Industry stakeholders presented opportunities for expanding bilateral collaboration
Minister of Commerce & Industry Piyush Goyal has launched four knowledge reports—FICCI’s The Evolving India–UK Partnership, CII’s Indian Roots, British Soil: Charting Indian Industry’s Footprints in the UK 2026, the UKIBC–HSBC UK–India CETA Utilization Manual and CareEdge’s Sovereign Ratings – A Fresh Perspective.
The reports are intended to provide businesses with insights and practical guidance for effectively leveraging opportunities under the India–UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) into sustained business growth.
He led the India–UK: Partners in Progress Business Plenary in London on 27 June, and urged Indian companies to strengthen engagement with their UK counterparts to translate emerging opportunities under CETA.
The plenary was attended by leading industry representatives from both countries, who welcomed CETA as a transformative framework for strengthening bilateral trade and investment. The discussions highlighted the agreement’s potential to promote long-term investment, technology partnerships, innovation, resilient supply chains and deeper economic cooperation between India and the United Kingdom.
The deliberations focused on the effective implementation of CETA, with industry representatives emphasising the need to create greater awareness of the agreement, particularly among MSMEs, simplify regulatory procedures and certification requirements, strengthen industry-to-industry partnerships and facilitate greater talent mobility to enable businesses to fully leverage the opportunities arising from the agreement.
During the plenary, industry representatives also presented recommendations emerging from sectoral roundtable discussions covering healthcare, advanced manufacturing, clean energy, science and technology, services and consumer goods. The recommendations highlighted opportunities for expanding bilateral collaboration through innovation, investment and stronger business partnerships.
Following the plenary, Goyal concluded two days of business engagements in the United Kingdom with an interactive debriefing session with the Indian business delegation. Members of the delegation shared key learnings from their engagements, interactions with prospective partners and business opportunities identified across multiple sectors.
The engagements reaffirmed the strong momentum behind the India–UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement and reflected the shared commitment of both governments and industry to translate the agreement into tangible trade and investment outcomes, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said.
Separately, Minister Goyal, and the joint UK-India FTA negotiating teams were honoured with the Exceptional Leadership in Elevating UK-India Ties award at the UK-India Awards 2026 on 25 June 2026. Held at The Peninsula London during the 10th anniversary of India Global Forum’s UK-India Week, the awards recognised the leadership behind the historic UK-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA), following its ratification earlier this year.
The ceremony brought together senior ministers, high commissioners, diplomats and global business leaders to celebrate the individuals and institutions that have helped strengthen the UK-India partnership and advance it into a new phase of economic cooperation.
Biotechnology pioneer and Chairperson of Biocon Group Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw was presented with the Lifetime Contribution to UK-India Relations award for her global leadership in science and entrepreneurship. The financial corridor’s deep capital flows were celebrated next as banking titan Uday Kotak received the award for Exceptional Leadership in UK-India Financial Services, delivering his acceptance via a special video message.
Grant Thornton was honoured for its Decade of Contribution to Consulting, recognised for shaping advisory excellence and influential corridor research. The evening’s narrative smoothly transitioned from economic engines to societal impact, honouring forces that deliver meaningful progress beyond the boardroom. Wockhardt was recognised for its Decade of Contribution to Lifesciences and Health Resilience, particularly through vaccine infrastructure, while the British Council was honoured for its Decade of Contribution to Education.
The diaspora’s vital role was cemented with the British Asian Trust receiving the award for A Decade of Contribution to Social Impact, followed by the Premier League, which was celebrated for connecting millions of Indian fans to British football through grassroots youth initiatives like Premier Skills.
The gala reached its peak as the focus returned to the architects of the trade deal. In a rare and powerful public moment of joint celebration, the UK-India FTA Negotiating Teams took the stage together to receive their Exceptional Leadership in Elevating UK India Ties award, earning a standing ovation for the years of tireless determination spent navigating complex policy chapters across changing governments.
Concluding the evening, the final Exceptional Leadership in Elevating UK-India Ties award was presented to Goyal, India’s Minister of Commerce and Industry, by IGF Founder and Chairman Manoj Ladwa and UK Business and Trade Secretary Peter Kyle MP. Fiinews.com
