Interaction with Mr. Justin Antonpillai, Deputy General Counsel, U.S. Department of Commerce (USDOC) 30th October 2015

American Chamber of Commerce in India
Apex Chamber of US Industry in India

Interaction with Mr. Justin Antonpillai, Deputy General Counsel, U.S. Department of Commerce (USDOC) – 30th October 2015

On 30th October 2015, the Anti-Corruption and FCPA Compliance Committee had a meeting with Mr. Antonipillai, Deputy General Counsel, U.S. Department of Commerce (USDOC), Ms. Dawn Hewett, DGC, Strategic Initiatives and Mr. Mohamed Badissy, Attorney Advisor which was scheduled at Hotel Imperial, Connaught Place, New Delhi.

Mr. Antonpillai marked the importance of this meeting and was happy to meet the committee. USDOC requested the AmCham FCPA committee to summarize and prioritize the committee member’s expert suggestions in regard to the “Ease of doing Business” issues to be discussed in the next U.S. India Strategic Commercial Dialogue. In order to be fact-based and comprehensive, the committee was advised to focus on the specific points outlined by the USDOC, including contract enforcement, insolvency, and transparency, the difficulties and specific suggestions for reform in these areas, things which could be successful, and items that can be accomplished by April 2016.

Mr. Anand Dayal, AmCham Anti-Corruption & FCPA Compliance Committee chairperson along with the co-chairperson, Ms. Ritika Ratti are keen to help USDOC for the mentioned document and have already started working on it.

Membership

By joining AMCHAM India, you become part of an active and dynamic Apex Chamber of U.S. Industry in India with a membership base of more than 400 American companies in India. AMCHAM is an important voice for policy advocacy, a critical source for business intelligence, a vibrant platform for networking and expanding your business.

Meeting with officials from the U.S. Embassy in Nepal 28th October 2015

American Chamber of Commerce in India
Apex Chamber of US Industry in India

Meeting with officials from the U.S. Embassy in Nepal – 28th October 2015

AmCham organized a meeting with the officials from the U.S. Embassy in Nepal, Mr. Kevin C. Price, Economic and Commercial Officer; and Mr. Tapas K. Gupta, Senior Economic Specialist, on 28th October 2015 in AmCham office. The U.S. Embassy officials explained the economic and political situation in Nepal. They said that there were great opportunities for American companies in rebuilding of Nepal after the earthquake, particularly in the infrastructure sector.

The other potential areas for U.S. investment included tourism, hydro power, medical services and diagnostic centres. Mr. Price invited AmCham members to participate in “Inspire Nepal 2016 – Business Forum and Expo” to be held from 22nd to 24th January 2016 in Kathmandu.

Membership

By joining AMCHAM India, you become part of an active and dynamic Apex Chamber of U.S. Industry in India with a membership base of more than 400 American companies in India. AMCHAM is an important voice for policy advocacy, a critical source for business intelligence, a vibrant platform for networking and expanding your business.

AMCHAM CSR Best Practice Visit 16th October 2015

AmCham CSR Committee witnessed their 3rd Best Practice Visit at Vidya School, Gurgaon facilitated by our member Federal Mogul. This time we had many new participants and was well attended. We took a tour of the school which is being well managed by Vidya Integrated Development for Youth & Adults.

Exploring diverse options in vocational training for talented women, Federal-Mogul started this driving classes to motivate them to lead into an unconventional field, less travelled and challenging. The intention is to promote women drivers, which springs from the recent turmoil in Indian society. We toured Vidya’s driving courses and noticed they do a phenomenal job of integrating driving training, attendant skills, vehicle maintenance, self-defense, and eventually the drivers become road savvy. These women were from economically weaker sections and belonged to nearby slum areas but the confidence and dedication was clearly shown on their faces and it was quite impressive.

Membership

By joining AMCHAM India, you become part of an active and dynamic Apex Chamber of U.S. Industry in India with a membership base of more than 400 American companies in India. AMCHAM is an important voice for policy advocacy, a critical source for business intelligence, a vibrant platform for networking and expanding your business.

Meeting of AmCham Eastern Region and U.S. Embassy Bangladesh 15th October 2015

American Chamber of Commerce in India
Apex Chamber of US Industry in India

Meeting of AMCHAM Eastern Region and U.S. Embassy Bangladesh – 15th October 2015

Members of AmCham Eastern Region met with Mr. Daniel Keen, Economic and Commercial Officer, U.S. Embassy Dhaka, members of his team and Mr. Jonathan Ward, FCS Commercial Officer Kolkata on October 15, 2015 at Kolkata. The Topics of discussion included cross-border trade issues and the U.S. Trade Show in Dhaka in November, 2015.

Mr. Keen explained the Bangladesh trade scenario and said that Investment opportunities in Bangladesh were very good in spite of the political uncertainty and that Bangladesh was one of the fastest growing economies in South East Asia.

Mr. Dinesh Agarwal, AmCham Eastern India Chairman spoke about the problems that investors faced in Bangladesh and give some specific examples. Mr. Keen said that he would look into these issues and invited AmCham India members to visit Bangladesh and said that he and his office would facilities any assistance that was required and the Embassy could help. Mr. Keen also informed that the Trade Show scheduled for November is being postponed to March and he would send a new invitation with details.

The discussion was very open and there was an excellent exchange of ideas between the two sides.

Membership

By joining AMCHAM India, you become part of an active and dynamic Apex Chamber of U.S. Industry in India with a membership base of more than 400 American companies in India. AMCHAM is an important voice for policy advocacy, a critical source for business intelligence, a vibrant platform for networking and expanding your business.

Roundtable on Global Mobility: How will you achieve the talent management agenda? 14th October 2015

American Chamber of Commerce in India
Apex Chamber of US Industry in India

Roundtable on Global Mobility: How will you achieve the talent management agenda? – 14th October 2015

The American Chamber of Commerce in India in association with Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India Pvt. Ltd. organised a Roundtable on Global Mobility: How will you achieve the talent management agenda? on Wednesday, 14th October 2015.

The session began with Ms. Surabhi Wahal, Regional Director- Western Region, AmCham India welcoming the participants and the speakers. It was followed by Mr. Divya Baweja, Country Leader- Global Employer Services, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India Pvt. Ltd who ushered in the topic of Global Mobility through his opening remarks.

Through an insightful and interactive presentation by Mr. S. V. Nathan, Senior Director & Chief Talent officer, Deloitte India, the various challenges that come with employee global mobility such as international dual career network, measuring ROI, compliance risks, security, confidentiality of data and expatriate packages among other were addressed. Companies in turn need to undertake Strategic moves, setting goals, evaluate success and track performances to enhance mobility.

Updates on tax return forms, SEBI regulations, an overview of Social Security Agreements and immigration updates for outbound assignments, with a special focus on major countries such as U.S., UK, Canada, Australia, Japan were shared through a presentation by Mr. Homi Mistry and Mr. Alok Agrawal, Deloitte Haskins and Sells LLP. The speakers also touched upon the next step of drafting India specific mobility policies, deployment modes and of existing as well as new deputations.

The stimulating Q&A session that followed had the participants engaged in clearing their doubts, seeking advice, sharing their ideas and experiences; thus creating very valuable learning content.

The event concluded with Ms. Surabhi Wahal expressing gratitude to the participants, speakers and to Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India Pvt. Ltd. for their active participation in making the event a success.

Membership

By joining AMCHAM India, you become part of an active and dynamic Apex Chamber of U.S. Industry in India with a membership base of more than 400 American companies in India. AMCHAM is an important voice for policy advocacy, a critical source for business intelligence, a vibrant platform for networking and expanding your business.

Interaction with Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Central and South Asian Affairs, U.S. Department of State 14th October 2015

American Chamber of Commerce in India
Apex Chamber of US Industry in India

Interaction with Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Central and South Asian Affairs, U.S. Department of State – 14th October 2015

AmCham and USIBC met with Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Central and South Asian Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, Ambassador William (Bill) Todd, during his visit to India. The discussion revolved around the business climate and operational challenges for U.S. companies in India.

Also present in the meeting from the U.S. government were:

Mr. Sean Stein, Director, Office of India Affairs, Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, U.S. Department of State
Mr. Erik Liederbach, Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, U.S. Department of State
Mr. Ivan Boekelheide, Political Officer, Internal Unit, Political Section, U.S. Embassy
Ms. Rachel Duran, Commercial Attache, U.S. Embassy

Membership

By joining AMCHAM India, you become part of an active and dynamic Apex Chamber of U.S. Industry in India with a membership base of more than 400 American companies in India. AMCHAM is an important voice for policy advocacy, a critical source for business intelligence, a vibrant platform for networking and expanding your business.