Anand Deshpande

Founder, Persistent Systems and Advisory Board Member on IndiaAI Mission

Anand Deshpande is the Founder, Chairman, and Managing Director of Persistent Systems since the company’s inception. Over the years, he has played a significant role in shaping India’s computing ecosystem. He has served as the founding President of ACM India, and is a founding member of both iSPIRT and I4C. He also sits on the Dean's Advisory Council of Indiana University's School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering.

At the India AI Impact Summit 2026, Deshpande shared insights on how leading technology services players are navigating AI disruption and capturing emerging opportunities. Persistent Systems, with revenues exceeding $1.65 billion and 27,500 employees across 18 countries, has been an early and aggressive adopter of AI in enterprise software engineering, making Deshpande a credible industry voice on AI’s practical deployment at scale.

His contributions to India’s computing ecosystem have delivered tangible technological, economic, and intellectual impact, characterised by visionary leadership, strategic collaboration, and a commitment to advancing computing science and engineering. He was honoured with the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year award in 2023 and the CNBC-TV18 India Business Leader Lifetime Achievement Award in 2025.