Persistent Systems today announced that it has appointed Thomas alias Tom Klein to the position of the general counsel and senior vice president of corporate development. He will be based in the company's North American headquarters in Santa Clara, CA.  Tom is a graduate of Swarthmore College and the University of Chicago School of Law. 

He has more than 20 years of experience in technology law including an extensive focus on start-up and venture capital transactions, mergers and acquisitions as well as the domestic and international intellectual property transactions. Most recently, Tom was a partner in the Silicon Valley office of Greenberg Traurig, LLP and before that he spent 20 years with Wilson Sonsini  Goodrich & Rosati, the last 13 as a partner.

Ranga Puranik, president of Persistent Systems, said, ''As Persistent continues to drive growth in North America, Tom's expertise, knowledge and insight will be of tremendous value to our team. Tom's deep understanding of the US and international corporate laws and his experience of working with technology companies aligns well with our vision. We are excited to have Tom join Persistent.''

Tom Klein, general counsel and senior vice president of Persistent Systems, said, ''I first started working with Persistent as an external counsel when it was a small private company and then through various phases of its growth. As the Company continues to evolve and grow around its core strength of building software, both customer success and realizing the market potential for digital transformation will hinge on an eco-system shaped by innovative technology and intellectual property transactions.''

Shares of the company declined Rs 24.25, or 1.84%, to settle at Rs 1,290.30. The total volume of shares traded was 4,033 at the BSE (Wednesday).