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Sunday Nov 17, 2024
Monday, 17 March 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Under the aegis of the American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM), a 20-member delegation from India-based US companies conducted a four-day exploratory visit.
“The delegation was a big success. The AMCHAM Sri Lanka had arranged for the delegation high quality meeting with senior officials of the public and the private sector. They were highly appreciative of it since they were able to get a good view on the local trade and business environment,” AMCHAM Sri Lanka President Suren Rajanathan told the Daily FT in a brief interview.
The delegation was led by General Electric Vice President Growth Incentives and Business Development Vishal Wanchoo, with the objective of discussing opportunities for trade and investment, develop business interest, and promote country-to-country engagement.
They met with top ministry officials including Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa, Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena, Power and Energy Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi, Treasury Secretary Dr. P.B. Jayasundera, and Investment Promotion Deputy Minister Faiszer Musthapha.
In addition they attended a luncheon at which Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal was the chief guest and KPMG Sri Lanka Principal Transactions and Restructuring Shiluka Gunawardane shared insights to the five hubs strategy of the Government and the business climate in Sri Lanka
During the meeting with Economic Development Minister Rajapaksa the delegation had requested the Government of Sri Lanka to send its senior officials to India to allow the study of markets, technology and innovation used in that country. According to Rajanathan, the Minister had accepted the request.
“The minister was pleased with the suggestion and accepted it. The idea was to not only increase trade and investment opportunities but to also exchange technical expertise and knowledge that will help the nation to future improve and develop its economy,” shared Rajanathan.
He noted that with the delegation having ended on a high note the AMCHAM has decided to formulate an action plan. For this purpose in the coming weeks two strategic teams will be appointed where the team in India will be headed by GE Vice President Wanchoo and in Sri Lanka by AMCHAM President Rajanathan
AMCHAM Sri Lanka is currently focusing on developing, trade and investment ties between the US and Sri Lanka, through dialogue with member companies of the Asia Pacific Council of American Chambers of Commerce (APCAC). APCAC represents 50,000 business executives, 20,000 organisations in 22 countries within the Asia Pacific Region. The APCAC membership manages trade volumes in excess of $ 400 billion and direct investments (FDI) of over $ 200 billion in the region. As a first step towards this regional initiative AMCHAM Sri Lanka has tied up with AMCHAM India to draw from over 400 US companies that formulate their membership. The visiting delegation is the direct result of this initiative.
It was third AMCHAM organised delegation from India-based US firms whilst several Colombo based executives also were included as part of the team. In addition to GE VP Wanchoo, members of the delegation representing US companies based in India were; GE India Director-Commercial Debobroto Banerjee, GE India Industrial Vice President Corporate Affairs South Asia Rakesh Chitkara, GE India Industrial Director Corporate Affairs South Asia Sharmila Barathan, Boston Scientific India Vice President and Managing Director Prabal Chakraborty, Boston Scientific India Head International Business Partho Banerjee, Boston Scientific India Head Health Economics and Govt. Affairs Vibhav Garg, Zimmer India Regional Managing Director South Asia Sanjay Banerjee, Emerson Industrial Automation Electric Power Generation Vice President and Managing Director Ashok Brij, ATC Tower Company of India Vice President Business Development Asia Nitin Appasaheb Doddihal, Accenture Services Managing Director Corporate Affairs Sanjeev Gupta, Altair Engineering India Managing Director Pavan Kumar, Rockwell Automation General Manager Market Access Meenu Singhal, Johnson and Johnson Director International Business, Govt. and Tender Business Rakesh Kumar Sahni, Datacard India Managing Director Rajiv Singh, Varian Medical Systems Director Strategic Accounts and Partnership for South Asia Nakul Verma, Edward Lifesciences Head regulatory Affairs and Quality Assurance Vishnu Shankar Vyas, and American Chamber of Commerce Deputy Executive Director Madhvi Kataria.
Pix by Sameera Wijesinghe
