Pawan Anand's avatarPerson

Pawan Anand

Associate Vice President - Communications, Media & TechnologyPersistent Systems

Philadelphia, PA

Skills

Artificial Intelligence
Information Technology
Telecommunications

About

Pawan Anand is a senior technology executive and Associate Vice President at Persistent Systems, where he leads strategic AI-driven transformation for clients in the Communications, Media, and Technology (CMT) sector. He oversees large-scale innovation programs spanning Generative AI, AgenticAI automation, and digital engineering, while managing high-impact global teams across industries. With deep expertise in Generative AI, Agile software engineering, and platform modernization, Pawan blends innovation with operational excellence. He holds an Executive Doctorate in Business Administration from Temple University, where his research explored how enterprises can integrate Generative AI into Agile software development at scale. A published thought leader and frequent speaker at global AI and digital transformation forums, Pawan is passionate about inclusive innovation, ethical AI, and mentoring future leaders. His contributions have earned recognition including Business Elite’s 40 Under 40 and the Globee Leadership Award.

Published content

The Rise of AI Health Coaches and the Trust Challenge

expert panel

The race to make AI indispensable in everyday life may have found its most compelling use case: health. As Google expands Gemini-powered health coaching capabilities and AI becomes increasingly embedded in wearables, smartphones and wellness platforms, the prospect of a 24/7 personalized health assistant is moving from science fiction to consumer reality.Members of the Senior Executive AI Think Tank believe AI health assistants possess characteristics few other AI applications can match: continuous engagement, highly personal relevance and the ability to influence daily behavior. Their optimism, however, comes with significant caveats.According to a Nature Digital Medicine analysis of large language models in healthcare, AI systems are advancing rapidly across clinical and consumer health applications, but researchers argue that stronger oversight, transparency and governance are necessary to ensure safe and responsible deployment.Think Tank members largely agree that AI health assistants have the potential to become the first truly mainstream consumer AI product, but they also emphasize that widespread adoption will depend on getting the safeguards right. Their insights reveal where the greatest opportunities lie, where the biggest risks remain and what organizations must do to build systems worthy of users' trust.

Enterprise AI's Next Big Advantage Isn't What You Think

expert panel

Artificial intelligence remains one of the most consequential forces reshaping business, yet many organizations still struggle to distinguish meaningful breakthroughs from attention-grabbing headlines. While public discussion often centers on increasingly powerful models, digital assistants and speculation about artificial general intelligence, many enterprise leaders are discovering that the most transformative AI developments occur behind the scenes.Ask 10 AI experts what will matter most a year from now, and you might expect 10 different answers. Instead, members of the Senior Executive AI Think Tank—a curated group of experts specializing in machine learning, generative AI and enterprise AI applications—arrived at a strikingly similar conclusion: The biggest opportunities—and risks—aren't tied to the next model release. Across industries, they point to the infrastructure that makes AI useful in practice, from governance and security to evaluation, trust and workflow integration. At the same time, many are skeptical of some of today's loudest predictions, particularly around fully autonomous agents replacing human judgment at scale.As recent research from McKinsey suggests, organizations are increasingly finding that AI success depends less on access to cutting-edge models and more on the ability to operationalize them effectively. The experts featured here—those on the front lines of AI innovation—share the developments they believe leaders are underestimating, the trends they think are overhyped and where executives should be investing now to create lasting competitive advantage.

The New Rules of Product Design in a Multimodal AI World

expert panel

As multimodal AI moves rapidly from novelty to baseline expectation, companies are confronting a deeper challenge than simply adding new features. Users increasingly expect software to understand text, voice, images and video simultaneously, while preserving context seamlessly across every interaction. That shift is forcing organizations to rethink how products are designed, architected and differentiated.Members of the Senior Executive AI Think Tank say the next era of product competition will center less on standalone AI capabilities and more on orchestration, workflow intelligence and trust. Their insights arrive as major technology companies race to integrate multimodal capabilities into mainstream applications. Multimodal systems capable of understanding and generating across formats are becoming foundational to enterprise software strategy. At the same time, organizations are discovering that simply embedding AI into existing workflows does not automatically create better user experiences.Instead, experts argue, multimodal AI is changing the very definition of interface design. Products are evolving from static tools into adaptive systems that anticipate intent, reduce friction and collaborate more naturally with users. The insights that follow explore why multimodal AI is forcing companies to rethink everything from UX design and workflow orchestration to trust, memory and product differentiation—and what leaders must do now to stay competitive.

Key Mindsets Executives Need in an Always-Changing AI World

expert panel

The notion of a “steady state” has quietly disappeared from modern enterprise leadership. In its place is a reality defined by continuous disruption, where artificial intelligence is not just accelerating change but compounding it. Organizations are no longer transforming in phases—they are operating in a constant state of reinvention. For executives, this requires a shift from managing change as an event to leading within change as an environment. Members of the Senior Executive AI Think Tank—a curated group of experts in machine learning, generative AI and enterprise AI applications—bring a front-line perspective to this challenge. Their work across healthcare, cloud architecture, enterprise platforms and AI governance show that the organizations that succeed are not those with the most advanced tools, but those with the most adaptive operating models and leadership mindsets. According to McKinsey’s 2025 report on the state of AI, companies are rapidly scaling AI adoption, yet many struggle to translate that investment into sustained business value—often because their structures, decision-making processes and cultures are not designed for continuous change. To help their fellow leaders better cope with these evolving demands, Think Tank members outline the capabilities executives can no longer treat as optional. Through real-world insights and expert perspectives, they explore how leaders are redesigning operating models, reshaping team expectations and building organizations that don’t just withstand disruption, but continuously learn and perform within it.

AI at Scale: Critical Metrics That Drive Real Value

expert panel

As artificial intelligence moves from experimentation to enterprise-wide deployment, many organizations are discovering a hard truth: Traditional metrics fail to capture real AI impact. Tracking pilots, usage rates or cost savings may signal progress, but they rarely reveal whether AI is fundamentally improving how a business operates. Members of the Senior Executive AI Think Tank—a curated group of leaders specializing in machine learning, generative AI and enterprise transformation—argue that success requires a more rigorous, outcome-driven framework. According to a recent Forbes analysis on scaling AI adoption across enterprise systems, only a small percentage of organizations successfully translate AI experimentation into measurable business value at scale. To move forward, boards and CEOs must rethink what success looks like. The following perspectives outline the KPIs that matter most—not as isolated metrics, but as signals of whether AI is delivering sustained, enterprise-level value.

Drawing Ethical Lines in AI for National Security

expert panel

​​The rapid expansion of artificial intelligence across government—from cybersecurity to citizen services—is reshaping national security itself. As AI moves into critical decision-making, companies building these systems are evolving from technology providers to strategic partners with real geopolitical influence. And adoption is accelerating fast. AI is moving from experimental pilots to mission-critical infrastructure, powering intelligence analysis, threat detection and operational decisions in real time. With this reliance comes high stakes: Errors carry strategic, legal and human consequences, making accountability, transparency and ethical boundaries essential. For AI companies, this creates a defining tension: how to support national security objectives while maintaining principled limits on technology use. Senior Executive AI Think Tank members—a curated group of leaders in AI governance, enterprise transformation and digital innovation—argue that firms establishing clear guardrails now will shape global standards, build trust and secure long-term advantage. Below, they explain how AI companies can balance national security partnerships with ethical guardrails—and what risks or opportunities they see in drawing firm lines on how this technology can be used.

Company details

Persistent Systems

Company bio

We are an AI-led, platform-driven Digital Engineering and Enterprise Modernization partner, combining deep technical expertise and industry experience to help our clients anticipate what’s next. Our offerings & proven solutions create a unique competitive advantage for our clients by giving them the power to see beyond and rise above. We work with many industry-leading organizations across the world, including 12 of the 30 most innovative global companies, 60% of the largest banks in the US and India, and numerous innovators across the healthcare ecosystem. Our disruptor’s mindset, commitment to client success, and agility to thrive in the dynamic environment have enabled us to sustain our growth momentum. We have delivered 20 sequential quarters of growth with $375.2M in Q4 revenue, 4.2% Q-o-Q growth. We reported $1,409.1M in FY25 revenue — an 18.8% Year-over-Year increase with an EBIT margin of 14.7%. Our 24,500+ global team members, located in 19 countries, have been instrumental in helping the market leaders transform their industries. We won the 2025 Google Cloud Infrastructure Modernization Partner of the Year Award for Asia Pacific. In addition, we won in four categories at the prestigious 2024 ISG Star of Excellence™ Awards, including the Overall Award based on the voice of the customer and were named a Challenger in the 2024 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Public Cloud IT Transformation Services. We received multiple awards for our people practices at the Economic Times Human Capital Awards 2025. Throughout our market-leading growth, we’ve maintained a strong employee satisfaction score of 8.2/10. We foster a values-led, people-first culture where employees can: - Grow personally and professionally - Drive positive global impact through cutting-edge tech - Thrive in a diverse, collaborative, and balanced workplace - Unlock global opportunities to work and learn with the industry’s best

Industry

Information Technology & Services

Company size

10,001 plus