Persistent's performance is ultimately a reflection of its people. As AI reshapes how organisations build, operate and compete, the quality of outcomes increasingly depends on the people responsible for deploying it.
As AI becomes embedded in how organisations operate, the most valuable human skills are increasingly shifting from execution to judgement, from information gathering to decision-making and from task completion to problem-solving. AI fluency is becoming foundational, but the ability to apply technology with context, discipline and accountability will determine enterprise success.
At Persistent, we believe the advantage of the AI era will not come from technology alone. It will come from the ability to combine engineering expertise, business understanding, judgement and continuous learning to solve increasingly complex challenges.
During FY26, we expanded AI learning across every role and career stage. Structured pathways covered Generative AI, agentic frameworks, Responsible AI and hyperscaler technologies and advanced specialisation tracks developed expertise for increasingly sophisticated engagements. While organisation-wide programmes established AI fluency as a baseline, we also focused on building deeper, applied capabilities by enabling engineers and consultants to use AI with the context, judgement and discipline that complex engagements demand. This shift to applied expertise enabled our teams to leverage AI to improve outcomes and accelerate delivery and value creation.
Persistent University continues to play a central role in this transformation. During the year, employees earned more than 30,000 internal AI certifications, complemented by 24,500+ hyperscaler certifications and 7,000+ external AI and Machine Learning certifications. Together, these investments continue to expand the depth of AI capability available across our most strategic engagements.
Importantly, many of these solutions are developed, tested and refined within Persistent before being deployed at scale. This Customer Zero approach helps accelerate learning, strengthen execution discipline and improve the quality of AI-led solutions delivered to the market.
This readiness was demonstrated through Semicolons, our annual global hackathon. More than 1,500 participants across 200+ teams in 25 cities came together to solve 35 real-world challenges contributed by over 25 enterprises. Under the theme, Re(AI)magining the World, teams produced more than 200 working prototypes in a matter of days, demonstrating the speed, creativity and engineering depth that increasingly define AI execution at scale.
Building AI capability at scale is becoming increasingly difficult, making talent depth an important source of differentiation. Organisations that can apply intelligence with business understanding and discipline will be best positioned to create lasting value.
Persistent continues to invest in building these strengths. These investments help improve the speed, quality and consistency with which we deliver AI-led outcomes while strengthening a long-term source of competitive differentiation for the company.
FY26 PEOPLE HIGHLIGHTS
Behind 24 quarters of sequential growth, client outcomes, products engineered and transformation programmes delivered stands a community of more than 27,500 employees across 21 countries. As enterprises shift from AI ambition to engineering execution, the work increasingly demands professionals who can combine technical depth, domain context and delivery ownership while translating technology into measurable client outcomes.
The ability to rapidly deploy AI-ready engineering talent is becoming a key competitive advantage in enterprise transformation, and that is the capability Persistent continues to strengthen at scale. As AI compresses delivery cycles and increases execution complexity, engineering agility is becoming a strategic differentiator.
Few measures capture organisational strength more clearly than whether people choose to stay. Our employee retention rate was 86.99% for FY26, a strong indicator of employee confidence and organisational stability. Our most recent engagement pulse registered 8.3 out of 10, above the industry benchmark, reflecting growing confidence across the organisation.
This combination of engineering capability, workforce agility and retention strength enables Persistent to execute increasingly complex AI programmes with greater speed, responsiveness and execution consistency across industries and markets.
Diversity, equity and inclusion remain important to how Persistent builds teams globally. Diverse perspectives strengthen our ability to solve complex engineering and business challenges across industries, clients and markets. Persistent continues to strengthen this through how talent is hired, developed and advanced into leadership roles.
FY26 reinforced a clear reality. AI will amplify the value of engineering judgement, execution discipline and domain expertise, not replace them. Persistent remains confident in its people to apply judgement, adapt quickly and execute with discipline as AI reshapes how enterprises operate.
27,502
Employees
21
Countries
86.99%
Employee Retention
Pulse 2026
Celebrating
Employee-Driven Success
Won awards in “Excellence in Managing the Distributed Workforce” and “Excellence in Talent Acquisition” categories at the SHRM HR Excellence Awards 2025
Flagship Moments of FY26
RUN
PULSE
WOMEN’S DAY
KUDOS
KUDOS
Kudos is our employee appreciation programme, encouraging teammates, managers and leaders to share heartfelt notes that strengthen connections and build a culture of gratitude. In FY26, we introduced milestone-linked Kudos and a 'Kudos Wall of the Year' showcased at our annual awards, driving record engagement.
5,000+
Celebrate Her cards/badges
7,000+
Appreciation cards/ badges exchanged
2,000+
Appreciation posts on Viva Engage
KUDOS
WOMEN’S DAY
Our International Women's Day celebrations spanned a full week, with curated sessions on financial investments, fitness, image management, workplace equity and leadership conversations. FY26 expanded the programme to include returning-to-work mentoring circles and a new 'Women in Tech' fireside series.
750+
Participants in Leadership Sessions
15+
Locations
350+
Learnathon Certifications
WOMEN’S DAY
PULSE
PULSE is the platform where employees take centre-stage to showcase their talent. The Grand Finale is a celebration of performing arts and cultural expression, with leadership participation that anchors the event to our organisational values. PULSE 2026 was our most-attended edition yet, with new categories added for digital and spoken-word performances.
11,928
Participants
15
Locations
700+
Volunteers
PULSE
RUN
Persistent Run is our flagship event promoting physical wellness and teamwork. Held annually across all global locations and open to family and friends, the run brings together first-timers and seasoned athletes across 3K, 5K and 10K categories. FY26 saw our largest turnout ever, with a stronger family-and-friends contingent than any previous edition.
11,370+
Runners
25
Locations
500+
Volunteers
RUN
Building the Workforce for the Next Era of Enterprise Execution
FY26 People Highlights
Behind 24 quarters of sequential growth, client outcomes, products engineered and transformation programmes delivered stands a community of more than 27,500 employees across 21 countries. As enterprises shift from AI ambition to engineering execution, the work increasingly demands professionals who can combine technical depth, domain context and delivery ownership while translating technology into measurable client outcomes.
The ability to rapidly deploy AI-ready engineering talent is becoming a key competitive advantage in enterprise transformation, and that is the capability Persistent continues to strengthen at scale. As AI compresses delivery cycles and increases execution complexity, engineering agility is becoming a strategic differentiator.
Few measures capture organisational strength more clearly than whether people choose to stay. Our employee retention rate was 86.99% for FY26, a strong indicator of employee confidence and organisational stability. Our most recent engagement pulse registered 8.3 out of 10, above the industry benchmark, reflecting growing confidence across the organisation.
This combination of engineering capability, workforce agility and retention strength enables Persistent to execute increasingly complex AI programmes with greater speed, responsiveness and execution consistency across industries and markets.
Diversity, equity and inclusion remain important to how Persistent builds teams globally. Diverse perspectives strengthen our ability to solve complex engineering and business challenges across industries, clients and markets. Persistent continues to strengthen this through how talent is hired, developed and advanced into leadership roles.
FY26 reinforced a clear reality. AI will amplify the value of engineering judgement, execution discipline and domain expertise, not replace them. Persistent remains confident in its people to apply judgement, adapt quickly and execute with discipline as AI reshapes how enterprises operate.
27,502
Employees
21
Countries
86.99%
Employee Retention
Pulse 2026
Multiple category wins at The Economic Times Human Capital Awards
Acknowledged for technology-led talent excellence at the People Matters APAC Infini-T Awards SEA 2026
Won six awards at the TISS LeapVault CLO Awards 2025 for excellence in Learning and Development
Awarded for AI excellence at the National AI Awards 2025 by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)
Ranked first in APAC for candidate experience in the CandE Candidate Experience Benchmark & Research Programme
Won three top honours at the People Matters Infini-T Awards 2025: Gold in Tech-Enhanced Workforce Planning, Gold in Talent Acquisition Team and Silver in HCM Innovation
Won a Brandon Hall Gold award for our Architect Competence Development Programme under the “Best Competency Management Strategy” category
Received 14 awards at the 16th edition of CII Inter-Industry Kaizen Competition
MyLife @Persistent
At Persistent, well-being is not a benefit, it is a belief. Created by Dr. Anand Deshpande, MyLife@Persistent continues to be the cultural and structural backbone of how we care for our people. In FY26, the framework evolved from a wellness programme to a holistic charter, to help employees and their families lead healthier, more connected and more fulfilling lives.
Rooted in our philosophy of work-life harmony, MyLife@Persistent operates across the four dimensions of Physical, Emotional, Social and Financial Wellness, delivered through the eight structured offerings of Awareness & Education, Workshops, Communities, Transformation Programmes, Personalised Counselling, Flagship Events, Unwind & Energisers and Team Bonding.
In FY26, we deepened personalisation further through our N=1 approach, scaled the wellness ambassadors programme across global locations and introduced gamified digital challenges that made everyday well-being more engaging.
The result: a vibrant ecosystem where every employee feels seen, supported and celebrated.
Wellness category
Number of events
Number of participants
Emotional Wellness
33
7,812
Financial Wellness
19
5,423
Physical Wellness
196
44,314
Social Wellness
329
48,986
Total
577
106,535
2026 Annual Report
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Re(AI)magining
the Enterprise
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Workplace Events
Contents
Home
FY26 Performance Highlights
Building the Workforce for the Next Era of Enterprise Execution
Persistent University
Environmental, Social and Governance
Persistent Foundation
Re(AI)magining™ Client Success
FY26 Awards and Analyst Recognitions
Re(AI)magining™ AI as a System to Deliver Enterprise Outcomes
Partnering to Transform, Innovate and Re(AI)magine
Re(AI)magining™ the Enterprise From Ambition to Engineered Advantage
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