AMCHAM’s Tamil Nadu signature conference, on February 5th in Chennai, brought together senior leadership from government, U.S. corporations, and academia to deliberate on Tamil Nadu’s evolving role as a preferred destination for advanced manufacturing, digital finance, global capability centers (GCCs), and industry–academia collaboration. The program was structured to provide strategic context through government perspectives, followed by deep-dive panel discussions anchored in real-world industry experience.

The inaugural session commenced with a welcome address by Ms. Ranjana Khanna, Director General & CEO, AMCHAM, who set the tone by highlighting AMCHAM’s continued commitment to strengthening the U.S.–India economic partnership, with Tamil Nadu emerging as a critical growth engine. This was followed by the opening context-setting remarks by Mr. Rajan Aiyer, Chairman – Tamil Nadu Chapter, AMCHAM and Vice President & Managing Director, Trimble India & SAARC Region, who outlined the state’s competitive advantages across manufacturing, digital talent, and policy stability. A special address by Ms. Uma Ratnam Krishnan, Chairperson – GCC Committee, AMCHAM and Managing Director, Optum India, emphasized the growing strategic relevance of global capability centers, moving beyond cost arbitrage to innovation, analytics, and enterprise transformation. Mr. Kaviraj Nair, CEO, Office of Institutional Advancement, IIT Madras, underscored the importance of stronger industry engagement with academic institutions to future-proof talent and research outcomes.

The first panel, ‘Smart Manufacturing,’ explored how smart manufacturing is reshaping industrial competitiveness through automation, AI, and advanced analytics. Mr. Divyanshu Gautam, Senior Commercial Director, Gorilla Glass & Emerging Opportunities, Corning India and Mr. Ahmed Elmahdy, Senior Director, Central Engineering Chennai, Dow, shared global perspectives on integrating robotics and digital engineering into large-scale operations. Mr. Abhishek Mishra, General Manager – Platform Digital Thread, Ford Motor and Mr. R. Sathish, Managing Director, Modine India, highlighted the role of digital threads, predictive maintenance, and platform-based manufacturing in improving efficiency and resilience. Mr. Sudharshan G., AGM – Lean Manufacturing, Timken, provided insights into lean manufacturing practices aligned with Industry 4.0, while Mr. Pradeep Narayanan, Partner, PW & Co LLP, Chennai, anchored the discussion with a policy and compliance lens, emphasizing governance readiness for smart factories.

In a keynote address on ‘Tamil Nadu – The Hub of Global Trade,’ Dr. Darez Ahamed, Managing Director & CEO, Guidance, Government of Tamil Nadu, presented a compelling overview of the state’s investment ecosystem, policy reforms, and sector-specific opportunities. He highlighted how coordinated government support, infrastructure readiness, and ease-of-doing-business initiatives are positioning Tamil Nadu as a hub for global trade and high-value investments.

The next panel discussion, ‘AI in BFSI,’ examined the real-world deployment of AI in banking and financial services. Ms. Sahana J.V., Director, Region Head, MNC Banking, Corporate Bank, Citi India, spoke on AI-driven risk management and customer intelligence in corporate banking. Ms. Neetha Jayanth, Senior Director, Business Strategy and Automation, Risk and Compliance, PayPal, discussed automation and compliance in fraud detection while Ms. Manjushree Dutta, Managing Director & Head of Business Strategy, Planning and Legal Entity Governance, State Street, emphasized transparency and governance in AI-led decision-making. Mr. Sudhir Kamath, Head of Finance, South Asia, Trimble Inc. and Board Member, Trimble India Companies, connected AI adoption to financial strategy and enterprise value, and Mr. Ashwin Ravindranath, Partner, Ernst & Young LLP, provided a balanced view on regulatory expectations and sustainable AI adoption beyond market hype.

A keynote address by Mr. Prashant M. Wadnere, Secretary (Expenditure), Finance Department, Government of Tamil Nadu, focused on fiscal discipline, public spending priorities, and how government financial frameworks support industrial growth and private investment.

Session three titled ‘GCCs – The Game Changer’ examined how GCCs are transforming from support centers into strategic innovation hubs. Mr. V.S. Sridhar, Executive Managing Director & Head Global Capability Centre Advisory – Operations, Cushman & Wakefield, shared trends on GCC expansion, real estate strategy, and operational maturity. Mr. Sreejith Janardhanan, Vice President Finance and Company Secretary, Kemin Industries South Asia and Mr. Arvind Srinivasan, EVP & Chief Financial Officer, Thryve Digital Health (enGen Global) highlighted finance, automation, and digital health transformation through GCCs. Mr. Saurabh Singh, Vice President & Country Leader – Government Affairs, Optum India, provided a policy and government affairs perspective on enabling GCC-led innovation ecosystems.

In a keynote address, Mr. Brajendra Navnit, Principal Secretary, Information Technology and Digital Services Department, Government of Tamil Nadu, outlined Tamil Nadu’s digital vision and technology-led governance initiatives.

The fourth and final panel, ‘Industry–Academia Partnership,’ focused on building outcome-driven collaboration models to address talent, technology, and societal challenges. Mr. Rufus H.K. George, State Engagement Officer – TN & PDY, National Skill Development Corporation, emphasized skill alignment with industry needs. Ms. Vibha Jain, AVP – Corporate Relations, Office of Institutional Advancement, IIT Madras, outlined structured corporate engagement models, while Dr. N. Venkata Sastry, Director – Career Centre, SRM Institute of Science & Technology, highlighted employability-focused academic initiatives. Dr. Ravi M. Bhatkal, Vice President, Strategy, MacDermid Alpha Electronics Solutions, shared industry expectations from academia in applied research and innovation.

The day concluded with a strong consensus on the need for sustained collaboration between government, industry, and academia to position Tamil Nadu as a global leader in manufacturing, digital finance, GCCs, and future-ready talent development. The conference was supported by the following partners: Optum, IIT Madras, enGen Global, Kemin, Modine, Trimble, and SRM.