On November 24th, AMCHAM members in the ICT, electronics and health sector met Mr. Tarun Chhabra, Senior Director for Technology and National Security, U.S. National Security Council. Other important dignitaries Ms. Shwetha Rao Bhuntwal, Deputy Secretary, National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS), Government of India was present. Ms. Ranjana Khanna, Director General CEO, AMCHAM India, welcomed the delegation and invited members to share their sectors briefings. Mr. Som Satsangi, Chairman, ICT Committee, AMCHAM, and Managing Director, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, made opening remarks. Challenges and sectoral issues such as critical infrastructure and supply chain, trusted telecom, land and border issues, etc., were discussed to strengthen U.S.- India partnership in high technology. Ample opportunities in agriculture for technology collaboration between the U.S. and India, especially in AI, ML, drone and IoT, was discussed. The session ended with the closing remarks of Mr. Ramesh Kaza, SVP/Senior Managing Director, State Street Corporate Services Mumbai Pvt. Ltd. and mentioned that skilling was an excellent opportunity in the U.S.-India strategic bilateral relationship.

AMCHAM’s Manufacturing Committee and Supply Chain & Logistics Committee held a joint meeting on November 23rd over Webex. Ms. Surabhi Wahal, Regional Director – Western Region, AMCHAM opened the meeting and moderated. Ms. Ranjana Khanna, Director General CEO, AMCHAM welcomed participants and talked about the disruptions in the supply chain throughout the pandemic, global brand India and harmonization of standards. Mr. Sanjay Koul, Chairman – Manufacturing Committee, AMCHAM and Chairman & Managing Director, Timken India, in his opening remarks touched upon how companies across the world have mastered the art of continuing operations throughout the pandemic, road vs. rail transport and inefficiencies in the supply chain. Ms. Shilpa Ramanathan, Co-Chairperson – Supply Chain & Logistics Committee, AMCHAM and Supply Chain Leader, Becton Dickinson Private Limited, in her remarks, talked about the ease of processes, digitization and building resilience. She urged both committees to deliberate and brainstorm solutions to present to the government.

Members shared inputs and concerns around harmonization of standards, incentives/schemes, sustainable technologies, customs and shipping delays, raising freight costs and block chain, among other topics. Some topics for best practice sharing session in the future were discussed. The committees decided to create a whitepaper going forward and to continually share ideas and solutions to address manufacturing and supply chain challenges in India. AMCHAM reiterated the commitment to take up company specific challenges that members face with DPIIT. The joint committee meeting was well attended with more than 25 participants.

AMCHAM hosted a session, in partnership with IMA, titled ‘The CFO as Strategic Business Partner: Why You’re at the Table’ on November 23rd. The session focused on how responsibilities of a CFO are evolving into a much more strategic context. To avoid competitive fade and decline, most companies work to create greater long-term sustainable value through a better understanding of when and where to invest capital and resources. The session talked about what CFOs and management accounting professionals do specifically to ensure their decisions will lead to that long-term sustainable value creation. Some of the key takeaways include how to turn CFOs into chief value officers involved in leveraging financial data into business strategy and decision-making and where the current CFOs were on this evolution. As CFOs affirm their new role of strategic partners and take on additional responsibilities, some of the new skill sets they will need to continue to add value to the business ecosystem were discussed. The role CFOs play when it comes to data and who ought to be governing it and optimizing the usage of data to drive better business outcomes was mentioned. The speakers were Mr. Russ Porter CFO, IMA | Institute of Management Accountants, Mr. Sarathi Shah, Director Finance, Collins Aerospace India, Mr. Sugeeth Kumar, Director Finance, Verticals & HQ, Commercial HVAC, Carrier and Ms. Hanadi Khalife, Senior Director, MEA & India Operations, Institute of Management Accountants. The session was very well received by participants.

AMCHAM’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee organized a webinar on ‘Neurodiversity – Demystifying Myths and Building an Inclusive Culture at the Workplace’ November 22nd over Webex. The session commenced with opening remarks by Ms. Surabhi Wahal, Regional Director – Western Region, AMCHAM followed by Mr. Shailendra Jagtap, Vice Chair – Western Region, AMCHAM and Managing Director & Country Manager, John Deere India Pvt. Ltd. who welcomed the esteemed panel of speakers and set the stage for the event.

In his special address, Mr. David J. Ranz, Consul General, U.S. Consulate General Mumbai, spoke of how the U.S. American Disability Act has broken barriers to embrace and harness the unique potential of neurodivergent individuals in society and the workplace. He also highlighted the measures adopted and initiatives undertaken by the U.S. Consulate General Mumbai to build an inclusive culture. He stated that organizations will further benefit by onboarding neuro diverse talent and urged U.S. companies to engage and share best practices.

The panel discussion that followed saw eminent speakers including Mr. David J. Ranz, Consul General, U.S. Consulate General Mumbai, Mr. Hiren C. Shukla, Director – Automation & Innovation / Neuro-Diverse Center of Excellence, Ernst & Young LLP, United States, Mr. Burgess Cooper, Partner – Deputy Cyber Leader | Consulting Services, Ernst & Young LLP, India, Dr. Anita Rego (MSW, MPhil, PhD) Director, Pearlss 4 Development and Mr. P. Rajasekharan, Co-Founder, v-shesh. The panel was moderated by Ms. Aashish B. Kasad, Partner | Tax & Regulatory Services | National Leader – Chemicals and Agriculture Sector | India Region Diversity & Inclusiveness Business Sponsor, Ernst & Young LLP. The discussion focused on opportunities to leverage the potential of neurodiverse professionals, challenges faced by neurodivergent people, some best practices on hiring process for neuro diverse talent, key obstacles organizations need to address, the effect of remote working due to the pandemic on neurodivergent professionals and advice for the top leadership on making neurodiversity a practical reality in organizations.

Insightful testimonials via several videos brought to fore experiences of neuro divergent hires who shared their onboarding journeys, the support and guidance received from the organizations, work experiences, COVID related challenges of remote working, the empowering recognition of their skills and talents, and last but not least, their desire to retire from these wonderful and empowering organizations. A Q&A segment followed. The event concluded with closing remarks and a vote of thanks by Ms. Zainab Patel, Director Diversity & Inclusion, KPMG in India.