Persistent Systems, a global leader in digital engineering, has appointed Yogesh Patgaonkar as chief people officer. 

Sameer Bendre, formerly chief people officer, will now take on the role of chief of operations with the responsibility for overseeing Persistent’s environmental, social, and governance (ESG) and risk management priorities as well as the company’s enterprise information systems and administration functions.

In his new role, Patgaonkar will be responsible for Persistent’s global HR function, including learning and development as well as talent acquisition. 

Patgaonkar brings over 28 years of experience handling strategically critical roles setting up and scaling the HR function to cater to global operations across leading organizations like RPG Group, L&T, Mphasis. He joins Persistent after a consulting stint where he set up a successful practice to work on executive coaching and strategic interventions for a diverse set of organisations across industries. 

He will be a member of Persistent’s executive team and will be based out of Pune, India.

“We are excited to welcome Yogesh to the Persistent family as we embark upon the next phase in our talent transformation journey. As we continue to grow organically and through acquisitions around the world, Yogesh’s diverse experience across HR, P&L and consulting will help in the seamless integration and development of our global workforce. At the same time, ESG and Risk Management are at the core of our strategy, and we look forward to Sameer’s leadership in driving tangible business outcomes in these areas as well as other operational efficiencies,” said Sandeep Kalra, chief executive officer and executive director, Persistent Systems.

“My fifteen-year journey at Persistent has been very exciting.  I am privileged to have played a role in shaping the growth of the organization as the leader of the people function as well as in prior roles. I wish Yogesh all the best and I look forward to taking on new responsibilities as the Chief of Operations to lead our ESG and Risk Management practices across the organization and bring new levels of efficiency in the EIS and Admin functions,” said Bendre.

“Persistent’s growth trajectory and market leadership in digital engineering are impressive to watch. I am thrilled to join the Persistent leadership team at this exciting time. I look forward to furthering the people-centric culture that Persistent is well-known for.  Our future depends on the nurturing and growing talent in the company and that will be my mission,” added Patgaonkar.