He is the founding member and past chairman of Nasscom an Indian non-governmental trade association and advocacy group, focused mainly on the technology industry of India.
[2] Desai graduated in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay in 1974.
[6] In 2021, The Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad launched the Ashank Desai Centre for Leadership and Organizational Development (ADCLOD), that offers training, research, and consulting services to leaders at various levels in Indian and multinational organizations.
[8] He has been felicitated by the Prime minister of India, Narendra Modi, for his contribution to NASSCOM and the IT Industry over the last 25 years.
Desai is a recipient of the Distinguished Alumnus Award from IIT Bombay in the year 2002.