The company opened its second facility in India in Kolkata in 1996 starting from 2,000-square-foot rental office. Over last three decades, the company has grown significantly, now occupying 1.23 million square feet across three facilities in the city. The Kolkata operations employ nearly 18,000 associates.
The company says this anniversary is both a celebration of past achievements and a step toward the future. Cognizant remains focused on nurturing talent, fostering innovation, contributing to Kolkata’s technology ecosystem while continuing to invest in its people and the local community.
Focus on Social Responsibility and Community Impact
Cognizant’s commitment to social responsibility in Kolkata has been driven through Cognizant Foundation India. Over the years, it has implemented high-impact programs across range of areas. They include neurological and neonatal care, thalassemia treatment, prevention of avoidable blindness.
It also supports early intervention and rehabilitation for children with special needs, promotes STEAM education for visually impaired children and develops sustainable livelihood and skill development programs for women and persons with disabilities.
The company is bringing its associates together through celebrations that include engaging activities emphasizing its people-first culture. A central part of the anniversary is the launch of an AI Tech Zone. This initiative is designed to develop platforms and engineering capabilities that help scale agentic AI across businesses.
Global Recognition and Broader Presence in India
Cognizant employs global workforce of 351,600 with more than 70% of its associates based in India. Beyond Kolkata, the company has operational centers in cities like Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Coimbatore, Delhi-NCR, GIFT City, Hyderabad, Indore, Kochi, Mangaluru, Mumbai, Pune, Visakhapatnam.
The company’s workplace culture has earned it the ‘Great Place To Work’ certification in 31 countries, including India. That recognises its efforts to empower and support employees.
Cognizant has also been acknowledged by the Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) as one of the top five IT/ITES exporters from West Bengal for more than five years.