Cognizant creates Chief Learning Officer role, appoints ex-Infosys executive Thirumala Arohi

Cognizant creates Chief Learning Officer role, appoints ex-Infosys executive Thirumala Arohi

Information technology (IT) giant Cognizant has created the position of Chief Learning Officer and appointed Thirumala (Thiru) Arohi to the role. He will report to Kathy Diaz, Chief People Officer.

Arohi brings over three decades of experience and was most recently Executive Vice President and Head of Education, Training & Assessment, and Learning Platforms at Infosys. He is known for building scalable learning ecosystems and driving innovation in digital education.

His earlier delivery leadership roles provide him with a business-centric perspective on how learning enables performance and growth.

In his new role, Arohi will lead the Teaneck-headquartered firm's global learning and development function. He will be responsible for reimagining learning programs and platforms, exploring new upskilling models and partnerships, and driving thought leadership on talent, technology, and the future of work.

The creation of the position highlights Cognizant’s focus on workforce transformation and skilling in the age of AI. Large IT peers such as Infosys and TCS have long invested in dedicated learning units, while Accenture has integrated learning leadership into its talent strategy.

The Ravi Kumar-led firm has been doubling down on training, especially in the AI space.
On July 30, Cognizant launched AI training data services to accelerate AI model development at enterprise scale, consolidating 10 years of industry-specific AI, domain-specific business processes, data expertise, and engineering experience into an integrated offering.

Moreover, the company recently also announced a partnership with Rohan Murty-led Workfabric AI to train and deploy 1,000 “context engineers” over the next year, aimed at industrialising agentic AI across enterprises.

Rohan Murty is the son of Infosys founder NR Narayana Murthy, Cognizant's rival in the IT services industry.

In February, Chief Executive Officer Ravi Kumar S told Moneycontrol that the IT firm has already trained 4 lakh people in AI, as part of its goal to impart such skills to 1 million individuals by 2026.

"It's a combination of what we do for ourselves, eat our own dog food, as they call it, take it to our clients, and then take it to the communities around us,” Kumar said on February 24 speaking on the sidelines of the Nasscom Technology and Leadership Forum 2025 in Mumbai.

Kumar was recently announced as Times Magazine's one of the top 100 most influential people in AI, the only Indian IT to have been in the list of 2025.