Skills and talent development firm NIIT has announced the appointment of Pankaj Jathar as its new CEO, effective July 1, 2024. Jathar succeeds Sapnesh Lalla, who will transition to a non-executive director role at NIIT Ltd while continuing as CEO of NIIT Learning Systems, a division demerged from NIIT last year.
Pankaj Jathar brings over 25 years of extensive experience in leading global corporations across various sectors, including e-commerce, consulting, technology solutions, training, business development, and governance. His journey with NIIT began as a management trainee, after which he spent four years at Tata Interactive Systems in London. Jathar’s career further advanced at Accenture, where he worked as a solution architect, developing IT solutions for the banking and finance sector over five years.
In addition to his time at Accenture, Jathar was part of the launch team for Amazon India, managed the FMCG division at Cloudtail, and in 2020, he was appointed CEO of Prione, Amazon’s joint venture with Catamaran. His tenure at these roles gave him a comprehensive understanding of the e-commerce landscape in India, especially over the past 13 years.
“We are excited to welcome Pankaj Jathar back to the NIIT family,” said Rajendra S Pawar, Chairman and Co-founder of NIIT Limited. “His experience and knowledge of technology-driven industries make him the perfect leader for NIIT Ltd. With his leadership, we are committed to building talent for the nation and driving forward our vision of excellence at NIIT,” he added.
Expressing his enthusiasm for his new role, Jathar said, “I am honored to come back to NIIT Ltd. and share its unwavering dedication to education and technology. I look forward to working closely with the talented team at NIIT to build on our strengths, leverage emerging opportunities, and help realize the true potential of our learners and partners.”
Pankaj Jathar’s academic credentials include a Bachelor of Engineering from Pune University, a GNIIT certification from Pune, and an MBA from IIM Calcutta, which he earned in 1998. His diverse background and proven leadership skills are expected to drive NIIT towards new heights in the education and technology sectors.
