Going extra mile for UK-India businesses
The UK India Business Council (UKIBC) has started delivering on its “Access India Programme” in partnership with the High Commission of India (HCI) in London by bringing technology-savvy Small and Medium Enterprises to India.
Naval veteran, Commodore Bunty Sethi, is working within UKIBC providing technical expertise in the Indian market for the UK SMEs.
In its first phase, the programme is supporting 50 UK SMEs to enter India. Phase II, recently launched in January 2020 by the UKIBC and HCI, will support a further 20 SMEs.
Patton Air, which has set up an office in Bangalore, is one of the first companies that have moved into the Indian market under phase I of the programme, UKIBC Vice Chairman Richard McCallum said on the sidelines of DefExpo 2020, held in Lucknow 5-8 Feb 2020.
To further boost bilateral business developments, UKIBC has also formed a new forum on Aerospace and Defence in India through the British Defence and Security Organization. It was launched in November 2019.
Elaborating on UKIBC’s role in UK-India business partnerships, he said a Memorandum of Understanding, signed at DefExpo 2020 with the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM), will help to further intensify activities both in India and the UK on how to increase collaboration among businesses of both countries.
“We want to help British companies meet the right kind of Indian companies and vice-versa for Indian companies to work in UK.
“There is a recognition that companies cannot just turn up and sell but they need to do co-development and co-creation and how to progress under the ‘Make in India’ initiative as well as export the final products,” said McCallum.
Prasenjit Dhar, UKIBC’s Associate Director, added that industries from both countries are working on implementation of projects and co-development of technologies and innovations.
The MoU signed at DefExpo is one such arrangement for promotion of industries on bilateral basis, said Dhar. It follows a Defence Equipment Memorandum signed in April 2019.
UKIBC is a member driven, strategic advisory business council working to promote trade and investment between the two countries. The UKIBC is well connected across both the UK and Indian Governments, from state and regional levels to the national. This enables the UKIBC to advocate for positive reforms and action for the better of the UK-India bilateral relationship.
It is also a consultancy which helps facilitate British companies in the Indian market as well as Indian companies in UK.
It hosts policy forums such as UK India CEO Forum and strategic management for companies in both markets. “We go the extra mile to ensure that companies working with us get the right contacts in the marketplace, be it India or the United Kingdom,” stressed McCallum. fiinews.com
