AMCHAM organized a virtual town hall with Ambassador Kenneth I. Juster, U.S. Embassy, and Honorary President of AMHCAM. Ms. Ranjana Khanna, Director General CEO, AMCHAM, welcomed participants and introduced the speakers. She noted that Ambassador Juster has visited every state in India during his tenure. In his address, Ambassador Juster provided an overview of the last few months, beginning with President Trump’s visit to India in February – a high point in the U.S.-India relationship. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit. He described the efforts of the U.S. Mission in India as it has repatriated thousands of U.S. citizens, ensured pharmaceutical medical supply lines continued, supported back office operations for U.S. financial services operations, supported India’s COVID-19 response, and facilitated business requests for companies while India was on lockdown. He also looked forward as to the future implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for the U.S.-India relationship.

AMCHAM Vice Chairperson and Bank of America India President and Country Head, Ms. Kaku Nakhate, gave an overview of India’s economic scenario and moderated a Q&A session with the Ambassador. Some of the topics that were covered included foreign policy matters, economic devastation, global value chain disruptions, the need for countries to have trusted partners, import substitution, trade barriers, and the medical devices sector. AMCHAM Vice Chairperson and Timken India Limited Chairman & Managing Director, Mr. Sanjay Koul, gave the vote of thanks. The closed-door session, under Chatham House rules, was well attended with more than 90 participants.