Mr. Desai is a leading light of the IT industry in India. He is the founder member and ex-President of National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM). He has also been the Vice President of ASOCIO (Asian-Oceanian Computing Industry Organisation). He is the only Indian to be presented with the Honourable Contributor's Award for his outstanding contribution to ASOCIO's growth in 1994.

Mr. Desai, M.Tech from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mumbai (ranked 3rd among Technology and Science Institutes by Asiaweek in its Special Report on Asia's Best Universities 2000) and MBA from Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad (ranks among the Top 5 management institutes in India), was awarded the Distinguished Alumnus Award by IIT, Mumbai for his contribution as a software entrepreneur.