Deepa Rao

Corporate Sustainability Leader at Cognizant

Speaker

Deepa Rao is a sustainability leader with a strong foundation in finance, governance, and risk. As a Chartered Accountant (CA) and Master of Commerce (M.Com), she brings deep expertise in internal audit, internal controls, and risk management—skills that have seamlessly transitioned into her role as a seasoned sustainability practitioner.

At Cognizant, Deepa has implemented a robust sustainability governance framework, including a data management system that ensures accurate, audit-ready reporting and performance tracking. She integrates AI into her work to streamline processes, enhance efficiency, and enable more strategic decision-making. Alongside her corporate role, she serves as a board member in technology companies and as an audit committee member at educational institutions, where she focuses on sustainability, audit and risk, and the ethical use of AI.