Infosys, ITC chiefs in CII team for UK

A high-powered 14-member CEOs' delegation, led by Sunil Kant Munjal, President, Confederation of Indian Industry, will embark on a mission to the United Kingdom from June 29 to July 1, to drive home the message that with a change at the Centre, India still remains one of the most favoured destinations for doing business.

The CII mission will impress upon the British industry that the  Indian government is committed to reform process. N R Narayana Murthy, Co-Chairman, Indo-British Partnership & Chairman-cum-Chief Mentor, Infosys Technologies Ltd, is the co-leader of the mission.

The mission is a part of the continuing dialogue under the Indo-British Partnership, which was initiated in 1993 and got a boost with the subsequent visits of the British Prime Minister Tony Blair to India.

With Indo-British Partnership prospering, two-way trade of goods and services has grown by 69 per cent in the past 10 years.

India and the UK both foresee tremendous economic benefits flowing from scientific and technological breakthroughs. The two countries are working actively to encourage links between scientists and between research organisations.

Towards this end, the objective of the delegation will be to explore new areas of co-operation between the two countries, enhance and strengthen trade and investment relations as well as promote joint Indo-UK efforts to tap the hidden potential in the EU market. The UK is the largest market for Indian IT services.

While promoting new investors in India and the UK, the team will focus on the emerging growth areas such as biotechnology and healthcare, entertainment and communications, and research and development. British companies are also beginning to look towards India as a possible location for R&D activities.

The highlight of the CII's mission will be the meeting with The Patricia Hewitt, MP and Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, and Jack Straw, MP and Secretary for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Also on the agenda are brainstorming sessions with Commonwealth Business Council, International Institute of Strategic Studies, and the Labour Friends of India.

The CII delegation will also meet with other senior representatives of the UK administration and business leaders in London to discuss the way forward for strengthening the bilateral trade and investment relations.

CII will also hold a separate meeting with its counterpart organisation -- the Confederation of British Industry.

Other members of the CII CEOs' delegation include Y C Deveshwar, Vice President, CII, and Chairman, ITC Ltd; Udayan Bose, Chairman, Lazard India and MD, Lazard UK; Anand C Barman, Vice Chairman, Dabur India Ltd; Vinay Deshpande, Chairman & CEO, Encore Software Ltd; Prashant Jhawar, CEO, Usha Communications Ltd; Aruna Kashinath, Managing Partner, Polaris Software Lab Ltd; Nimesh Kampani, Chairman & MD, JM Morgan Stanley Pvt Ltd; Christopher Lowe, CEO (India region), Standard Chartered Bank; Sanjay Nayar, CEO (India), Citibank; Phiroz Vandrevala, Executive Vice President, Tata Consultancy Services; and N Srinivasan, Director General, CII.