Role Overview
The Strategy Lead - APJ is a high-impact, senior individual contributor role responsible for shaping, governing and enabling the execution of the APJ regional strategy, with a strong emphasis on business and operating model transformation. The incumbent will work directly with and in service of the President - APJ, providing both analytical rigor and strategic thought partnership to advance priorities across markets, service lines and functions.
Role Context & Strategic Significance
This role sits at the intersection of strategy, governance and execution - a critical enabler of the APJ leadership agenda. The successful candidate will serve as a trusted advisor to the President - APJ, helping to connect regional ambitions with global priorities, align cross-functional stakeholders, and ensure that strategic commitments are tracked and delivered with discipline.
Key Responsibilities
Strategy Development &Direction
- Lead the design and articulation of the APJ strategic agenda, ensuring coherent alignment to Cognizant's global priorities and competitive positioning.
- Synthesise market intelligence, competitive landscape analysis and internal performance data to inform strategic choices and investment decisions.
- Develop high-quality, executive-ready strategic documents, presentations and business cases for the President - APJ and leadership team.
Execution Governance & Programme Management
- Anchor end-to-end governance for APJ strategic initiatives, establishing clear ownership structures, milestone frameworks and accountability mechanisms.
- Design and maintain structured dashboards and reporting cadences to track progress against strategic priorities, surfacing risks and enabling timely decision-making.
- Facilitate cross-functional alignment to ensure strategic programmes are executed with pace and rigour.
Senior Stakeholder Partnership
- Act as a trusted thought partner to the President - APJ and the APJ leadership team on matters of strategic and operational significance.
- Build and maintain strong working relationships with market leaders, service line heads and functional leads across the region.
- Represent strategic initiatives in senior forums, enabling effective decision-making and executive alignment.
Transformation Enablement
- Drive business and operating model transformation initiatives across the region, translating strategic vision into actionable programmes.
- Identify structural opportunities to improve regional effectiveness, agility and competitive differentiation.
Candidate Profile
Qualifications
- Postgraduate qualification in Management (MBA or equivalent)
Professional Experience
- A minimum of 10 - 12 years of substantive experience in strategy, business transformation, management consulting or corporate planning.
- Prior exposure to the technology or technology services sector is strongly preferred.
- Demonstrated experience working with or in proximity to senior executive leadership is an advantage.
Core Competencies & Attributes
- Strategic acuity: Ability to think across time horizons, connect macrotrends to business implications and develop differentiated points of view.
- Analytical rigour: Strong quantitative and qualitative problem-solving capability comfort with ambiguity and complex, multi-variable challenges.
- Executive communication: Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to distil complexity into clear, compelling narratives for senior audiences.
- Stakeholder influence: Demonstrated ability to build trust and drive alignment across senior, diverse stakeholder groups without direct authority.
- Execution mindset: A bias for action and outcomes ability to manage multiple priorities with pace and precision.
- Leadership presence: High levels of professional maturity, intellectual curiosity and personal ambition, with the drive to make a meaningful impact.
