The 23rd Annual General Meeting of the American Chamber of Commerce in India (AmCham) was held on 28th April 2015 in New Delhi. During the Statutory of AGM, Mr. Ajay Singha, Executive Director, AmCham welcomed the members. Besides the statutory business like adoption of Annual Report and audited accounts for the year 2014-15 and appointment of auditors for 2015-16, Mr. Singha announced the election results and composition of the National Executive Board of AmCham for 2015-16.

While presenting the Annual Report for 2014-15, Mr. Singha briefed members about some of the important activities undertaken by the Chamber during the past one year; the challenges ahead and issues to be taken up. Mr. Singha also made a presentation on type of membership, spread of members, events and meetings organized by different regions as also of revenue received and spent.

The meeting concluded with a vote of thanks by Mr. Gulshan Kumar Sachdev, Vice Chairman, Amcham India, and Managing Director, Quaker Chemical India Limited. He said that 2014 had been an exciting and eventful year for the Indian economy as well as for Amcham. He requested members to enroll in the sectoral Committees of their choice, participate in the activities of the Chamber and send their suggestions for the Chamber’s focus in the coming years and for any improvement so that the Chamber could service the members more meaningfully.

Panel Discussion on ‘Smart Infrastructure for Digital India – Focus on Sustainable Growth’

A Panel Discussion on ‘Smart Infrastructure for Digital India – Focus on Sustainable Growth’ was organized on the occasion of Amcham’s 23rd AGM on 28th April 2015 in New Delhi. The Panel Discussion was chaired and moderated by Ms. Vanitha Narayanan, Managing Director, IBM India Pvt. Ltd. Presentations on various topics were made by the following panelists:

Mr. Banmali Agrawala

Chairman, American Chamber of Commerce in India; and
President & CEO, GE South Asia

(Smart Energy, Smart Grid, Renewable Energy)

Ms Kaku Nakhate

Vice Chairperson, American Chamber of Commerce in India; and
President & Country Head (India), Bank of America N.A.

Ms Kaku Nakhate

Mr. Venkatesh Kini

President – India and South West Asia
Coca-Cola India Pvt. Ltd.

(Supply chain and water)

Mr. Varun Khanna

Managing Director
BD India

(Healthcare)

Mr. John M. McCaslin

Minister Counselor for Commercial Affairs
U.S. Embassy

(Smart Cities)

Mr. Ramkumar Ramamoorthy

Senior Vice President
Cognizant Technology Solutions

(Social infrastructure including education skills required for Digital India)

Mr. Palash Roy Chowdhury

Country Manager – India
United Technologies Corporation India Pvt. Ltd. (Pratt and Whitney)

(Significance and impact of Energy efficiency in Smart cities and Aerospace infrastructure)

After a Q&A session, the discussion was concluded by Ms Vanitha Narayanan.
The Panel Discussion was followed by a Luncheon Session.

Luncheon Session

A Luncheon Session was organized on the occasion of Amcham’s 23rd AGM on 28th April 2015 in New Delhi. Mr. Banmali Agrawala, Chairman, Amcham, in his opening observations, spoke about Indo-U.S. relations and Amcham’s role in promoting U.S. investment in India. This was followed by the addresses by the guests of honour, Mr. Amitabh Kant, Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Government of India, and H.E. Mr. Richard R. Verma, U.S. Ambassador to India. Ms Kaku Nakhate, Vice-Chairperson, Amcham, proposed the vote of thanks.

The Luncheon Session was followed by the First Meetingof the newly constituted National Executive Board of Amcham.

Meeting of Amcham’s National Executive Board

The First Meeting of Amcham’s National Executive Board for 2015-16 was held on 28th April 2015 in New Delhi. The following were elected office bearers for 2015-16:

Chairperson:

Ms Vanitha Narayanan
Managing Director
IBM India Pvt. Ltd.

Immediate Past Chairman:

Mr. Banmali Agrawala
President & CEO
GE South Asia

Vice Chairman:

Mr. Richard Rekhy
Chief Executive Officer
KPMG in India

Vice Chairman:

Mr. Gulshan Kumar Sachdev
Managing Director
Quaker Chemical India Limited

Hon. Secretary & Treasurer:

Mr. Atul Dhawan
National Leader, Clients & Markets
Regional Managing Partner (North)
Deloitte Haskins & Sells

American Chamber of Commerce in India, AmCham Eastern India organized a breakfast session in association with Deloitte on the Goods and Services Tax (GST) at Hyatt Regency on Friday, 19 June 2015. The members and guests of AmCham and Deloitte participated in the event and it turned out to be an interactive and educative session. The Regional Director of AmCham Eastern Region, Amada Kidwai opened up the session and introduced the speakers, followed up with welcome remarks by Mr. Dinesh Agarwal, Chairman, AmCham, Eastern Region and opening remarks by Mr. Joydeep Datta Gupta, Regional Practice Leader, Deloitte.

The first presentation was taken by Mr. Muralidharan, Senior Director – GST Lead Partner, Deloitte. He covered the “Operational Impact of GST” on businesses. In relation to GST, he highlighted the current state of play, key features of proposed GST including taxes to be subsumed, credit mechanism and additional tax for inter-state trade in goods. He also gave an overview of impact of GST on business and stakeholder challenges. The second part of the session was taken by Mr. P.S. Easwaran, Senior Director – Supply Chain Strategy Partner, Deloitte on “Transformational Opportunities”. He explained the opportunity to relook supply chain network from various dimensions using center of gravity methodology.

The third part of the session was taken by Mr. Joydeep Ghosh, Senior Director – SAP Partner, Deloitte on “Technology Alignment”. He highlighted the impact of GST on ERP systems with emphasis on processes such as record to report, procure to pay, order to cash and plan to stock. He also gave a synopsis of migration considerations for IT systems in order to transition to GST regime.The three presentations were followed by an interactive Q&A session where the speakers addressed questions from the members.

The event ended with a vote of thanks by Mrs. Leick-Milde, Vice Chairperson, AmCham, Eastern Chapter

To support the state of Rajasthan particularly Jaipur, to progress on the Smart City Initiative, Amcham Infrastructure Consortium organised a half day round table program on “Smart Infrastructure for Jaipur” on April 16. The half day program was held in association with Urban Development & Housing Department, Government of Rajasthan at the City Town Planning Office, Jaipur.

The Government-to-business roundtable was an interactive session which invited participation of all relevant stakeholder departments viz. Jaipur Development Authority (JDA), Jaipur Metro, Jaipur Nagar Nigam, Jaipur Vidyut Vitran Nigam, Municipal Corporation, & Local Bodies, JCTSL, PHED etc from the Government of Rajasthan, and about twenty leading US companies engaged in areas of smart mobility, smart energy, water & waste management, digital solution providers & system integrators for integrating & developing public services, e-governance, urban planning and others attended. The event focused on mapping smart solutions and technology interventions provided by the US private sector through its offerings, products & services and matching these with the key priority needs and challenges as presented by the Government officials in the key infrastructure development areas in Jaipur. Additional Chief Secretary, Govt. of Rajasthan, Mr. Ashok Jain, chaired the program proceedings. The US Government was represented by Minister Counsellor, John McCaslin and North India Coordination Head (Public Affairs), John Kessler.

KOLKATA, 11th April, 2015: The Eastern Chapter of the American Chamber of Commerce in India organised its Signature Event 2015 at Hyatt Regency Kolkata which saw corporate leaders, bureaucrats, diplomats and dignitaries from various walks of life come together to listen to an address by Former President of India Bharat Ratna Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam.

Dr. Kalam enthralled an audience of over 200 Members and guests on his “World Vision 2030: Empowering 3 Billion”, he showcased his vision for various profiles of nations in the year 2030, changing paradigm of global challenges and the required efforts for empowering the 3 Billion people who would be in the rural areas. He highlighted the effort needed to bridge the gap between the urban and the rural sectors and its critical role in global development. He mentioned that it is only when nations start working on the common enemies of illiteracy, poor health care etc, that their tendency to focus on national, regional and global peace with better mutual trust is enabled. The global challenges take various manifestations based on the local dynamics which are interconnected with various factors. Dr. Kalam’s address and his vision were lauded by all present. The address was followed by an interaction with the members and guests present.

Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam is recognised as the “People’s President” due to his efforts to increase his interaction with the common people during the period of his Presidency. A scientist of global standards, Dr. Kalam had risen from humble beginnings to occupy the highest office in the nation. As the father of India’s nuclear program, he had shown exemplary knowledge and skills.

Mr. Suranjan Bhanja, Chairman, AMCHAM Eastern Chapter, said “This is a historical moment for us when Bharat Ratna Dr.A.P.J. Abdul Kalam has chosen to address our members. Dr. Kalam is a visionary and his brilliant speech will not only enthuse all of us but encourage to internalise and practice his suggestions. His address not only reflects the depth of his vision but also his inherent interest in global development.” Regional Director, Amada Kidwai did the introductions and Mr. Dinesh Agarwal, Vice Chairman Amcham Eastern Region gave the closing note and vote of thanks.

Amcham met with Mr. Paul Piquado, Assistant Secretary for Enforcement & Compliance, U.S. Department of Commerce. BAE Systems hosted the meeting in their office in New Delhi on 8th April 2015.

The discussion focused on technical barriers to trade such as government procurement, data localization, national offset policy and increased duties on mobile handsets. Some of the topics Mr. Piquado planned to raise directly with the Government of India during his visit included: compulsory registration of ICT, telecom security testing requirements, import licensing and WTO government procurement agreement accession.

The other USG participants in the meeting:

Steven Presing, Director, Antidumping Rules Negotiations, Enforcement & Compliance, U.S. Department of Commerce
Ryan Rhodes, Special Advisor to the Assistant Secretary, Enforcement & Compliance, U.S. Department of Commerce
Lisa Foss, Senior Policy Analyst, Trade Remedy Compliance/Office of Policy, Import Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce
Jonathan Ward, Commercial Attache, U.S. Embassy

Amcham Eastern Chapter had its annual get-together over cocktails and dinner at Sisha, Ivory Banquets on Saturday April 4, 2015. The evening brought together members, friends and supporters, including Government Officials of Amcham Eastern Region. The U.S. Consul General Ms. Helen Lafave attended the event and spoke on the importance of the U.S. Consulate and Amcham working together to attract U.S. Business investment in Eastern Region. She also presented Mr. Suranjan Bhanja the outgoing Chairman for 2014-15 with a plaque in appreciation of the time and service given to Amcham during his tenure.

Regional Director, Amada Kidwai, also thanked Mr. Bhanja for the time and guidance he gave during his tenure with the Eastern Region. She introduced the incoming Chairman Mr. Dinesh Agarwal and Vice Chairperson Ms. Britta Lieck-Milde to the members and guest present.

The evening apart from being an excellent opportunity for networking the members got down to some serious enjoyment.