Chairman, Ascendion Holdings, Inc.
Hiten Patel is a visionary entrepreneur and transformative leader redefining the future of technology and talent, fueling Ascendion’s momentum as an industry leader in AI-powered software engineering. As Chairman, he channels an unwavering focus on clients, a passion for building opportunity, and a belief in his Ascendion Holdings companies as a platform of possibilities for clients, team members, and investors.
Over more than 25 years, Hiten has built and scaled a portfolio—including Ascendion, Collabera, Cognixia, Hyqoo, and Collabera Digital—that serves roughly 30% of the Fortune 100. His leadership has earned recognition from Gartner, HFS Research, IAOP, and Forbes, and he is a recipient of Ernst & Young’s “Entrepreneur of the Year” award.
Relentless in anticipating technology shifts and investing in skilled talent, Hiten ensures AI adoption is both ethical and transformative. Under his leadership, Ascendion is setting new benchmarks for speed, trust, and value creation in the AI economy.
Board Member
Peter Harrison is a master builder of billion-dollar technology enterprises and a strategic force on Ascendion’s Board of Directors. Across four decades, he has founded five companies—two taken public, three surpassing $1 billion valuations—and raised over $1 billion in private and public capital. He has led more than a dozen acquisitions and integrations, creating combined market capitalizations approaching $20 billion.
As the founding Chief Executive Officer of GlobalLogic, Peter grew the company from a two-dozen-person startup into a global innovation powerhouse with design studios and engineering hubs on four continents, serving 80% of the world’s top technology brands. His leadership set the stage for GlobalLogic’s $9.5 billion acquisition by Hitachi in 2021.
Today, as founder and general partner of Sand Hill Capital and a board member for high-growth firms including Traackr and SmartLinx, Peter blends investment acumen with operational expertise. At Ascendion, he helps convert AI’s potential into lasting advantage, reshaping brand value, scaling innovation, and securing Ascendion’s role as a disruptor in AI-powered software engineering.
Board Member
Shashank Singh brings over two decades of investment leadership and a track record of scaling high-growth, market-leading organizations across technology and healthcare. As a Board Member at Ascendion, he applies his expertise in operational excellence, market positioning, and capital strategy to advance the company’s AI-powered growth agenda.
During nearly 20 years at Apax Partners, Shashank led strategic investments that reshaped global technology services, including iGate, GlobalLogic, Fractal Analytics, Infogain, Healthium MedTech, and Azentio Software. Notable transactions include Apax’s $330M investment in iGate that enabled the $1.2B acquisition of Patni Computer Systems — a deal that transformed the IT services landscape. His portfolio also spans Apollo Hospitals, Zensar Technologies, and other market disruptors.
Shashank views AI as a force multiplier for technology services, capable of redefining delivery models, unlocking new revenue streams, and accelerating client impact. His combination of investment acumen and deep global perspective positions Ascendion to seize advantage in the next wave of digital engineering.
Board Member
Debashis Chatterjee (“DC”) is one of the most recognized leaders in global technology services and a driving force in shaping the future of the industry. With over three decades of experience building and transforming billion-dollar enterprises, he brings unmatched strategic and operational expertise to Ascendion’s Board of Directors.
As CEO and Managing Director, DC led the landmark merger of Mindtree and LTI to create LTIMindtree, India’s sixth-largest IT services company. Earlier, during more than two decades at Cognizant, he built the Banking & Financial Services business into the company’s largest vertical and led global delivery operations serving clients worldwide.
Renowned for building high-performance teams, driving enterprise-wide change, and forging alliances that last, DC now helps guide Ascendion’s mission to lead in AI-powered software engineering—anchored in velocity, trust, and capital efficiency.
Chief Executive Officer
As the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Ascendion, KK is steering the company’s ascent as a breakout leader in AI-powered software engineering. He sets the strategic course to redefine value creation in the services industry.
A recognized voice on the global technology stage, Karthik serves on the Wall Street Journal CEO Council, the Forbes Technology Council, and the Economic Club of New York. His leadership has accelerated Ascendion’s growth, strengthened its market position, and advanced its mission to lead the future of engineering in the AI economy.
Before founding Ascendion, Karthik built Cognizant’s global analytics and AI practice, helping to shape the enterprise adoption of data-driven transformation. He is a champion of ethical, inclusive innovation that delivers lasting impact for clients, industries, and communities worldwide.
Chief Strategy & Marketing Officer
Paul Roehrig is a founder and strategic leader, guiding Ascendion’s breakthrough as a powerhouse in AI-powered software engineering. As Chief Strategy & Marketing Officer, he defines the company’s path to disrupt the services market.
An award-winning, best-selling author (Monster, What To Do When Machines Do Everything, Code Halos), Paul has built a career turning technology shifts into lasting business advantage. He previously served as Global Head of Strategy and Growth for Cognizant Digital Business & Technology, founded the Center for the Future of Work, was a Principal Analyst at Forrester Research, and led global service delivery at Hewlett- Packard.
A sought-after voice at the World Economic Forum, Dreamforce, and The Atlantic Festival, Paul is hardwiring AI into the heart of enterprise strategy to deliver outcomes that define industry leadership.
Chief Commercial Officer
Arun Varadarajan is the driving force behind Ascendion’s AAVA platform, uniting AI-powered engineering with real-world business impact. As Chief Commercial Officer, he leads global growth by building partnerships that deliver transformative products, modern platforms, and engineering experiences at scale. Known for blending deep technical acumen with relentless client focus, Arun ensures innovation drives measurable value across industries and geographies.
Previously, as VP and Global Head of Data at Cognizant, he built a $1.1B high-growth data practice, launched industry-first AI data modernization offerings, and accelerated Fortune 500 clients’ digital transformations. His work delivered responsive, intelligent platforms that scaled in real time and redefined how enterprises capture value from AI, data, and cloud modernization.
Arun’s career spans start-ups, global tech giants, and large-scale transformations—always at the intersection of breakthrough technology and human outcomes. Today, he channels that expertise into advancing Ascendion’s mission to engineer the next era of AI-powered software engineering, creating platforms and ecosystems that transform how business gets done.
Chief Financial Officer
Nithin Vellore is the financial architect behind Ascendion’s rise as an AIpowered software engineering disruptor. With 24 years of experience scaling financial systems for global enterprises, he brings disciplined execution, sharp strategic judgment, and a record of enabling growth through change.
As Chief Financial Officer, Nithin drives financial strategy, balancing capital efficiency with the agility needed to win in a fast-moving AI economy. He oversees cash flow, compliance, and operational rigor to ensure Ascendion scales without losing speed.
Previously, Nithin held multiple CFO roles at Wipro and served as CFO of Xoriant Inc., where he implemented controls and processes to scale efficiently. His expertise in M&A, large-scale operations, risk management, and capital deployment keeps Ascendion financially strong, operationally precise, and ready to capture market shifts.
Executive Vice President & Global Head, Engineering Practices & Delivery
Prakash Balasubramanian leads Ascendion’s global engineering and delivery teams, building AI-powered products, platforms, and transformative customer experiences at scale. As Executive Vice President & Global Head of Engineering Practices & Delivery, he drives the development and delivery of AAVA, Ascendion’s flagship AI-powered software engineering platform, ensuring clients realize measurable gains in velocity and business impact. His leadership spans North America, Europe, the Middle East, and APAC, uniting global teams to execute at the highest standard.
With over two decades of experience at Cognizant, Collabera, and Tata Consultancy Services, Prakash has delivered some of the world’s most complex, large-scale technology transformations—advancing customer experience, UI and legacy modernization, and future-ready platforms for Fortune 500 companies. He has a proven record of scaling high-performing engineering organizations and embedding AI, cloud, and data capabilities into every stage of delivery.
Prakash is a recognized voice in the technology community, frequently featured in leading Indian media. He is committed to advancing Ascendion’s mission to shape the future of AI-powered software engineering, scaling the capabilities of AAVA, and mentoring the next generation of engineers to thrive in an era defined by generative and agentic AI.
Chief Growth Officer, UK, Europe & APAC
Dharam Gurbani drives growth in some of the world’s most competitive markets. As Chief Growth Officer for UK, Europe, APAC, and India at Ascendion, he leads revenue acceleration, market penetration, and operational scale, advancing our strategy as a breakout leader in AIpowered software engineering.
Dharam has over 22 years of leadership experience, including 13 years on the customer side with Fortune 100 brands Essentra, Motorola, and Sony. From those roles, he developed a deep understanding of customer perspectives and buying patterns, driving his effectiveness as a growth leader. He has built and led billion-dollar P&Ls, transformed global operations, and delivered sustained growth at LTIMindtree, Mindtree, and Essentra. He has a proven track record of turning market complexity into competitive advantage and translating client needs into AI-powered business outcomes.
Known for building trust, moving fast, and delivering measurable results, Dharam plays a central role in Ascendion’s ambition to redefine value creation for clients—blending platforms, AI, and human ingenuity to improve speed, quality, cost, and risk.
Chief Delivery & Technology Officer
Radhakrishnan “Radha” Rajagopalan is a three-decade veteran at the forefront of large-scale data, analytics, and engineering, turning AI from hype into measurable business impact. As Chief Delivery & Technology Officer at Ascendion, he leads global delivery, platform engineering, data modernization, and enterprise applications for clients that include some of the world’s most recognized brands. He is a driving force behind AAVA, Ascendion’s AI-powered software engineering platform, bringing together deep technical acumen and client-first execution to accelerate speed, quality, and capital efficiency.
Before joining Ascendion, Radha built and scaled market-leading analytics and engineering organizations, including founding Cognizant’s Analytics service line and growing it to over 23,000 practitioners. He has delivered double-digit growth, doubled analytics revenues in under five years, and managed $100M+ annual investments while integrating acquisitions for maximum synergy. His leadership turns robust data foundations into AI that moves the P&L and develops leaders who deliver repeatable results.
Executive Vice President, Corporate Development & Intelligence
Steve Burden drives Ascendion’s growth agenda as Executive Vice President of Corporate Development & Intelligence, leading M&A, strategic partnerships, market expansion, and enterprise-wide growth initiatives that advance our position as an AI-powered software engineering disruptor. With 25+ years of experience in market strategy, business transformation, and corporate development, he combines strategic foresight with operational rigor to deliver measurable impact.
Under Steve’s leadership, Ascendion has strengthened its portfolio with acquisitions including Nitor Infotech (software product engineering), Moodys NWC (product management), and UXReactor (experience strategy and design)—building the capabilities that power nextgeneration digital solutions. Previously, as Global Vice President of M&A at Cognizant, he led high-impact acquisitions, expanding digital capabilities worldwide. Before that, he spent 16 years at Accenture in strategy consulting, program management, and IT/business process transformation.
With deep experience across North America, LATAM, APAC, and Europe, Steve turns opportunity into competitive advantage, positioning Ascendion to lead the future of engineering.
Chief Operating Officer (Markets) & Head of Sales Transformation
Mohit Malkani brings over 25 years of proven leadership in turning market ambition into sustained, measurable business impact. As Chief Operating Officer (Markets) & Head of Sales Transformation at Ascendion, he is architecting the company’s evolution into a global AI-powered software engineering leader—already delivering transformative outcomes for 30% of the Fortune 100.
Relentlessly focused on go-to-market solutions and execution, Mohit leads enterprise-wide sales transformation, market operations, and global expansion, positioning Ascendion to serve enterprise clients in North America. He has built and scaled high-performance sales organizations, deepened strategic accounts, and opened new growth frontiers by uniting AI, cloud, and data to solve complex client challenges. A decisive advocate for generative and agentic AI as levers of innovation, Mohit ensures every engagement delivers tangible impact and value delivered via AI-powered solutions.
Executive Vice President & Head of Strategic Sales
Ashwin Rao is a proven enterprise sales and alliances leader with over 25 years of driving sustained growth, market penetration, and strategic partnerships across the global IT services and AI landscape. As Executive Vice President & Head of Enterprise Sales & Alliances at Ascendion, he aligns the company’s go-to-market strategy with AAVA, Ascendion’s agentic AI platform, ensuring clients move beyond pilots to full-scale AIpowered software engineering in production.
Ashwin orchestrates high-impact, outcome-based plays with hyperscale cloud partners, accelerating time-to-value and strengthening Ascendion’s competitive position with Fortune 500 clients. Before joining Ascendion, he served as EVP & Chief Sales Officer at Collabera, scaling the company to hundreds of millions in revenue across 30+ global offices. His career is defined by disciplined enterprise selling, ecosystem leverage, and measurable results for clients based on AI, cloud, data, and workforce transformation.
Senior Vice President & Global Head, Talent Engine
Vinay Verma transforms how enterprises find, scale, and retain the teams that power growth. As Senior Vice President & Global Head, Talent Engine at Ascendion, he leads 500+ specialists across North America, LATAM, APAC, and India, delivering AI-enabled workforce solutions with speed and precision to Global 2000 clients in multiple industries.
Vinay has redefined talent acquisition through GenAI, automation, and workforce analytics, ensuring clients deploy the right talent at the right time to fuel transformation. Before Ascendion, he spent 16 years at Collabera, advancing from technical recruiting to senior leadership, where he built large, diverse teams and drove digital engineering talent strategies.
A graduate of the Senior Management Program at IIM Ahmedabad and C-PGDBA in Marketing Management from Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies, Vinay turns workforce planning into a competitive advantage—helping Ascendion and its clients meet the future with the teams that will build it.
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Axos Bank, one of the first fully digital banks in the U.S., partnered with Ascendion to build a complex accounting software that could evolve with changing needs. While AI development played a key role, the success of the partnership was rooted in mutual trust, open collaboration, and a shared long-term vision. Together, the teams moved beyond software development to true solution development, blending technology with human insight.
Elara Caring, a large provider of home-based care, works to ensure their 60,000 patients/clients receive the best possible care, in the comfort of their own homes. To continue enhancing the quality of their services, Elara Caring needed a digital engineering partner.
Elara Caring’s focus on providing excellent at-home healthcare service aligns well with Ascendion’s vision of impacting lives.
Ascendion utilized our AI-powered platform, Ascendion AVA, to transform Elara Caring’s IT support process. This transformation led to improved business productivity, reduced downtime, elevated customer satisfaction, and most importantly, it enabled their caregivers to spend more time with their patients.
Huron, a global consultancy, partners with Ascendion for software engineering in Huron’s product development organization including: sustained and core engineering, product development principles, software development, and quality assurance. We’re helping transform Huron’s legacy products into modern technologies on AWS cloud. In partnership with AWS, we implemented a data-driven analytics solution for Huron Consulting Group, utilizing services such as Amazon S3, AWS Lambda, Amazon Redshift, AWS Glue Crawler, and Amazon QuickSight to provide their clients from education sectors with actionable insights into financial health, academic outcomes, R&D spending, and peer benchmarking.
The secret to success? Our cultures align well and center on collaboration and customer success. The shared goals and team approach have led to a true partnership. Huron’s clients in the education and healthcare industries experience benefits such as operational maximizations, strategies, digital transformation, and operational alignment with their people.
Golden 1, a credit union with one million members in California, had a big goal to launch new credit cards but needed help to stay on time and on target. Ascendion engineers developed quality assurance and testing plans for the new credit card product set. Working together, Ascendion and Golden 1 were able to deliver a critical component for a new set of financial products to consumers, ultimately giving members a means to achieve their personal dreams.