Episode 90. Jan Siegmund – Lead with Authenticity

Jan Siegmund is Cognizant’s Chief Financial Officer. In this role, he leads the company’s worldwide Financial Planning and Analysis, Accounting and Controllership, Tax, Treasury and Internal Audit functions. He also oversees Corporate Development, Investor Relations and Enterprise Risk Management. Prior to joining Cognizant in September 2020, Jan served for seven years as Corporate Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Automatic Data Processing (ADP), a $14-billion global human capital management technology and service provider. Earlier in his two-decade tenure with ADP, he held the roles of President, Added Value Services Division, developing and executing the company’s growth strategy, and Chief Strategy Officer, with responsibility for corporate strategy, M&A, government affairs, and product management and marketing. He began his career at McKinsey & Company. Jan is a member of the Board of Directors of The Western Union Company, where he is Chair of the Audit Committee and a member of the Compliance Committee. He holds a master’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Technical University Karlsruhe, Germany, a master’s degree in Economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a doctorate in Economics from Technical University of Dresden, Germany.

Favorite Quote:

“The important thing in life is not perfection – the important thing is bending the curve towards the better.”

Quote from interview:

“The biggest impact in any organization for your wellbeing is your direct supervisor…a CEO or CFO talking nice words about inclusion are not as meaningful if they don’t translate in day-to-day life.”