Executive Profile
Tamim Reza
M.Sc.
Head of Americas Automotive Growth at Cognizant — leading portfolio growth, delivery excellence and executive client partnerships across OEMs and Tier-1 suppliers.
$37M
P&L owned today
$110M+
Qualified pipeline built
$200M+
Global HW + SW business at HARMAN
15+
Years in automotive & technology
About
Growth leader at the intersection of automotive and software
Automotive growth and portfolio leader with 15+ years across IT services, startups, OEMs and Tier-1 suppliers in North America — spanning software-defined vehicles, digital cockpit, connected mobility, embedded systems, cloud and AI-led engineering and digital transformation. Combines C-suite relationship leadership, delivery-led account expansion, commercial governance and the ability to build high-performing teams.
Portfolio growth & profitability
Accountable for bookings, pipeline, forecast accuracy and margin. Won $20M+ in new bookings in year one; previously managed a $1B book of business at Faurecia.
Strategic client partnerships
Trusted advisor to CEOs, CIOs, CTOs and CFOs at OEMs and 250+ Tier-1 accounts. Secured 8 net-new multi-billion-dollar enterprise logos in 12 months.
Delivery & program governance
Led 12 Ford programs from development through series production as single point of contact for launch, cost, cash and escalation.
Teams & ecosystem
Built a sales organization from scratch at Cognizant and a 300+ person national team earlier in career. Partner-led growth with AWS, Microsoft, Google, NVIDIA, SAP and more.
Experience
Career
Cognizant
P&L $37M · 54% new business growth. GTM for 250+ OEMs and Tier-1s; $25M+ multi-year transformation pursuits.
- Portfolio & P&L ownership: Own revenue, bookings, pipeline, forecasting, and profitability for Americas Automotive & Manufacturing; defined the TAM and architected the go-to-market framework for 250+ OEMs and Tier-1 suppliers across North and South America.
- Account growth: Secured 8 net-new multi-billion-dollar enterprise logos and $20M+ in new bookings within the first year through AI/GenAI, engineering, IT, cloud, consulting, Industry 4.0, and digital transformation engagements with automotive enterprises.
- Pipeline & forecasting discipline: Built $110M+ qualified pipeline; established account planning, pipeline governance, KPI instrumentation, and Salesforce forecasting that improved deal velocity and revenue predictability.
- Executive relationships: Built trusted relationships with CXOs, CIOs, CTOs, VPs, engineering leaders, and global business executives; developed executive engagement strategies and account plans that drive retention and expansion.
- Large transformation deals: Lead multi-year managed services and transformation pursuits, including $25M+ engagements, orchestrating sales, consulting, engineering, solution architecture, delivery, alliances, and executive leadership across geographies; own RFPs/RFQs, proofs-of-concept, MSAs/PSAs, pricing, and negotiation.
- Integrated solutions & ecosystem: Position AI/GenAI, cloud, IoT, smart manufacturing, predictive analytics, connected mobility, and digital engineering into larger multi-year platform and managed-services opportunities, co-selling with AWS, Microsoft, NVIDIA, SAP, Salesforce, ServiceNow, Oracle, Snowflake, Siemens, Google Cloud, Elektrobit and more.
- Talent leadership: Lead and mentor distributed hunting and business development teams across North America and partner with offshore enablement and delivery organizations; coach on deal strategy, consultative selling, and account expansion.
Built $48M pipeline in six months and won $9M across connected vehicle, digital thread and smart manufacturing.
- Led strategic sales of IoT and Digital Engineering solutions across automotive and manufacturing — connected platforms, Industry 4.0, smart manufacturing, digital thread, digital twin, software-defined vehicle (SDV), ER&D, product engineering, supply chain digitization, and cloud-enabled transformation programs.
- Built a $48M qualified pipeline within six months of joining and won $9M in new business in less than a year, accelerating Cognizant's market expansion across automotive clients.
- Developed and executed co-sell GTM models with ISVs and ecosystem partners, creating scalable offerings and bundled solutions that accelerated client adoption of digital engineering and Industry 4.0 capabilities.
- Positioned Cognizant's engineering and technology portfolio — GenAI, data & analytics, cybersecurity, cloud, digital platforms, and enterprise applications — and built C-suite and engineering-leader relationships that established Cognizant as a strategic transformation partner.
- Identified whitespace and net-new growth through market segmentation, account intelligence, and full-funnel sales strategies integrating competitive positioning, buyer personas, and demand signals — consistently driving double-digit pipeline growth.
HARMAN International — a Samsung Company
$200M P&L across NA, EU and APAC. Generated $1.2B in RFQ-stage opportunities and won $55M in new business.
- Led global business development and advanced technology sales for a $200M P&L (HW + SW) across North America, Europe, and APAC, owning the end-to-end sales cycle, global GTM, pricing strategy, and pursuits for software-defined vehicle, connected, and in-cabin technologies.
- Brought in new business opportunities worth $1.2B at RFQ stage; won $55M in new business while managing $200M+ of global HW & SW business.
- Created and cultivated strategic relationships with CXO/C-suite executives and customer engineering, purchasing, and quality leaders; aligned product roadmaps with Ford's evolving requirements, rekindling interest in projects Ford had previously not considered.
- Developed and executed the 5-year plan and BU strategy incorporating technology trends and customer needs to win new business at target profitability across regions; managed revenue, P&L, share, growth, and profitability for global customer business.
- Won complex pursuits with full ownership of business case, budgeting, cost management, sales enablement, demos, PoCs, RFIs, RFPs, RFQs, and contract negotiation.
- Recommended strategic acquisitions (M&A) and partnerships to increase market penetration and profitability; spearheaded the global semiconductor supply chain project with Ford.
- Drove technology adoption across AI/ML, AR/MR, ADAS, connectivity, telematics, digital cockpit, central compute, in-cabin sensing, DMS-OMS, SDV, OTA, cybersecurity, AR-HUD, V2X/5G, edge computing, radar, cameras, and cloud.
FORVIA (Faurecia)
12 programs, $170M annual sales, $1B+ lifetime value. $3M+ annual VAVE savings.
- Led all commercial aspects of the product portfolio as commercial leader and single point of Faurecia business communication.
- Led 12 Ford programs and accounts with annual sales of $170M and program life worth $1B+.
- Invoiced and collected cash upwards of $18M within target time from upper management/business group.
- Negotiated and finalized VAVE / cost-reduction ideas resulting in more than $3M in annual savings.
- Recovered over $350,000 in over-MPW (Maximum Production Weekly) charges for the plants through claims.
- Led customer interface, program management, business operations, sales, and cross-functional global teams for product launches.
- Managed profitability, cash flow, strategic pricing, negotiation, invoicing, cash collections, claims, forecasting, and past-due receivables.
$2.1M in cost savings; standardized global test labs, cutting test costs by 50%.
- Led Global Product Development as technical project leader and single point of Faurecia technical communication, collaborating with global teams and customers across France, China, Mexico, Brazil, India, England, Germany, Spain, and South Africa.
- Generated cost-saving ideas worth $2.1M — saving $850K yearly in parts and $130K in tools through improved innovative design.
- Led a prototype obsolescence project with $450,000 in savings from customer chargebacks; saved $300,000 in program launch costs.
- Standardized Faurecia's global test labs and earned OEM approval, cutting test costs by 50% and streamlining the test schedule worldwide.
- Led product launches, engineering work packages, milestones, validation, and engineering changes; ensured exhaust system robustness across durability, NVH, thermal, emissions, safety, and manufacturing feasibility.
Led program transfer from development to series production.
- Created and maintained program & production timelines (master schedule) and the tool tracker.
- Led a smooth program transfer from development to series production in the plant; tracked program milestones and deliverables.
MEDS IT Development Limited
Scaled to $18M in sales from scratch with a 300+ person team across SaaS, cloud and cybersecurity.
- Built the start-up around SaaS, cloud, and cybersecurity solutions, fintech, ERP, and enterprise software — selling into financial institutions, banks, insurance, healthcare, pharma, manufacturing, real estate, media, retail, energy, and Government.
- Built, trained, managed, and led a sales and business development team of 300+ nationwide; exited after 3.5 years to move to the US.
Expertise
Technology depth
Education
Credentials
University of Michigan
M.Sc. Computer Science & Information Systems
B.S.E. Mechanical Engineering · Magna Cum Laude, Honors & Distinction
The Wharton School — Executive Education
AI Strategy and Decision Making
Managing the Value of Customer Relationships