This article was originally published in the Brand Finance IT Services 2025 report
HCLTech has become the fastest-growing IT Services brand in 2025 and retains its position as the sector's eighth most valuable brand, with a 17% rise in brand value to USD8.9 billion. From pioneering advancements in AI to championing gender diversity, HCLTech has redefined industry standards while creating meaningful social impact. In a recent interview with Brand Finance, Jill Kouri, CMO of HCLTech, highlights the key drivers of HCLTech’s success, the importance of ethical leadership, and how their commitment to innovation and inclusion is shaping the future of the brand.
Interview with Jill Kouri

HCLTech
First, Jill, congratulations on HCLTech being acknowledged as the world’s fastest-growing IT services brand in 2025. Could you please elaborate on the key factors contributing to this impressive growth?
We’re thrilled to have reached this milestone 2 ½ years following our brand transformation. FY24 was an incredible year for HCLTech, with our revenue growth topping all other tier 1 global IT services companies. Our early moves in the AI and generative AI space paid off, putting us ahead of the curve. Our brand valuation reflects this performance, showing how closely our business successes complement how the market views our brand.
Following the first full year of our mega deal with Verizon, we further solidified our leadership in the telecom services market by acquiring Communications Technology Group assets from Hewlett Packard Enterprise. We perform exceptionally well in surveys and research from industry analysts and advisors. HCLTech is the only service provider with a “Customers’ Choice” rating in 4 out of the 5 Gartner VOC (voice of the customer) reports on IT services. In 2024, we received 6 ISG Star of Excellence awards, including the ISG CX Star Performer Award for Generative AI services, with a customer experience score of 89.2 compared to the industry average of 75.74.
We were proud to be recognised by Forrester in 2024 with a B2B Program of The Year Award for our work in transforming our brand and digital, employee, client and prospect experiences. Our brand continues to be powered by a marketing organisation dedicated to cutting-edge AI applications throughout the marketing lifecycle. Our marketing tech stack is optimised for AI, and we are partnering with our internal technology partners to spearhead new Agentic AI applications, which will further accelerate our ability to reach clients and prospects strategically.

We are deeply committed to corporate governance and ethical business practices. We were honored when Ethisphere named us one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies in 2024. Furthermore, TIME magazine recognised us as the number one India-headquartered company in their World’s Best Companies list for 2024. We also opened our brand-new flagship offices in New Jersey and California this year, which will soon feature new Customer Innovation Centers.
We’ve continue to reap significant value and broad brand awareness from our sports partnerships, extending our reach with Cricket Australia. And thought leadership and research continues to be a core mid-funnel component of our programming.
What’s extra special about the Brand Finance recognition is that it coincides with the 25th anniversary of HCLTech becoming a publicly-listed company. Since our initial public offering, HCLTech has experienced remarkable growth, with revenues increasing by over 80 times and annual profits rising by 90 times, resulting in the highest cumulative total shareholder return among tier 1 IT companies over this period.
Our 2025 Brand Guardianship Index study has revealed your CEO & Managing Director C Vijayakumar (CVK) is ranked at #1 among Top CEOs in the global IT services industry on the parameter of ‘promoting gender diversity’. How do gender diversity, ethics and responsibility play a role in shaping the perception of a brand like HCLTech?

We're incredibly proud of CVK. With 37.5% women directors on our Board, 50% women in our 2024 campus hires and a 44% increase in leadership gender diversity over the last five years, we’re committed to making real progress. We’re building an environment where women feel supported and valued.
We’ve implemented various initiatives to promote gender diversity, including our #ShePowersProgress campaign, which celebrates women in tech both inside and outside the organisation and builds a strong foundation for future women leaders. And now, with pride, we can say that for two successive years, we collaborated with CNBC-TV18 in bringing policymakers, industry leaders and corporates together to drive actionable strategies for advancing gender parity and inclusion.
We aim to achieve 40% women in our workforce by 2030 and have formed an ESG & Diversity Equity Inclusion Committee to reinforce our dedication to ESG principles and gender diversity. To support this vision, we offer several initiatives that empower women at every stage of their careers.
The Women Connect Program creates a strong support network for women employees across the organisation, offering mentoring opportunities, leadership workshops and networking events that help them build essential skills and valuable industry connections.
Our Ascend Program focuses on equipping women with the mentorship and coaching they need to excel in leadership roles. Additionally, the Returnship Program provides an opportunity for women who have taken a career break to re-enter the workforce with the right support and training to help them transition smoothly. But it’s not just about women—male allyship plays a crucial role in creating a culture where diverse perspectives are valued and respected.
We have work to do, but we are on the right path in creating a workplace full of diverse perspectives and skill sets shaping the future of tech.
