Desai was a graduate of Elphinstone College (Mumbai University) and Oxford University.[2]
Desai joined Tata Administrative Services in 1961 after graduation, working at several of their companies.[3] He founded Titan as a joint venture with J. R. D. Tata in 1986, with support from the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation.[4] He had suggested the idea of a watchmaking company to Tata in the 1970s, who liked it, but bureaucratic hassles took time till the company was opened in 1986 in Hosur.[5][6][7]
In 1994, Desai challenged engineers at Titan to design the world's thinnest watch, with a movement 1.15mm thick inside a 3.5mm case.[8] The watch, called the Titan Edge was introduced in 2002.[9]
After Titan's success, Desai founded Tanishq, a jewelry brand. He had innovative ideas like asking people in Bangalore to get their jewelry appraised in 1999. The jewelry business grew over time, after a slow start.[10]
Desai retired in 2002, and was succeeded by his protégé Bhaskar Bhat.[11]
Desai was awarded a Lifetime Achievement award by the National Institute of Design during its 4th Design Excellence Awards in 2006.[12]
Post retirement, Desai was a part of the Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS) initiative by Nandan Nilekani.[13]