Australia, a practice consisting of more than 800 technology, digital and cyber professionals. Prior, she served for twelve years in leadership roles at Accenture, including as ANZ Technology Group managing director, and also spent earlier senior stints at IBM and Oracle’s acquisition Sieble.
A notable element of Livesey’s Cognizant tenure to date has been the consultancy’s focus on skills training and expanding its local headcount, including via the launch of an Adelaide-based delivery hub which aims to host 1,600 digital professionals and graduates within five years. Cognizant also dramatically boosted its numbers through the acquisition of digital consultancy Servian, the deal doubling its data and cloud personnel in the region.
Livesey has also surrounded herself with a number of familiar faces since joining. Among others, consulting head George Evans followed her across from a managing director role at PwC, after also serving at Accenture, while Vice President Tess Schofield was a tech partner and managing director at the same firms. Another former PwC and Accenture leader, Cognizant digital chief Patricio De Matteis, is however soon set to depart as dentu’s new A/NZ CEO.
In a discussion with ARN upon receiving her Women in ICT award, Livesey spoke of her leadership approach. “I’ve learnt that people really need you to listen. It doesn’t matter what level you are, whether you’re the leader of a company or working as part of a team delivering a project, a critical skill is to listen and ensure people are heard. Creating an environment where people have an active voice and can contribute is fundamental to team success.”
