Consul General Mike Hankey set the tone for the discussion. He highlighted efforts by various departments at the U.S. Consulate General Mumbai to advance bilateral prosperity, help achieve societies that reflect inclusion, build fundamental securities and strengthen value chains in the region. Assistant Secretary Venkataraman spoke of the critical partnership between the U.S. and India, the unparalleled opportunity for bilateral relations in the current geopolitical scenario and scope for increased business.

Senior leaders from U.S. industry representing pharmaceutical, finance, private equity, consulting, food, agriculture and manufacturing sectors shared their perspectives, issues and concerns in the ease of doing business. The discussion highlighted the need for a component manufacturing ecosystem in India, the growing focus on R&D and innovation in the pharmaceutical industry and challenges faced by member companies with regards to intellectual property infringement, regulations in the agriculture and food processing industry and financial sector reforms. Mr. Sarthak Ranade provided a vote of thanks to the Assistant Secretary and the U.S. Consulate for their efforts in strengthening the U.S.-India relationship. He also thanked members for their valuable insights, sharing concerns of their respective industries and making it a meaningful interaction.

AMCHAM’s Hyderabad Chapter hosted a welcome meeting for Ms. Jennifer Larson, Consul General, U.S. Consulate General Hyderabad on October 28th in Hyderabad. Mr. Prakash Bodla, Chairman – Hyderabad Chapter, AMCHAM and MD, Carrier Technologies welcomed participants. The leaders present gave brief introductions of themselves, their companies and what they do. Consul General Larson shared about the upcoming opening of the new Consulate in early 2023, their support of U.S. industry and touched briefly on visas. There was also a discussion on how the Consulate could work with AMCHAM on D&I initiatives. Mr. Jayesh Sanghvi, Vice Chairman – Hyderabad Chapter, AMCHAM and Partner, EY gave a vote of thanks.

AMCHAM participated in a meeting called by Ms. Jennifer Bachus, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy, U.S. Department of State, on October 27th in New Delhi. Other dignitaries from the Embassy included Mr. Philip Cummings, Deputy Minister Counselor for Economic, Environment, and Science and Technology, U.S. Embassy and Mr. Aamod Omprakash, Cyber and Digital Policy Officer, U.S. Embassy. The discussions revolved around the opportunities and concerns related to the draft Telecommunication Bill 2022, CERT-In Directives 2022, PDPB, etc. Recent developments in the telecom sector, localization of data, cross-border data issues, issues with TEVC, OTT platform concerns, data privacy, hardware certification issues and harmonization of standards were also discussed. The meeting was convened alongside the U.S. India Open RAN Road Show (organized by the Embassy).

AMCHAM members engaged in closed door discussions with Mr. Pankaj Aggarwal, Additional Secretary & Director General (Acquisition), Ministry of Defence and RDML Michael Baker, Defense Attaché, U.S. Embassy on the sidelines of DefExpo 2022 on October 18th and October 19th at Gandhinagar. Opportunities to meet with Indian Airforce and Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) leadership were also coordinated for members at their exhibition booths.

On October 18th, AMCHAM’s Supply Chain & Logistics Committee organized a virtual knowledge sharing session on ‘National Logistics Policy and its Impact on India’s Competitive Advantage.’ The session commenced with opening remarks by Mr. Ambuj Saksaria, Regional Director – Western Region, AMCHAM, followed by Mr. Praveen Gosain, Chairman – Supply Chain & Logistics Committee, AMCHAM and Director (Supply Chain India), Corning Technologies India Private Limited, who set the stage through his welcome address. The session speaker, Mr. P.S. Easwaran, Partner – Consulting Supply Chain and Network Operations, Deloitte, delved into the impact and competitive advantage of the recently launched National Logistics Policy. He stated that the National Logistics Policy (NLP) is the logical next step of the development of integrated infrastructure and network planning through the PM’s GatiShakti National Master Plan and National Infrastructure Pipeline. He spoke of the government’s vision to develop a technologically enabled, integrated, cost effective, resilient, sustainable and trusted logistics ecosystem in the country for accelerated and inclusive growth. He then touched upon the key areas of impact for the logistics sector, emerging trends in the logistics OTT ecosystem and implications for warehousing. A Q&A segment followed. The event concluded with closing remarks and a vote of thanks by Mr. Gosain who thanked Mr. Easwaran, participants and AMCHAM.

On October 17th, AMCHAM’s U.S. defense industry leaders met with the visiting U.S. government leaders ahead of DefExpo 2022 at Gandhinagar, Gujarat. The delegation comprised of Consul General Mumbai Michael Hankey, U.S. Consulate General Mumbai, Major General Christopher Smith, Deputy Commanding General of U.S. Army Pacific, CAPT Michael Farmer Chief, Office of Defense Cooperation, U.S. Embassy and other senior officials from the U.S. government. The closed door roundtable offered members a unique opportunity of seeking government support about issues and concerns effecting industry. This was immediately followed by an excellent informal networking platform with policy makers and other stakeholders.