NIIT Limited has announced the appointment of Anish Sarkar as Chief Executive Officer, effective October 14, 2026. He succeeds the company’s outgoing CEO Pankaj Jathar. After two years, based in Gurgaon, Pankaj has decided to move back to Bangalore for personal reasons. Alongside his professional pursuits, he plans to continue his involvement with academia through teaching, guest lectures and engagement with leading institutions.
Anish brings extensive experience across technology, digital services, human capital consulting and business development. Throughout his career, he has driven significant growth through both organic and inorganic routes, including business expansion, portfolio development and strategic acquisitions. His experience will be valuable as NIIT strengthens its offerings, advances its AI-led learning and talent development initiatives, and continues to execute on its inorganic growth initiatives.
Vijay Kumar Thadani, Managing Director and Vice Chairman, NIIT Limited, said, “Anish brings a valuable combination of business-building experience, technology leadership and a proven ability to drive growth. We are confident that his experience across diverse businesses will serve NIIT well as we build on the foundations established over the past several years and pursue our next phase of growth. I would also like to thank Pankaj for his important contributions in strengthening the organisation and positioning NIIT for the future.”
Prior to joining NIIT, Anish was Managing Director – India and Director of the India / Philippines / Indonesia Cluster at Pluxee (formerly Sodexo BRS), a global employee benefits and engagement company; and CEO of Mercer India, a global leader in human capital consulting. At both these organisations, he led strong revenue growth and portfolio expansion, including strategic acquisitions.
Earlier, Anish spent several years with the Capgemini Group in senior leadership roles spanning management consulting, sales and technology transformation. Across these roles, he built deep experience in growth strategy, client partnerships, digital transformation and technology-led business growth. An alumnus of IIT Kharagpur and IIM Calcutta, Anish brings a distinctive blend of business, human capital and technology expertise to NIIT.
Rajendra Singh Pawar, Chairman, NIIT Limited, said: “Anish brings a distinctive blend of technology, digital and people-centric business leadership. His experience in scaling businesses, developing customer relationships and driving transformation will be valuable as NIIT continues to evolve its offerings and deepen its relevance to customers. We look forward to working together to build on our existing strengths, strengthen our market position and unlock new growth opportunities.”
