As CMO, Thea Hayden is responsible for Cognizant's global marketing strategy and
execution across brand, creative, digital, events and sponsorships, thought
leadership, communications and field marketing. She leads an integrated team
focused on connecting with clients and driving brand credibility and
consideration to accelerate growth.
Outcome-driven and people-focused, Hayden is passionate about storytelling and
marketing that engages audiences, changes perception and generates demand
and drives the sales pipeline. With over 25 years of marketing experience, she is
known for her ability to solve problems, inspire top-performing teams and deliver
award-winning work and translate business requirements into impactful
communications strategies.
Before joining Cognizant in 2020, Hayden held a variety of leadership positions at
Dell Technologies, where she was part of the fast-growing enterprise
technology team and a key member of the marketing integration team, following
the EMC acquisition. Before joining Dell, Hayden was the director of marketing
communications at Compellent, where she led the team through a successful
IPO and acquisition. Prior to Compellent, Hayden was a consultant, working with
marketing agencies, start-ups and large-scale technology companies where
she perfected her ability to manage both the big picture and deliver down to the
last detail.
Hayden has a degree in English literature from the University of Utah and enjoys
reading, skiing and spending time with her family.
