A high-profile CEOs delegation led by Dr Naushad Forbes, President, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Co-chairman, Forbes Marshall will visit UK from 5 - 7 July, 2016. The 3-day visit aims to reinforce the vibrant and dynamic India-UK economic engagement and highlight new bilateral business opportunities. The delegation, one of the largest CII missions to the UK, with 22 top Indian CEOs, is the first such business engagement between the two countries after Britain's referendum to exit from the EU.

Indian companies invest more in the UK than in the rest of the EU combined, and India is the third largest investor in the UK economy. Likewise, the UK is the third largest foreign investor in India. The two countries have established a range of cooperation mechanisms, including UK participation in India's high profile industrial corridors, ambitious renewable energy program and science and technology.

While Indian companies strategize for a post-EU membership scenario in the UK, huge opportunities await for both sides. With India's position as a stable economy enjoying the fastest growing GDP among large economies, UK-India cooperation in manufacturing, infrastructure, energy and technology sectors can be accelerated. India's committed reform policies and rollout of massive campaigns such as 'Make in India' for manufacturing, Smart Cities for urbanisation, Clean Energy, and Digital India, among others, offer significant potential for UK. 

With new policies in India, particularly for facilitating the investment climate, there are elevated opportunities for UK enterprises to enhance foreign direct and institutional investment into India. The CII delegation will meet with government, industry bodies, and academia, to deliberate on bilateral economic issues and to identify future engagement strategies as well as the opportunities for business enhancement and collaboration.

The delegation will participate in the annual conference on “The Future of India-UK Economic Relations” organized by CII to discuss the bilateral business agenda, post-Brexit. The conference is supported by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and Scottish Development International as a regional partner. A bi-partisan interaction of CII leadership with 15 MPs and Peers in Westminster, supported by the High Commission of India and the Indo-British APPG is expected to infuse new ideas into the relationship. The delegates will explore collaborations with the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council, meeting new CommonwealthFirst Export Champions, who will soon be on their first trade mission to India. The Lord Mayor of the City of London will host the delegation to discuss opportunities in green finance and Fintech. To further technological and academic partnerships, interactions with the Royal Society, as well as the Russell Group and leading UK Universities have been arranged.

At various occasions, the delegation is expected to meet with Rt Hon Hugo Swire, Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs ; Rt Hon Desmond Swayne, Minister of State, Department of International Development ; Jo Johnson MP, Minister of State for Universities and Science ; Alok Sharma MP, Prime Minister’s Infrastructure Envoy to India, and HRH Prince Andrew, Duke of York, KG, GCVO, CD ADC.

Members of the delegation include Dr Naushad Forbes, President, CII and Co-Chairman, Forbes Marshall Pvt Ltd; Ms Shobana Kamineni, President Designate, CII and Executive Vice Chairperson, Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Ltd; Mr Rakesh Bharti Mittal, Vice President, CII and Vice Chairman, Bharti Enterprises Ltd; Mr Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, Confederation of Indian Industry; Mr Sumit Mazumder, Immediate Past President, CII and Chairman & Managing Director, TIL Ltd; Mr Dhruv M Sawhney, Past President, CII and Chairman & Managing Director, Triveni Turbine Ltd; Mr Rajive Kaul, Past President, CII and Chairman, Nicco Engineering Services Ltd; Mr Sunil Kant Munjal, Past President, CII and Chairman, Hero Corporate Service Pvt Ltd; Mr Ajay S Shriram, Past President, CII and Chairman & Sr Managing Director, DCM Shriram Ltd; Mr Raghu Kailas, National Chairman, CII Young Indians and Managing Director, Unimo Exports Pvt Ltd ; Mr Jacob Joy, National Vice Chairman, CII Young Indians and Director, J J Confectionery Pvt Ltd; Mr Sanjiv Bajaj, Managing Director, Bajaj Finserv Ltd; Dr Rajiv I Modi, Chairman & Managing Director, Cadila Pharmaceuticals Ltd; Mr Farhad Forbes, Co-Chairman, Forbes Marshall Pvt Ltd; Mr Rajan R Navani, Vice Chairman & Managing Director, JetLine Group of Companies; Mr Salil Singhal, Chairman & Managing Director, PI Industries Ltd; Mr Ajay G Piramal, Chairman, Piramal Enterprises Ltd; Mr Sunil Mathur, Managing Director & CEO, Siemens Ltd; Mr Alok Kirloskar, Managing Director, SPP Pumps Ltd; Mr Deep Kapuria, Chairman, The Hi-Tech Group; and Mr Prashant Jhawar, Chairman, Usha Martin Ltd.

5 July 2016

New Delhi