Meet Joyce Devadason, the first woman to work at Cognizant

One mantra, many roles

Joyce Devadason is a firm believer in her mantra “knowledge is everything.” She started at Cognizant in 1994 and her early career involved direct client interaction, fostering her love of learning. In 1997, her domain skills led to an opportunity directly from the company’s President. She was still new to the industry, but her domain knowledge helped her stand out. “When it comes to learning how a system is built, I learn it. I learned the client’s architecture,” she says. She moved from Chennai to the U.S. for this role, worked as a programmer analyst, and was promoted to the role of a manager within four years. She attributes all her career moves to her quest for learning and acquiring new skills.

Now, she’s living her dream role of being a global solution architect. She and her team propose QEA-specific solutions to client problems, allowing her to continually learn. It’s her dream role because “when you become a solution architect, you’re acquiring that knowledge and rolling it out to the customer. I take pride in giving quality solutions.”

Joyce, the first woman employee at Cognizant, credits her success to her strong personality and her mother. Widowed at the age of 45 with ten children to take care of, Joyce’s mother inspired her with the belief that “women can do anything.” In addition to giving life lessons to her children, her mother ran a small business. All of Joyce’s siblings are now postgraduates and, as Joyce says, the life skills taught by her mother “create a ripple effect, touching every facet of the community.”

Throughout her career, Joyce has prioritized learning, seeking certifications with each new role. Her deep knowledge ensures quality in client presentations. When she became a manager, she did her Project Management Professional (PMP) certification just to make sure she understood the nuances of being a manager. “I strengthen my career by putting 100% into understanding what I’m working on.” 

She learns from her mentors too. From her current manager Anuradha Thothathri, she’s learning that it’s not just what you present to the client, but how you present the solutions to them that matters. As a people manager herself, she always encourages her team to seek knowledge. “It may not jump your career immediately, but that mentality will sustain a lifetime of learning.” She advises managers to give new joiners resources to learn as soon as they start.

In 2019, she rang the bell for Cognizant’s 25th anniversary at Nasdaq, inspiring her daughter to study data science. When her daughter comes back from college for breaks, they exchange stories of what they’ve learned.  Joyce’s mantra continues to guide her career and influence her family. And she is indeed right about the one mantra: “knowledge is everything.”

In 2019, she rang the bell for Cognizant’s 25th anniversary at Nasdaq, inspiring her daughter to study data science. When her daughter comes back from college for breaks, they exchange stories of what they’ve learned.  Joyce’s mantra continues to guide her career and influence her family. And she is indeed right about the one mantra: “knowledge is everything.”

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