BWI: Patricia Hewitt to Meet Indian Business Leaders, Government Officials

Press release from Business Wire India
Source: UK INDIA Business Council
Monday, July 27, 2009 05:42 PM IST (12:12 PM GMT)
Editors: General: Economy, People; Business: Advertising, PR & marketing, Banking & financial services, Business services, Financial Analyst
--------------------------------------------------
Patricia Hewitt to Meet Indian Business Leaders, Government Officials


Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, Monday, July 27, 2009 -- (Business Wire India) -- UK India Business Council's new chair, the Rt Hon. Patricia Hewitt, MP, is visiting India from July 28th to July 31st to deepen the existing UK-India relations and encourage more bilateral trade and investment. The former Business Secretary will visit New Delhi, Mumbai and Chandigarh and meet industrialists, businesses, trade bodies and government officials.

Commenting on her appointment and her visit, Hewitt said, "I am delighted to be returning to India only a few weeks after taking over as chair of the UK India Business Council and look forward to renewing old friendships and making new ones. As Trade and Industry Secretary in Tony Blair's Cabinet, I made India my Number 1 overseas priority. Today, I'm urging British business to make India their Number 1 overseas priority."

Commenting on Patricia's visit, UKIBC CEO Sharon Bamford said, "We are delighted to have a champion of India as our new chairperson. Both as the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and as the e-Commerce Minister Patricia demonstrated a keen interest in engaging with Indian businesses and we look forward to her guidance and support. This is a very important visit where we will meet Indian and British businesses and the new Indian government and we look forward to exchanging views and ideas."

Hewitt urged more UK businesses to look at India, "Every business is affected by the global recession. But UK businesses that invest in doing business with India now will be much stronger when the upturn comes. The global financial crisis is accelerating the eastwards shift in the world's centre of economic gravity. Developed countries that have been in recession will be relatively poorer, while developing countries that are continuing to grow will be relatively richer. India and Britain are natural partners in the global economy - and UKIBC is here to help more Indian and British businesses create profitable partnerships together."

She is also encouraging British businesses to look beyond the metros and invest in the emerging cities of India. During her India trip, she will launch the UKIBC report - Opportunities for UK PLC in Emerging Cities of India- in Chandigarh. "British companies looking to do business in India should explore beyond the traditional centres of New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai and look at the smaller, faster growing regions and cities," she said.

The UKIBC's Mumbai team will be supporting the emerging cities initiative for Western India in Nagpur, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Goa and Pune. A high level delegation from the UK will be visiting Nagpur in September 2009 as part of the Emerging Cities programme. This will be followed by delegations to Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Jaipur and Chandigarh.

While in India, Hewitt will meet Indian industrialists, members of leading Indian trade bodies including Confederation of Indian Industry, FICCI and members of British Business Group.

NOTES TO EDITORS

About UKIBC:

The UK India Business Council (UKIBC) is the lead membership-led organisation supporting the British Government in the promotion of bilateral trade, business and investment between the two countries.

To view the photograph, click the link below:

Patricia Hewitt

For picture(s)/data to illustrate this release click below:

http://www.BusinessWireIndia.com/attachments/PIC(26).JPG
PIC(26).JPG


CONTACT DETAILS
Jimmy Mathew, Alaaya Media, +91 9820292545, jimmy@alaaya.com

KEYWORDS
ECONOMY, PEOPLE, MARKETING, BANKING, BUSINESS SERVICES, Financial Analyst

If you wish to change your Business Wire India selection please click on this link http://www.businesswireindia.com/media/news.asp and use your personal username and password to login.

Submit your press release at http://www.businesswireindia.com