Meeting with Ms. Debashree Mukherjee, Joint Secretary, Prime Minister’s Office – 31st August 2017

Ms. Ranjana Khanna, Director General CEO, AMCHAM India, along with Mr. Debasish Roy, Program Director, called on Ms. Debashree Mukherjee, Joint Secretary, Prime Minister’s Office, on August 31, 2017 to discuss the AMCHAM Ganga Action Plan with end-to-end solutions prepared by the Infrastructure and Smart Cities Committee. AMCHAM members were working on the pilot project in Hardwar to define our partnership engagement and coordinating with the Namami Gange Project. The Infrastructure and Smart Cities Committee would be working on it.

ICT Committee Meeting – 30th August 2017

A meeting of AMCHAM’s ICT Committee was held on 30th August 2017at the IBM office in Gurgaon. The meeting was chaired by Mr. Vivek Vasishtha, Executive Director & Country Leader – IBM India, South Asia, IBM India Pvt. Ltd. The agenda included issues relating to public procurement, CRI, CRO, cyber security, policy on privacy, security and ownership of data.

Other than AMCHAM members, there was participation from the U.S. Embassy and IBM global leaders. Mr. Stephen W. Braim, Vice President Government & Regulatory Affairs, IBM Asia Pacific, China, Japan, shared his global perspectives on IT and Mr. David N. Barnes, Vice President, Global Workforce Policy, IBM Corporation, discussed labour laws, employment rules and practices.

Breakfast meeting with Mr. James M. Fluker, Commercial Consul & Principal Commercial Officer – South India, U.S. Consulate General, Chennai – 30th August 2017

AMCHAM’s Karnataka Chapter hosted a breakfast meeting with Mr. James M. Fluker, Commercial Consul & Principal Commercial Officer – South India, U.S. Consulate General, Chennai, at the J.W. Marriott on August 30th, 2017. Present at the meeting were heads of major U.S. companies operating in Bangalore, including Ms. Debarati Sen, 3M, Mr. Ravi Gautham, Northern Trust, Mr. Ravi Krishnan, Goldman Sachs, Mr. Krishantha Rajapaksha, Walmart Global Sourcing, Mr. Kiron Shah, Velankani Software, Mr. Samson David, DXC Technology, Mr. Sreedhar Prasad, KPMG, Mr. R. Sridhar, Allergan, Mr. Sunil Pai, Anixter, and Mr. Venkat Shastry, Heidrick & Struggles.

Mr. Paresh Shah, Vice Chairman – Karnataka Chapter, AMCHAM and General Manager, Syniverse Technologies, welcomed Mr. Fluker and gave him a brief about AMCHAM Karnataka’s long association with the U.S. Commercial Services. Mr. Fluker then spoke about his career in the Commercial Services and his plans for South India. There was an insightful discussion about the business environment in Karnataka and challenges American companies face operating in Bangalore, especially related to infrastructure and pricing issues in the pharma sector. Mr. Fluker said the consulate would like to work closely with AMCHAM to resolve some of these issues.

Western Region Committee Meeting – 28th August 2017

AMCHAM’s Western Region Committee (WRC) meeting was held on Monday, 28th August 2017 in Mumbai. The meeting commenced with welcome remarks by Mr. Mahesh Krishnamurti, Chairman – Western Region Committee, AMCHAM and Managing Director, RGP India.

By a consensus of committee members present, Mr. Ron Reed, Managing Director – Petroleum & Chemicals, Jacobs Engineering India Pvt. Ltd. was appointed as AMCHAM’s Western Region Committee Vice Chairman. Participating WRC members of the regional steering committee reviewed the region’s events and activities held in July and August 2017. Mr. Mahesh Krishnamurti updated the WRC members on key points discussed at the recently concluded NEB meeting, which was held in Chennai. Committee members collaborated to put together a designated framework in preparation of the proposed Western Region signature event to be held in December 2017. Most importantly, the WRC members agreed on understanding a common issue/concern of the majority of members in the region and resolved to channelize on one key objective and achieve a tangible impact for American businesses in India.

Welcome Reception in Honour of Mr. Edgard D. Kagan, Consul General, U.S. Consulate General Mumbai – 28th August 2017

Welcome Reception in Honour of Mr. Edgard D. Kagan, Consul General, U.S. Consulate General Mumbai
28th August 2017
On 28th August 201, AMCHAM’s Western Region welcomed the new U.S. Consul General to Mumbai, Mr. Edgard D. Kagan, over a working breakfast with distinguished members of the region. The event started with a warm welcome by Ms. Surabhi Wahal, Regional Director – Western Region, AMCHAM, who brought in the magnetic spirit of Mumbai with a video clipping of the U.S. Consulate Mumbai, which captured warm greetings extended to the CG by people from different walks of life, Bollywood included! The video was followed by a presentation showcasing AMCHAM and the Western Region’s membership, vision and future roadmap. Three significant publications of AMCHAM, capturing the essence of the capabilities of AMCHAM’s member companies, CSR initiatives and AMCHAM’s journey of 25 years, were presented to CG Kagan.

Mr. Mahesh Krishnamurti, Chairman – Western Region, AMCHAM and Managing Director, RGP India, expressed how delighted AMCHAM was to welcome the Consul General. He went on to share insight into the wonderful partnership that AMCHAM has shared with the U.S. Consulate over the years and that we looked forward to many more partnerships under his able leadership. Ms. Kaku Nakhate, National Executive Board Member, AMCHAM and Country Head, Bank of America, made an address capturing the success of AMCHAM’s door knock delegation to Washington D.C. As a distinguished leader of the banking and financial services, she shared a brief overview on the Indian economy with a focus on the developments post demontisation and GST. Ms. Nakhate further went on to welcome the Consul General to Mumbai. Consul General Kagan was felicitated with a floral bouquet.

CG Kagan began his remarks by commending the commitment and engagement of AMCHAM’s members. He stated that it was in the DNA of the U.S. Consulate to partner with AMCHAM and how his predecessor had spoken highly of AMCHAM’s support and contribution towards U.S. companies operating in the country. He briefly shared his experiences of his previous postings urging members to continue to reach out to him and the Consulate. CG Kagan expressed his special interest in AMCHAM’s sectoral committees and CSR initiatives. He shared his intent to build on the Indo – U.S. trade relations. Last, but not least, he stated that he looks forward to his time in Mumbai.

The event continued with a round of introductions by all participants showcasing the wide array of industry representation in the region. The floor was then opened to discussion with Consul General Kagan. Members spoke of the their experiences of working with AMCHAM and the U.S. Consulate, the impact of their interactions with leaders of the state government as well as the challenges faced and issues that they would like to address in forthcoming events. The Consul General appreciated the insightful discussion and closed with a promise to listen and action to the best of his ability.

The welcome reception concluded with a vote of thanks and concluding remarks by Mr. Ron Reed, Vice Chairman – Western Region Committee, AMCHAM and Managing Director – Petroleum & Chemicals, Jacobs Engineering India Pvt. Ltd. The event was powered by Abbott Healthcare Pvt. Ltd.

Defense Committee Meeting – 25th August 2017

AMCHAM’s Defense Committee held a meeting on August 25th 2017. The Ministry of Defense issued a list of FAQ’s pertaining to offsets contracts and offsets banking which was shared with members. Members discussed offset issues – retrospective applicability of offset changes, India value addition, scope of services for offset discharge, levy of penalties, offset discharge by group companies. AMCHAM’s recommendations on strategic partnership policy were also discussed. Interest on AMCHAM’s collaboration with the European Business Group (EBG) was also sought. The committee was updated about the upcoming defense related USG visits. MoD (Acquisition wing) issued an amendment to DPP 2016 on Article 16 and MOD released major activities of Department of Defense, July 2017, which were also shared with the committee.