Dr. Anand Deshpande is the Founder, Chairman and Managing Director of Persistent Systems since its inception and is responsible for the overall leadership, strategy and management of the Company. Anand holds a B. Tech. (Hons.) in Computer Science and Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur, and a M.S. and Ph.D. in Computer Science from Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA.

As a true technology visionary, Anand’s strengths lie in identifying and investing in next-generation  technologies and encouraging internal entrepreneurship to ensure that Persistent Systems stays at  the forefront of technology innovation. Anand has been the driving force in growing Persistent Systems  from its inception in 1990, to the publicly-traded global Company of today. He has been recognized by  his alma mater, IIT Kharagpur, as a Distinguished Alumnus in 2012 and by the School of Informatics  of Indiana University with the Career Achievement Award in 2007. 

Prior to founding Persistent Systems, Anand began his professional career at Hewlett-Packard  Laboratories in Palo Alto, California, where he worked as Member of Technical Staff from May 1989  to October 1990. Anand has served numerous positions at various professional and non-profit organizations viz.  NASSCOM’s Executive Council, ACM (Association for Computing Machinery) India, where he was the  first President, SEAP (Software Exporters’ Association of Pune) and Pune Chapter of CSI (Computer  Society of India), CII’s Pune Zonal Council and as a Trustee in the Computer History Museum.

Currently, he serves as a Trustee of Persistent Foundation, Member of the Dean’s Advisory Council  in the School of Informatics of Indiana University, and Member of the Executive Committee of MCCIA.  Anand is a founding member of iSPIRT, India’s first product think tank, started with the vision of  creating a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem in India. Anand is also a founder member of Inter  Institutional Inclusive Innovations Center (i4C). i4C is an independent, non-profit entity which acts as  a platform to pro-actively scout, showcase and handhold technology innovations, especially aimed at  the base of the pyramid. With members of his family, he has established DeAsra Foundation  (http://www.deasra.in), a non-profit entity which focuses on creating self-employment at scale. 

Anand is married to Sonali and they have a daughter and a son.