Santa Clara, Calif. and Pune, India: Persistent Systems (BSE: 533179) (NSE: PERSISTENT), a global leader in Digital Engineering and Enterprise Modernization, announced the appointment of Hari Abhyankar as Executive Vice President and Global Head of Private Equity and Professional Services.
As private equity firms compress value-creation cycles and increase their focus on AI-driven transformation, the demand for execution partners capable of delivering rapid and measurable outcomes is rising.
With the appointment of Hari Abhyankar, Persistent is scaling its capabilities in this segment by combining engineering-led expertise, AI innovation, and a platform-driven approach to support investors and their portfolio companies from due diligence through value realization.
In his new role, Hari Abhyankar will lead Persistent’s global strategy and growth initiatives across private equity investors, their portfolio companies, and professional services organizations.
He will collaborate closely with clients to accelerate revenue growth, enable platform modernization, and drive faster realization of transformation goals across portfolios.
Additionally, Hari Abhyankar will focus on enhancing EBITDA through improved operational efficiencies and sustained value creation.
Hari Abhyankar brings more than 25 years of experience spanning strategy, technology, and business transformation. Prior to joining Persistent, he served as a Partner at McKinsey & Company, where he advised leading technology firms and global enterprises on corporate strategy, large-scale transformation, and revenue acceleration.
Following his tenure at McKinsey, Hari Abhyankar worked with AI-native startups, focusing on scaling technology-led innovation and building next-generation operating models.
Earlier in his career, Hari Abhyankar held senior leadership positions at Interpublic Group and Digitas, where he established and led analytics, digital strategy, and data-driven marketing functions for global technology and enterprise clients. He holds a PhD in Operations Management from the MIT Sloan School of Management.
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Hari Abhyankar to Deepen Engagement With Private Equity Firms
Sandeep Kalra, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director, Persistent, said: “Private equity is a strategic growth engine for Persistent. As investors push for faster value creation across their portfolios, the ability to move from strategy to execution at speed becomes critical. This is where Persistent stands apart.
We combine engineering depth, AI-led platforms and execution discipline to deliver results that matter, from accelerating growth to improving operating margins and enabling exit readiness. Hari’s experience strengthens our ability to deepen our engagement with private equity firms and drive sustained performance across their portfolios.”
Hari Abhyankar, Executive Vice President and Global Head of Private Equity and Professional Services, Persistent Systems, said: “Private equity firms are operating in an environment where value creation needs to be faster, more predictable and more technology-driven than ever before. This requires a fundamentally different approach, one that integrates strategy with execution and scales results across the portfolio.
Persistent’s engineering-led DNA and focus on AI-driven transformation position it strongly to address this need. I look forward to working with our clients and partners to accelerate portfolio performance and deliver measurable business results.”
