Ashank Desai - The Mast Head of a Different IT Revolution

What is a life-like where you sit in the first row of not one revolution, but many- the first true software company, the first VC funding, the first public listing, the first ERP success-and what not? Flipping the pages of the album of this industry archetype tells a lot

- Pratima H

When you ask the winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Dataquest ICT W Business Awards 2022, you are bound to enter a mystical land of memories, memoirs, and milestones that might have been tucked away for years.

Here are some lanes that Sunil Rajguru, Editor, Dataquest travelled with as he caught up with Ashank Desai and got a generous glimpse into this momentous journey.

Starting Small

When his father passed away and his mother decided to move to a new place, Ashank Desai learnt the first lessons of adaptability and resilience at a very early age. "I started working hard, got medals, went to IIT as I began my journey through a hard life." As he moved towards IIM-Ahmedabad, the first seeds of Mastek began. With classmates like Ketan Mehta and brains that were planning for the IT industry, he stepped on to a path that would redefine this industry. "It was a time when software was given by hardware companies. India did not have software companies but system houses. One day we decided to meet our alums, and also met two-three professors who encouraged us to start a venture."