Bangalore: Patni Computer Systems, a provider of global IT and BPO services has announced the appointment of Vijay Mehra as Executive Vice President and Head of Business Verticals. He will define and boost Patni's micro-verticals strategy, structure, systems and skills. Mehra said, "As Patni embarks on its micro vertical strategy I am glad to be at the helm of it. Patni is a pioneer in the IT services industry and I look forward to drive this initiative to its next phase of growth." Prior to joining Patni, he was the Global CIO at Essar Group of Companies and comes with over 20 years of global management and consulting experience. He has also served in McKinsey, CSC Consulting, Syntel and Motorola. Mehra is an eminent speaker at global and regional conferences and has recently been awarded 'Best CIO, Large Corporate' by 9.9 Media, a corporation Co-Founded by an ex-McKinsey Partner and Founding Dean of the ISB. He holds an MBA and a Masters degree in Systems Engineering from MIT and a Bachelors of Science (Operations Research and Industrial Engineering) and a Bachelors of Arts (Economics) from Cornell University. Commenting on the appointment, Jeya Kumar, CEO, Patni said, "Vijay has a strong track record of leveraging information technology to create competitive advantage and with his global experience, I am confident Vijay will contribute significantly to Patni's aggressive growth plans."