Our

Leadership

At COGENT, we believe culture doesn’t just spring out of organizations fully formed. It’s a process facilitated by a company’s leaders at the core of building an organization’s culture. Successful leaders embrace and embody their company’s vision and values and communicate and cultivate culture in their organizations from top-to-bottom. What does a company stand for? One look at its leaders should tell that.

Executive Team – COGENT

Srini Thonta

Srini Thonta

Founder & CEO

As the founder and CEO of Cogent, Srini is the entrepreneurial force behind one of the fastest-growing consulting brands in AI-driven transformation. With a clear vision for how artificial intelligence is reshaping industries, he has positioned Cogent at the forefront of delivering intelligent, future-ready solutions for Fortune 500 and mid-market clients.

Srini leads with a commitment to innovation, guiding the development of AI-enabled platforms, agentic workflows, and automation strategies that help organizations unlock measurable impact. His strategic focus spans key sectors including automotive, healthcare, and financial services, where Cogent has built a reputation for combining cutting-edge technology with deep industry insight.

Dr. Damodar Sahu

Dr. Damodar Sahu

Chief Revenue Officer

Dr. Damodar Sahu is a seasoned growth and business leader helping organizations accelerate revenue, scale market presence, and build high-impact partnerships. With over two decades of global experience, he has led large-scale client engagements across the U.S. and international markets, enabling business transformation and sustained growth.

Dr. Sahu brings deep expertise at the intersection of AI, digital trust, and data privacy, spanning AI-powered trust verification, deepfake and synthetic identity detection, and building next-generation digital truth infrastructure. He is responsible for scaling growth, forging strategic alliances, and driving global market adoption across these emerging domains.

Known for bridging strategy with execution, Dr. Sahu brings a purpose-driven approach to growth, connecting innovation, trust, and real-world impact. Beyond business, he is committed to social responsibility through a personal initiative dedicated to supporting education for underprivileged students in Odisha, India.

 

Kamala Raj Kumar

Kamala Raj Kumar

People & Business Partner

Kamala is a seasoned HR Business Partner with over 20 years of experience driving people strategies that align with business goals. She specializes in talent management, leadership development, workforce planning, and organizational effectiveness, partnering with senior leaders to design and implement HR initiatives that foster growth and employee success.

Recognized for building trusted partnerships, Kamala has a proven track record of enhancing retention, boosting engagement, and shaping inclusive workplace cultures. Her expertise in employee relations, change management, and leadership capability has consistently strengthened performance, improved culture, and supported long-term organizational growth.

Gabriela Santander

Gabriela Santander

Chief of Staff, Sales and Operations

As Cogent’s Chief of Staff for Sales and Operations, Gabby sits at the intersection of strategy, execution, and growth. She plays a key role in go-to-market planning, sales enablement, and content strategy across Cogent’s AI, SAP, data, and enterprise integration portfolio. From executive briefings and client intelligence to GTM collateral, partner positioning, and pipeline visibility, she helps ensure that every client conversation is supported by the right narrative, research, and materials.

With a background spanning business analysis, product ownership, and project management, Gabby brings a strong combination of strategic thinking and hands-on execution. She oversees Cogent’s CRM operations, supports cross-functional coordination, and helps advance key partnership initiatives. She also co-hosts Cogent’s Tech Social series, leading conversations with industry leaders on AI transformation, emerging technologies, and the future of enterprise innovation.

Ajay Behl

Ajay Behl

Director of Cyber Security

As Cogent’s Director of Cybersecurity, Ajay drives the company’s vision at the intersection of artificial intelligence and cyber defense. With a blend of deep technical expertise, enterprise sales acumen, and entrepreneurial insight, he positions Cogent as a thought leader in securing AI-powered enterprises.

A recognized voice in the industry, Ajay actively contributes to the global conversation on AI and cybersecurity through podcasts, speaking engagements, and thought leadership content. His work advances public understanding of technology’s role in safeguarding the digital future, ensuring that Cogent’s clients operate with resilience, agility, and confidence in an AI-first world.

Core Leadership Team – COGENT

Edgar Martinez

Edgar Martinez

Enterprise Scale & AI Strategist & Hands-on Leader

As Cogent’s Associate Director for Digital Transformation, Edgar blends deep technical expertise with strategic vision to turn complex challenges into measurable results. With over 15 years in cloud-native development, enterprise architecture, and large-scale transformation, he has driven high-impact initiatives across automotive, manufacturing, financial services, telecom, retail, logistics, food & beverage, and construction, helping global enterprises adapt and thrive in rapidly changing markets. Edgar excels at extending, integrating, and modernizing core business capabilities through innovative applications, intelligent automation, and AI-powered solutions that boost efficiency, elevate user experiences, and accelerate time-to-value. Known for bridging business priorities with technology execution, Edgar works with leaders and teams to deliver solutions that are technically sound, business-focused, and built to unlock revenue growth, cost savings, and long-term competitive advantage.

Alfonso Monroy

Alfonso Monroy

Head of SAP BTP & Cloud Transformation

Alfonso Monroy, as Cogent’s Head of SAP BTP & Cloud Transformation, unites deep SAP expertise with forward-thinking enterprise innovation. Experienced in SAP CAP Model, SAP Integration Suite, SAPUI5, and cloud-native architectures, he’s led S/4HANA migrations and complex digital transformation projects. Alfonso designs scalable solutions, secure integrations, and event-driven systems connecting SAP and non-SAP platforms, enhancing enterprise efficiency, flexibility, and growth.

He holds credentials from MIT’s AI Product Design program and the AI4Devs Bootcamp, with additional experience in SAP AI initiatives. Alfonso leverages AI for predictive analytics, intelligent automation, and resource optimization—earning recognition for leadership that aligns business goals with powerful, future-ready technology solutions.

Miguel Diaz

Miguel Diaz

AI Architect and Technology Lead

As Cogent’s Cloud & AI Strategy Lead, Miguel leverages over 15 years of experience designing and delivering AI-driven platforms and cloud-native architectures that power intelligent, scalable solutions across automotive, manufacturing, banking, education, and retail. He specializes in building multi-tenant SaaS platforms, AWS-based architectures, and AI conversational layers that enable advanced automation, reusable frameworks, and seamless integration into enterprise ecosystems.

Miguel’s work blends human-centered design with cutting-edge engineering to create AI-enabled systems that improve efficiency, reduce downtime, and enhance user experience. His portfolio spans AI-assisted predictive analytics in the automotive sector, AI-enabled hospitality platforms, and large-scale cloud integrations on AWS and GCP, delivering measurable business impact and future-ready capabilities for Cogent’s clients.

Hema Dorai

Hema Dorai

Global AI Talent Acquisition

As Cogent’s Global AI Talent Acquisition Manager, Hema connects innovation with people by leading strategic sourcing and placement of top-tier experts in AI and emerging technologies. Her mission is to ensure every role is filled with precision and every client is equipped with talent that drives their transformation journey. Her talent pipelines extend to US, LATAM and India, giving her a unique global vantage point on the workforce landscape, enabling seamless access to high-skill, cost-effective talent for the clients.   

She partners closely with client leaders to close strategic deals that bring measurable business value. What sets her approach apart is the integration of data-driven talent strategies with a global perspective to build future-ready teams that fuel innovation, enhance operational excellence, and provide sustainable growth.

Archana Sankhe

Archana Sankhe

AI Governance & Transformation

Archana Sankhe, as Cogent’s AI Governance & Transformation Leader, drives responsible, scalable, and high-impact AI adoption by embedding governance frameworks, change management, and transformation strategies that ensure compliance, ethics, and sustainability. She has successfully led AI initiatives across automation, digital platforms, and enterprise transformation in diverse industries. Renowned for fostering collaboration between business stakeholders, technology teams, and governance bodies, Archana ensures AI aligns with organizational values and long-term growth. By balancing innovation with trust, she builds confidence in AI adoption and delivers measurable improvements in efficiency, agility, and user experience. Passionate about empowering people, she champions agile practices, continuous learning, and inclusive leadership to prepare organizations for the AI-first era.

Thiru Nakka

Thiru Nakka

AI-Led M&A Subject Matter Expert

Thiru is an AI-led M&A Subject Matter Expert and distinguished IT leader, specializing in global SAP and ERP transformations across industries such as manufacturing, automotive, pharmaceuticals, and chemicals. Renowned for deep expertise in SAP S/4HANA (Greenfield, migrations, data conversions), he’s also skilled in Ariba, SFDC, Boomi, Informatica, BMC, Syniti, MDM, and SAP integrations.

Thiru is adept with cloud platforms including AWS, Azure, GCP, and SAP BTP, and is passionate about AI-driven digital transformation and integrations. With a proven history of delivering strategic programs, full-cycle implementations, data and EDI migrations, he excels in architecture, governance, and team leadership. Thiru consistently drives performance optimization, complex middleware integrations, and measurable enterprise results.

Diego Huerta

Diego Huerta

AI Custom App Development and Integration

Diego Huerta is a specialized AI Architect, focusing on Agentic AI and the development of autonomous agents that act as proactive, goal-oriented partners. He analyzes business needs and operational challenges to design solutions that embed perception, reasoning, and independent action. Diego excels in transforming abstract ideas into enterprise-grade AI strategies and applications, engineering robust technical foundations using advanced technology stacks and machine learning frameworks.

His expertise ensures agents can learn, adapt, and operate seamlessly across complex, multi-step tasks. Diego’s work moves beyond standard automation – delivering scalable, dynamic systems that drive efficiency and continuous innovation, helping clients convert early concepts into impactful intelligent solutions.

Mauricio Rodriguez

Mauricio Rodriguez

AI Full Stack Development & Integration Specialist

Mauricio is a Full Stack Development and Integration Specialist at the forefront of Agentic AI transformation. He designs and delivers intelligent, end-to-end solutions that unite advanced AI models, autonomous agents, and cloud-native architectures to drive measurable impact. With expertise spanning the MERN stack, AWS technologies, and CI/CD automation, Mauricio builds platforms where AI is not an add-on but the core orchestrator of decision-making, adaptability, and scale. Passionate about the convergence of AI and real-world applications, Mauricio has led initiatives across the education, social media, and energy industries. He transforms data into actionable intelligence, automates complex workflows, and enables systems that learn, adapt, and collaborate. His work blends human-centered design with agentic AI capabilities, creating solutions that operate with autonomy while aligning to strategic business objectives.