NIIT announces appointment of Pankaj Jathar as chief executive officer

Indian skills and talent development firm NIIT on Monday announced the appointment of Pankaj Jathar as its new chief executive officer (CEO), effective today.

Jathar will take over the position from Sapnesh Lalla, who will continue as a non-executive director at NIIT while remaining the CEO of NIIT Learning Systems.

Jathar has over 25 years of professional experience in consumer-focused businesses, including e-commerce, startups, and D2C ventures.

“Under his leadership, NIIT will further strengthen its position as a leading player in the segment, capitalising on new opportunities through the integration of GenAI to drive innovation and growth,” said the company.

Rajendra S Pawar, chairman and co-founder of NIIT, said, “We are excited to welcome Pankaj Jathar back to the NIIT family. His experience and knowledge of technology-driven industries make him the perfect leader for NIIT. With his leadership, we are committed to building talent for the nation and driving forward our vision of excellence at NIIT.”

Jathar’s professional career started as a management trainee at NIIT, followed by a four-year stint at Tata Interactive Systems in London.

He later joined Accenture as a solution architect, building IT solutions in the banking and finance sector for five years.

He was also a part of the launch team for Amazon India, managed the FMCG division at Cloudtail, and ascended to the role of CEO of Prione (Amazon's joint venture with Catamaran) in 2020.

“I am honoured to come back to NIIT and share its unwavering dedication in the field of 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 to realise the true potential of our learners and partners,” said Jathar on his appointment.