BANGALORE, INDIA: Persistent, one of the leading providers of Outsourced Product Development (OPD) services has announced that it has appointed Hari Haran as president of the company’s U.S. subsidiary. Hari’s track record in sales, business development and general management will bolster the company’s leadership team and help Persistent meet the growing demand for OPD across the Americas, Europe, and Asia.

Hari brings 22 years of experience in telecom, wireless, broadband, convergence and professional services to Persistent.  Selected for his extensive background in dramatically scaling organizations, Hari has spent considerable time living in diverse regions—including North America, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), and Latin America—deploying global business and operations with carriers and channels.  As the president of Persistent Systems, Inc., Hari will be based in the company’s North American headquarters in San Jose, CA and will be responsible for driving Persistent’s global sales, marketing, and business development efforts.

“Hari brings with him valuable industry experience of strong leadership to Persistent,” said Dr. Anand Deshpande, chairman & managing director, Persistent Systems. “Given his track record in the industry, I am confident that Hari is the right person to take Persistent forward and grow our business globally.”

Most recently, Hari served as the senior vice president of worldwide field operations at Openwave Systems, where he led global sales, services and support.  Previously, Hari was vice president and general manager at Lucent Technologies in the EMEA region and held positions at Bell Labs, where he managed a profit and loss practice. He also opened up new markets in Latin America. Hari has also held senior leadership positions at Longboard, Littlefeet and Penbase.

“Persistent is an award-winning technology company with innovative business models,” said Hari.  “I am excited to join the team and help drive the company’s next phase of growth.”

Hari holds an executive management degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, as well as an MS in Computer Science from the Illinois Institute of Technology. He also received an MBA from the University of Louisiana, Monroe and a BS in Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur.