India’s Best CEOs 2025: How Anand Deshpande and Sandeep Kalra of Persistent Systems have Raced Ahead

GeBEING A SPORTS enthusiast, it is only natural for Sandeep Kalra, CEO of Persistent Systems, to liken the current global uncertainties to the twists and turns of a Formula 1 race. “People don’t win the race when they are going straight. You win the race over the bends. Your skill comes in navigating those bends and overtaking others at those bends. Everyone can drive fast in a straight line,” he says.

His company, Persistent Systems, is living proof. The bends, or the business uncertainties, prompted the IT major to outpace its peers in growth. In FY25, when the industry saw moderate, low single-digit growth — Persistent logged an 18.8% YoY rise in dollar revenues to $1.4 billion, from $1.2 billion in FY24, all while navigating the twists of AI advancements, a new team at the White House, and the challenges stemming thereof. Profits, meanwhile, registered a 3-year CAGR of 26.6% (FY22-25) in rupee terms.