KPIT Technologies co-founder and chairman Ravi Pandit passes away at 75

PUNE: Ravi Pandit, co-founder and chairman of mobility technology firm KPIT Technologies and a prominent industry leader, died on Friday morning after a brief illness, the company said. He was 75.In a statement, the company said it was “deeply saddened” by the demise of its founder and chairman of the board on May 8.A gold-medallist Chartered Accountant and alumnus of the Sloan School of Management at MIT, USA, Ravi Pandit also headed Kirtane & Pandit Chartered Accountants (KPCA), a professional services firm, the company said.Over a career spanning more than three decades, he played a significant role in driving technology-led mobility solutions and sustainability initiatives in India and globally.Apart from his corporate contributions, Pandit was actively associated with several civic, educational and policy organisations.He co-founded institutions such as Pune International Centre and Janwani, supported the Centre for Sustainable Development at the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics, and served as president of social organisation Jnana Prabodhini, the statement added.Pandit was also a board member of Thermax Ltd, World Resources Institute India and Aga Khan Rural Support Programme India.He represented Indian industry on several platforms, including as president of the Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture, and chaired the Research Council at the Central Electronics Engineering Research Institute, the company said.Pandit was also the only private-sector representative in the empowered group for the National Green Hydrogen Mission, the company said. He had recently launched the HRIDAY (Hydrogen Revolution for India's Development of Agriculture & EnergY) initiative to promote inclusive growth through clean-energy technologies.He also co-authored the book Leapfrogging to Pole-Vaulting, which focused on innovation and sustainable transformation, the statement added.(With agency inputs)