Event Report
December 13-15, 2012 Mumbai, India.
CAAYE Member Organisations
List of Delegation Leaders
Bangladesh
Brunei
India
Malaysia
Malaysia
Pakistan
Sri Lanka
Katherine EllisDirector, Youth AffairsCommonwealth Secretariat
Aminul Islam KhanRegional Diector, A.I.CYP Asia
Rajkumar BidlaProgramme OfficerCommonwealth Secretariat,LondonYouth Affairs Division
Raj Kumar MishraRegional Director(Retired)CYP Asia
Navita MahajanModerator Leadership Assembly& Founding Member, CAAYE
Rahul MirchandaniFounder PresidentCAAYE
Srikant SuryanarayananNational Vice Chairman, Young IndiansManaging Director, Tradelinks Ventures Pvt Ltd
Fatin ArifinSecretaryYoung Entrepreneurs Association of Brunei
Welcome Reception12 December 2012
The first day of the leadership assembly, the 12th of December ended with a special welcome reception organised for
the Indian and overseas delegates at the residence of Dr Rahul Mirchandani, Founder President of CAAYE.
Delegates enjoyed an exclusive Indian tea tasting session, followed by fireworks, mehendi and music. All delegates
informally broke the ice and this marked the beginning of a long week together.
Interaction with students on “Leadership in Uncertain Times” 13 December 2012
On 13th December 2012, an opportunity was provided to 75 Yi Student network members to interact with the CAAYE
Leadership Assembly and the heads of the country delegations. An interaction on the topic, “Leadership in times of
uncertainty” was led by Mr Ejaj Ahmed, Founder, Bangladesh Youth Leadership Centre and head of the delegation to
the CAAYE Summit from Bangladesh. Lively discussions followed with the students discussing various opportunities
and challenges in times of uncertainly, entrepreneurship and the ways they can work to make a positive change for
themselves and the country at large. The session also offered students an opportunity to interact with Ms Katherine
Ellis, Director-Youth Affairs, Commonwealth Secretariat, London, Ms Fatin Arifin, leader of the delegation from Brunei
and Ms Navita Mahajan, Moderator of the CAAYE Leadership Assembly from India.
Breakfast Meeting with Dr Huzaifa Khorakiwala, Trustee and CEO, Wockhardt Foundation 14 December 2012
An interactive breakfast meeting was held for the Leadership
Assembly and select Yi Mumbai Chapter members on 14
December 2012. Dr Huzaifa Khorakiwala, Trustee & CEO,
Wockhardt Foundation, spoke on the various aspects of
'Social Business' and recommended ways in which
organisations can strategically utilize the 2% of profits that has
been mandated for allocation to Corporate Social
Responsibility..
He also added that there should be an extraordinary urge for
doing social businesses where the objective in addition to
making fair profits was to solve a social problem. He quoted
examples of Grameen Bank by citing case examples of Dr
Muhammad Yunus, banker, economist and a Nobel Peace
Prize recipient. The session also included a presentation
about Young Indians and its extensive activities across India
by Dr Rahul Mirchandani, Past National Chairman-Yi. Around
40 Yi members and the CAAYE Leadership Assembly
attended this session.
SEEING EXCELLENCE IN ACTION IN INDIA'S FINANCIAL CAPITALField Visits across various sectors in Mumbai
13-14 December 2012: Mumbai
A unique feature of the CAAYE Summit, were the field visits organised for the delegation members. The objective of
this 'ACTION LEARNING” was to witness global best practices of Indian companies in action. The delegations were
split into different groups based on their interest and each group visited companies in specific sectors.
Blue Dart is South Asia's premier courier and integrated express package distribution company. It has the most
extensive domestic network covering over 33,734 locations and service more than 220 countries and territories
worldwide through its group company DHL, the premier global brand name in express distribution services.
Around 35 delegates from Indian and Malaysia visited Blue Dart Head Office in Andheri and it was a great learning
experience. Mr Subrato Roy, Senior Manager (Marketing) shared with them about the history of the company and its
operations worldwide. He also talked about the time when company was going through a tough time and initiatives
they had taken to take it once again to the pinnacle of success.
Blue Dart Express Limited (Logistics)
13 December (Morning): Group One / First visit
Mr Rajwinder Sawant, Senior Manager (Business Excellence) and Mr Shirish Tawde, Department Head (Business
Excellence) gave a presentation about the vision and mission of the organisation. The delegates were given the
opportunity to visit the plant of the Farm Division in Kandivali East where they witnessed the manufacturing of various
parts of agricultural tractors.
35 delegates from India and Malaysia were part of this group.
Multi Commodity Exchange of India Ltd (Financial Services)
13 December 2012 (Morning): Group Two / First Visit
Mahindra & Mahindra Limited (M&M) is an Indian
multinational automaker and is one of the largest
automobile manufacturers by production in India and a
subsidiary of Mahindra Group conglomerate. It is ranked
#21 in the list of top companies of India in Fortune India 500
in 2011. Today, M&M is the leader in the utility vehicle
segment in India with its flagship UV Scorpio and enjoys a
growing global market presence in both the automotive
and tractor businesses. It has entered into the two-wheeler
segment by taking over Kinetic Motors in India.
Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd (Manufacturing Agricultural Equipment)
13 December (Afternoon): Group One / Second visit
Headquartered in Mumbai, Multi Commodity
Exchange of India Ltd (MCX) is a state-of-the-art
electronic commodity futures exchange. The
demutualised Exchange has permanent recognition
from the Government of India to facilitate online trading
and clearing and settlement operations for commodity
futures across the country. Having started operations
in November 2003, today, MCX holds a market share
of over 85% of the Indian commodity futures market.
The Exchange has more than 2,170 registered
members operating through over 3,46,000 including
CTCL trading terminals spread over 1,577 cities and
towns across India. MCX was the third largest
commodity futures exchange in the world, in terms of the number of contracts traded in CY2011 MCX offers more
than 40 commodities across various segments such as bullion, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, energy, and a
number of agri-commodities on its platform.
30 delegates from India, Bangladesh, Brunei and Malaysia visited MCX in Andheri (Mumbai). Mr U Venkataraman,
CEO Currency Derivatives Segment and Whole Time Director at MCX Stock Exchange, shared his views about the
origin of MCX and its future plans. Delegates were also taken to view the operation centre and see the overall working
of the commodity exchange. All delegated marvelled at the start of the art facility and provided a unique opportunity to
see the trading floor of one of the best such organisations in the world.
Aptech Computer Education (Infotech & Education Services)
13 December 2012 (Afternoon): Group Two / Second Visit
Aptech commenced its education and training business in 1986 and has globally trained over 6.4 million students.
Aptech is an ISO 9001:2000 organization and the first IT Training and Education company to get this certification for
Education Support Services in 1993. Aptech has presence in more than 40+ emerging countries through its two main
streams of businesses – Individual training and Enterprise Business. As a leader in career education, it has over 1305
centres of learning across the world. Aptech is associated with "Project Saraswati" for IT Literacy and "Project Srishti"
for Multimedia Training.
Mr Rajiv Kumar, Deputy Vice President at Aptech Ltd talked about the company's commencement in 1986 and since
then, how Aptech has changed the lives of over 5 million students which were trained by them. He also shared with the
delegates that it was a proud moment when Aptech Ltd. in 1993 became the first IT training organisation in Asia. He
also shared with the delegates the number of awards Aptech won since its inception and their vision to make a change
to the country and the world through information technology which has and will become an integral part of all our lives.
30 delegates from India, Pakistan, Singapore and Sri Lanka visited the Mumbai Dabbawalahs on 13th December
2012 at Vidyalankar Institute of Technology, Wadala (Mumbai). Dr Amit Rangnekar, Phd from NMIMS (Mumbai)
shared a presentation with the delegates on the origin, history and overall functioning of Dabbawala and how they
function in Mumbaievery day. Delegates were also taken to see the live simulation of Dabbawala working at Lower
Parel Railway Station in Mumbai. A senior representative from the Dabbawallas thrilled the audience with his candid
and humble talk and demeanour. Several media interactions took place during this most enjoyable and informative
visit.
The Mumbai Dabbawallahs (Logistics)
13 December 2012 (Morning): Group Three / First Visit
Of the many things that come to one's mind when one thinks of Mumbai, surely there are the Dabbawallahs; a word
with the closest meaning of “lunch box delivery man”. Established in the year 1890 and as a charitable trust in 1956, it
moves around 2,00,000 boxes every day (4,00,000 transactions each day including return) by an estimated 5000
dabbawallahs, all with an extremely small nominal fee and utmost punctuality. The average literacy level of a
dabbawallah is 8th standard. According to a recent survey, their error rate is 1 in 16 million transactions which equals
to a six sigma performance as declared by the Forbes Magazine in 2002. The Mumbai Dabbawallahs have been
certified by “The Joint Accreditation system of Australia and New Zealand by ISO 9001: 2000.
1298 Ambulance Services (Healthcare – Emergency Services)
13 December 2012 (Afternoon): Group Three / Second Visit:
It is the terms like 'The Golden Hour' and the 'Platinum Ten Minutes' that imply the importance of Emergency Medical
Services (EMS) all over the world. It is a well-accepted fact that a patient who receives basic care from trained
professionals and is transported to the nearest healthcare facility within 15-20 minutes of an emergency has the
greatest chance of survival. This acute need of providing Emergency Medical Service motivated 5 founders to start
Dial '1298' for Ambulance.
Reliance Media Works Limited (Infotainment)
14 December 2012 (Morning): Group One
Reliance Media Works Ltd is a film and entertainment services company based in Mumbai. It is part of the Reliance
ADA group and its international presence with the opening of a dedicated film and media services facility in London
that offers front-end, processing, restoration, 2D to 3D conversion and post-production services to broadcasters and
studios has been achieved. The company's Lowry Digital, Burbank, California facility has performed image and detail
enhancements, vertical and horizontal alignments issues and 911 emergency fixes for 3D versions of films like Avatar,
Journey to the Center of the Earth, U2, X Games 3D: The Movie and Step Up 3D.
Around 25 delegates from Bangladesh, Brunei, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka visited the organisation. Mr Naresh
Jhangiani, President enlightened the delegates about the kind of services provided by the company to its
broadcasters and various studios. Delegates were also taken for a short visit to its various departments like Color
Processing Room, Analyzer room, Theater Room etc and were fortunate to see the live ad shooting at the time of their
visit.
Currently Dial '1298' for Ambulance operates in Mumbai, Bihar, Punjab, Rajasthan and Kerala. Dial '1298' for
Ambulance is a part of Ziqitza Health Care Limited which was started by 5 young professionals in 2005, who after their
education / training and professional employment / entrepreneurial projects in India, realized the acute need for
organized and networked Ambulance service in India for saving lives which may otherwise have been lost ONLY for
want of timely medical attention. Ms Priyanka Bose, Head – Marketing & Quality, Ziqitza Health Care Limited shared
with the delegates about the origin and the vision behind opening the 1298 Ambulance Services. She also shared with
the delegates about their major contribution in saving the victims of 26/11 terror attack that shocked the whole of
Mumbai.
Micro Entrepreneurs at Dharavi Slums
14 December 2012 (Morning): Group One
Dharavi is a slum and administrative ward, over parts of Sion, Bandra, Kurla and Kalina suburbs of Mumbai, India. It is
sandwiched between Mahim in the west and Sion in the east and spread over an area of 175 hectares. In 1986, the
population was estimated at 530,225, but modern Dharavi has a population of between 600,000 and over 1 million
people. Dharavi is one of the largest slums in the world. In most large cities, the floor space index (FSI) varies from 5 to
15 in the Central Business District (CBD) to about 0.5, or below, in the suburbs. In Mumbai, the permitted FSI is
uniform and in 1991 was fixed at 1.33. The regulations that restrict the FSI greatly reduce the floor space available for
residence and business. In expensive Mumbai, Dharavi provides a cheap alternative where rents were as low as
US$4 per month in 2006. Dharavi exports goods around the world.
Mr R Krishna, Founder of a NGO named Reality Gives in Dharavi facilitated the visit of the delegation that had visitors
from India- and Malaysia. He spoke about the origin of Dharavi, and how this slum area became the largest business
hub in the last few years. He also introduced the delegates to a few successful businessman in the recycling, leather
goods and manufacturing sectors based in Dharavi which whom the visitors interacted with.
Street Food Festival 14 December 2012
After the various field visits, the delegations had a unique experience of a street food festival in Mumbai at the Mumbai
University's sprawling Kalina Campus. The objective of this festival was to expose delegations to the street food
culture in Mumbai and the delectable dishes and extraordinary variety of authentic street food prepared by high
quality vendors.
The student volunteers also broke into an impromptu 'Flash Mob' dance routine, much to the thrill of the delegates
present, many of whom joined the revelry.
Commonwealth Asia Alliance of Young Entrepreneurs Summiton 'Building a Better Youth Entrepreneurship Ecosystem'
14 – 15 December 2012, Mumbai: Day 1
The inaugural session at the award winning heritage Convocation Hall, Mumbai University Fort Campus
Dr Rahul Mirchandani, Founder President, Commonwealth-Asia Alliance of Young Entrepreneurs & Past National
Chairman, Young Indians welcomed the delegates to India and Mumbai for the first edition of the CAAYE Summit and
outlined the theme of the Summit.
In line with Indian tradition, , the leaders of each delegation to the CAAYE Summit and one representative per Yi
chapter was invited to the light the lamp, following which some student volunteers were invited too. All the leaders of
the various delegations received thunderous applause from the audience and cheers from their respective
delegations.
Ms Katherine Ellis, Director-Youth Affairs, Commonwealth
Secretariat London addressed the audience saying that
entrepreneurship is driven by innovative young entrepreneurs to
create growth and social inclusion and each one of us is the
beacon of hope. “Young entrepreneurs help in nation building and
take the nations to the next level.” she said and encouraged
everyone to get inspired by the ideas they share with their peers
during their time together in Mumbai and thereafter.
Ms Nita Chowdhury, Secretary, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports,
Government of India addressed the gathering and said that she was
thrilled to be at the summit and congratulated CAAYE for creating
history. She said that she felt proud to be part of the wonderful
occasion and was glad to stand in one of the oldest and most historical
Mumbai University convocation hall. She referred to Commonwealth
as a commonwealth of ideas and a commonwealth to generate ideas.
During the course of her speech, she coined the impromptu slogan –
'Hail Entrepreneur'. She addressed the audience saying that we all
need to respect the member nations and work towards a common
goal of reviving the opportunities for our countrymen and make the
world recognize the young entrepreneurs. She encouraged CAAYE to
come up with its own unique slogan which would serve as a unique
identity for Asian young entrepreneurs. The signature salutation of
Salaam Namaste was an example..
A video message from Mr Kamalesh Sharma, Secretary General of the Commonwealth was played. He congratulated
everyone who was a part of such an amazing event where the young and enthusiastic entrepreneurs were willingly
ready to shake hands with the fellow entrepreneurs from other nations. He also added that young entrepreneurs were
the hope for any country's growth and that if all young brains came together, then no country would face the problems
of unemployment as these young minds would generate ample number of job opportunities for their countrymen.
According to him, these 5 myths in business were; It is
essential to be first in the market; R&D is measure of
innovation; Innovation is more difficult in services;
Innovation is about big bets & Process matters more than
culture. “In Tata companies, the culture is as important as
the process” After an inspiring and motivating speech from
Mr Gopalakrishnan, Mr Narayan Jaisingh, Chair, Yi
(Mumbai Chapter) gave the closing remarks.
All delegations then assembled for a group pictures
alongside the heritage hall and thereafter, enjoyed
releasing sky lanterns into the sky in the Cross Maidan
opposite the University Clock Tower.
Mr R Gopalakrishnan, Director, Tata Sons Ltd, the
Chief Guest for the inaugural session began his speech
in a humorous way pointing out that “I am not here to
bore you all but infact I am here to entertain you all.” His
talk, titled as “Innovation Culture: Myths, Realities,
Ideas” continued by detailing how innovation was the
flipside of entrepreneurship. His presentation dwelled
on the 5 myths in business that people assume to be
true and challenged them in his presentation by
providing arguments for each that engrossed the
audience for 45 minutes.
Sky Lanterns being released into Mumbai’s Night Sky at the historic Cross Maidanopposite the Mumbai University Fort Campus Clock Tower
Commonwealth Asia Alliance of Young Entrepreneurs Summiton 'Building a Better Youth Entrepreneurship Ecosystem'
14 – 15 December 2012, Mumbai: Day 2
Dr Rahul Mirchandani welcomed the delegates for
the second day of the summit. He and Dr Navita
Mahajan, Moderator of the Leadership Assembly of
CAAYE and National Chair of Next Practices in Young
Indians introduced the panellists for the panel
discussion on “Building an Entrepreneur Eco-system
with focus on Access to Finance, Infrastructure and
Regulations & Taxation.
Dr Naushad Forbes, Chairman, CII Sustainability &
Climate Change; Director, Forbes Marshall Pvt Ltd who
moderated the panel discussion shared how there was
a passion in India for certain kinds of businesses.
According to him, family businesses were open to
discussing ideas that cover a wide range of industries
and he advised young entrepreneurs to find the right
kind of venture capitalist and also be open to try out
something new. Dr Forbes also encouraged youth to
consider joining their family businesses with pride and
also look upon the family as the 'in-house venture
capitalists' for start-ups.
Mr Ashishkumar Chauhan, Managing Director &
Chief Executive Officer, Bombay Stock Exchange
began saying one always finds some entrepreneurial
activity in every Mumbaikar's heart. Some of the
delegates who had visited microenterprises in Dharavi
the previous day agreed with Mr Chauhan on this.
He said that 50% of India's population was below 25
years of age and that there was no better way to create
entrepreneurs than to make role models out of
successful entrepreneurs. He stressed on the point that
it is not about how much money you have, but it is about
how you use it!
Mr Tushar K Jani, Chairman, SCA Group of companies
mentioned how creating an entrepreneurial eco system
star ts wi th celebrat ing and nurtur ing the
entrepreneurship spirit. He gave a few lessons from his
personal experiences about how failure in business
was a must to learn and take your business to the next
level.
He also spoke about how risk was an integral part of
doing business, further requesting banks to give loans
to young entrepreneurs who don't have collaterals. He
mentioned how it is difficult for a young entrepreneur to
offer collateral when he is just setting up a business.
Panel Discussion on “Building an Entrepreneur Ecosystem”Access to Finance, Infrastructure, Regulations & Taxes
Ms Devita Saraf mentioned that empowering women
will play an important role in improving the
entrepreneurial ecosystem. Another key factor was the
need to change the mind set of failure as a stigma.
According to her, young people who cruise successfully
through school are often completely overwhelmed by
their first failure when they start work.
She narrated her personal experience in a technology
driven business and mentioned how, even if one had the
best product, it would not sell if marketing wasn't done
well. According to her, a person who fails and learns to
get back to entrepreneurship are true entrepreneurs.
She also said that she felt happy that she ran a
successful family business and ended by saying that
she would prefer her father shouting at her rather than
any other boss.
Mr Alex Mitchell, Director, Young Brits Network shared
his experience as a founding member of the G20 Young
Entrepreneur Alliance. He mentioned that the
challenges for India are different from those of
European countries. “The world is getting smaller.
Think globally no matter where you are based” he said
and shared some valuable insights for an entrepreneur
to network efficiently. He said one must never be afraid
to employ people better than themselves. Regarding
access to finance, he advised to look at 3 F's – Friends,
Family and Fools. He also cautioned that it is not the
government's responsibility to create jobs, but it is the
responsibility of the entrepreneurs.
Panel Discussion on “Education and Skills Development”Entrepreneurship as a Career: Education as a Business Opportunity
The second panel discussion on “Education and Skills
development” with focus on Entrepreneurship as a
Career and Education as a Business Opportunity was
moderated by Mr R Mukundan, Deputy Chairman, CII
(WR) & Managing Director, Tata Chemicals Ltd. He
began by mentioning how education institutes in the
recent past have focused more on money and less on
standards. During the course of the discussions, he also
suggested a book – 'The Industrial Revolution' by
Jeremy Rifkin as a recommendation for all to read.
Mr Ejaj Ahmed, Leader, Bangladesh Delegation to the
CAAYE Summit and Founder, Bangladesh Youth
Development Centre and Mr Krishantha Wisenthige
Leader, Sri Lanka delegation to CAAYE Summit & Head
– Membership, Projects and Services, FCCISL
introduced the panellists.
Mr Sathish Jha, Founder Chairman, One Laptop Per
Child Foundation began by asking why 94% of India's
population did not have the right capabilities, skills or
thinking to be where they can potentially be. He
stressed on how nurturing creativity is the first job of a
nation The One laptop per child initiative was started
primarily because of a lack of IT infrastructure.
However, it was possible to help a child by helping him
learn in the best possible way. He said that India had its
advantages in terms of demographics; however
warned that these demographic dividends will be
meaningful only if our people have the capacity to think
ahead of their times.
According to Mr Jha, those who were setting the
agenda for the world were always thinking 30-40 years
ahead. To strengthen his argument, he quoted the
example of the Indian cell phone revolution which the
Indian telecom department had thought would take 50
years. “The government should plan for 20 years just
like how parents do for their children” he said.
Mr Maheshwar Sahu, Principal Secretary, Industries &
Mines, Government of Gujarat began by access to
formal education. He gave details about the skilling
process through the informal sector which was a way to
create many micro-entrepreneurs. He added that this
process had got investment intentions from 7000 to
8000 small and medium scale enterprises in Gujarat in
last one year alone and stressed that access to
education will be a big issue going forward.
He praised Gujarat state for its management of
employment and increasing the size of the
manufacturing industry. According to him, the top most
priority should be given to infrastructure development
as it is necessary to sustain the growth of not just
Gujarat but across India.
Mr Nilesh Vani, Chief Strategy Officer, Aptech Ltd
remarked how people in the education sector make a lot
more money than the people in Indian telecom sector.
According to him, there are ample opportunities to
make profit around education. He said that it was
viewed as politically inconvenient to make money in the
formal education sector, but with the rate of growth of
the sector, there is a huge scope for building
sustainable and profitable educational institutions.
Ms Khadija Mushtaq, Executive Director & CEO,
Roots School System, Pakistan spoke about the need
to include entrepreneurship as a subject in the
academic curriculum. She pointed out how academics
stress more on theory and less on practical knowledge.
According to her, there was a need to carefully expose
children to risk from a very early age.She explained how it is vital to adapt education and to
equip kids for the global skills race. “These skills can be
categorised into tangible and intangible skills and both
are equally necessary for success” she said.
Mr Shankar Vanavarayar, President, NIA Educational
Institutions said that he got into the education sector
not only because it was exciting and full of young
people, but precisely because a lot of change was
happening in the post Google, post youtube world and
young people wanted to learn what they want rather
than what the society preaches them. “One size
doesn't fit all in education” he said and went on to
elaborate on the challenges in education like creativity,
innovation and the constant need for change. Mr
Vanavarayar said there existed a skills gap and to fill it,
teaching in old ways had to stop and learning has to
become experiential.
Mr Sandeep Aneja, Managing Director, Kaizen Management Advisors
Private Limited brought in a different perspective since they were
India's only private equity fund in the educational field. He stressed on
how India's education system sometimes doesn't focus on aspiration,
but on aptitude. He focused on the 3 pillars of society that lead to skills
development and the challenges involved.
According to Mr Aneja, the most common skills one needed were life
skills, self-realisation and aspiration. These are the 3 pillars had
become critical. He also mentioned some challenges include socio
economic, cultural challenges, short term growth vs. long term
opportunities etc.
Delegates Composition
Profile of Delegates
The next panel discussion was focused on Breaking
Trade Barriers with a focus on Trading Blocs, Reform in
import policies & shift from protecting 'producers' to
benefiting consumers.
The introduction of speakers was done by Mr Shaban
Khalid, Leader, Pakistan delegation to the CAAYE
Summit & Director, Ittehad Steel Industries and by Mr
Mahmood Elahi, Member of the Pakistan delegation to
the CAAYE Summit & Director, Taxila Cotton Mills and
was moderated by Mr T S Vishwanath, Principal
Adviser, APJ-SLG Law Offices.
Mr Vishwanath felt this was a very engaging topic
considering what is going on around the world in terms
of trade and investment. He spoke about how, in the
last 5–10 years, globalisation has even touched
countries which had never attempted to get actively
globalised. In his opinion, what really drove trade was
business to business contacts and that there was a
need to look at creating a platform that will bridge the
trade gap.
Panel Discussion on “Breaking Trade Barriers”Trading Blocs, Reform in import policies & shift from protecting
‘producers’ to benefitting consumers
He also stressed on the need to create global value
chains which would help medium and small
enterprises.
Mr Luca Donelli, Executive – Euros S.r.I & G20 YEA
Sherpa of Italian Delegation of Confindustria Y.E made
an observation regarding Unity in Diversity in India He
greeted the audience in Italian and said he was at the
summit to share his experience as a European
entrepreneur. He mentioned the one challenge was to
give up a little bit of sovereignty as a trade-off and as an
example, pointed out the need for a fully integrated
fiscal and economic policy.
“One way of breaking trade barriers is meeting new
people, being genuinely interested in what they do and
then creatively exploit these networks you make”. He
said that three things that help better networks were
breaking barriers by creating appropriate platforms not
being afraid of asking for help and leveraging social
media.
Ms Hafimi Abdul Haadii, Director - LVK Group of
Companies; ABAC Member - Brunei Darussalam
said that the objective of entrepreneurship in
Brunei was to create a leadership base from a very
early age. “By introducing entrepreneurship at a
young age, we start to nurture our next captains of
industry.” She went on to explain how in terms of
trade barriers, Brunei was a very open market. She
stressed on the need to further open markets as
Brunei was a small country. She reflected how the
benefits which she got by providing feedback to her
government and encouraging them to reduce trade
barriers not just helped entrepreneurs like her but
also the next generation.
Mr Syed Ishtiaq Alam, Director, Ananta Group,
Bangladesh said that one should focus on current
and relevant issues. The more famous branded
products of Bangladesh are The Grameen Bank
and The BRAC bank. He stressed on the need for
easier availability of visa, work permits etc.
However, the biggest challenges are not political or
geographical but were the challenge to create a
positive mindset. He felt that if there were no trade
barriers as there were today, the world trade would
increase instantaneously.
Mr Paulius Kuncinas, Regional Editor – Asia, Oxford
Business Group began by quoting the 'Asian Paradox';
that the 21st century was going to be “Asia centric” in
terms demand, growth and prosperity. However,
according to him, Asia was an underperformer in
regional trade. He pointed out that one of the reasons
for this was because of too much focus on protecting
the producer and not the consumer.
“Asian trade was pretty much moving east to west, but
there is not much integration between the north and
south”. He felt that this was one big lost opportunity and
hoped that the countries can work to get around this
bottleneck. According to him, Asia was hard to compete
with.
The fourth panel of the summit focused on Funding
Young Entrepreneurs. The panellists were introduced
by Mr Muzamir Mustafa, Leader of PUGM Malaysian
Delegation to CAAYE & President, PUGM and by Ms
Nurul Huda Afandi, Leader of JCI Malaysian Delegation
to CAAYE Summit & Executive VP, JCI Petaling Jaya
and moderated by Mr Sanjay Singh, Director of
Corporate Finance, KPMG India (P) Ltd. This panel
discussion included two bankers, one venture capitalist
and one entrepreneur.
Mr Syed Mahbubur Rahman, Managing Director &
CEO, BRAC Bank, Bangladesh explained the
successful role that BRAC bank had played and
continues to play in Bangladesh. He spoke about the
various challenges faced in Bangladesh by the
government as well as the entrepreneurs; some of them
being creation of employment and access to finance.
He defended the banker's community when Mr Chua
narrated his story and said how banks exist to frustrate
entrepreneurs.
He argued that young entrepreneurs' good intentions
and strong commitment are forms of collateral while
taking loans.
Mr Damien Chua, Owner, JD Resources shared his
personal experience of how he started his minerals
trading company and how he had to face many hurdles
with banks. He was outspoken when it came to banks
and funding and spoke from his heart. The audience
loved the way in which Mr Chua narrated how he built a
US $300 million from scratch.
He said that the relationship between the bank and him
is a love hate relationship. He advised the audience not
to get frustrated while dealing with a bank. For young
entrepreneurs, he encouraged them to learn
everything from costing and taxation to logistics and
marketing, saying that these skills would always come
in handy when doing business. He asked the audience
to take every opportunity to learn and more importantly,
keep their feet on the ground.
Panel Discussion on “Funding Young Entrepreneurs”
Mr Ramesh Dharmaji, Chief General Manager, Small
Industries Development Bank of India responded to Mr
Chua's speech by saying that bankers have certain
constraints with regard to giving loans. While seeking
loans, he urged entrepreneurs to make a high quality
proposal so that the possibilities of getting the loan
sanctioned are bright and better.
He believed that there was a gap between one who
wants to fund and the ones who need funding. He
added that bankers need to dance without stepping on
each other's shoes. While responding to a question by
Mr Samar Singh (Are banks actually looking to
encourage entrepreneurs?), Mr Dharmaji responded
that banks do consider SMEs as a good investment,
and said that they were always keen to support and
encourage entrepreneurship within the permissible
guidelines.
Mr Sasha Mirchandani, Founder, Mumbai Angels and
Kae Capital shared his story about how he became a
venture capitalist by learning to take risks. He said that it
was important to know the intentions of investors and
understand why they would agree to fund any business.
In the recent past, he said that he noticed investors ask
for far too many rights in the business making it difficult
for the entrepreneur to operate. Mr Mirchandani said
that this was a business reality because the current
investor wants to secure his position and rights against
the next round of funding. He advised the audience to
be ready to accept no as an answer. He narrated the
story of his uncle who had to face no as an answer 89
times before the bank finally accepted his proposal. He
also mentioned that he responds to every message on
LinkedIn. He invited anyone with a concrete business
plan to visit his office.
The last panel discussion of the summit focused on
“Doing Business in India” and was moderated by Ms
Bhairavi Jani, Director, SCA Group of Companies &
Past National Chairman, Young Indians. The panel
focussed on investment policies, infrastructure projects
and the reasons to invest in India. She also engaged in
a discussion with Mr Zubin Kabraji regarding the
reasons for foreign companies to take interest in doing
business in Pune.
Ms Fatin Arifin, Leader of Brunei delegation to CAAYE
Summit & Secretary, Young Entrepreneurs Association
of Brunei introduced the panellists of this panel
discussion.
Mr Zubin Kabraji, Regional Director, Pune Indo
German Chamber of Commerce talked about the thin
line between facilitating business and lobbying by
explaining how any organisation needs information to
make the right decisions, especially in terms of large
scale investments. He stressed on the need to have a
comprehensive national policy for promoting
entrepreneurs and according to him, the start-up
villages were the need of the hour and the onus was on
the state governments.
Mr Paresh Parekh, Tax Partner, Ernst & Young spoke
about policy paralysis being a big hindrance to the
entrepreneurship development “India has become a
hub with dedicated resources” According to him, India
was a good bet for investment but argued that one
needs to be a big player to be able to negotiate with the
government. He asked delegates to treat India not just
as a country, but as a continent.
Panel Discussion on “Doing Business in India”
Mr Maheshwar Rao, Commissioner of Industries,
Government of Karnataka discussed the reasons why
India was an attractive market for doing business. “Size
of market, huge possibility of growth and good quality
products were the reasons to invest in India” he said. He
was questioned whether it was right to build
infrastructure first or go out and get investment which
will then fund the infrastructure.
To this, he responded by saying that it is feasible if a
couple of industries come together and create the
infrastructure which also gives rise to employment. He
explained that Karnataka was following a capital based
model with the help of the National Manufacturing
Policy launched by the Government of India.
Mr Shaffi Matther, Economic Advisor to the Chief
Minister, Government of Kerala spoke about the
political aspects of balancing state level and centre
level priorities while making sure that economic growth
is sustained. He felt that the stand taken by the
Government on FDI was a game changer. “It is a major
change in how the politics of our country works with
regard to the proposal to allow individual states to
respectively decide on FDI” he said. Answering a query
on the labour situation, he stated that historically Kerala
has had labour issues. However he assured that the
situation has changed off late. He made a pitch for
investments into Kerala by highlighting the advantages
of best law and order, best governance and the best
social indicators like health and education in the state.
After the panel discussions, the delegations were appraised about the contents of the “Official Communique of
Commonwealth Asia Alliance of Young Entrepreneurs”. This was a document finalised by incorporating voices of the
delegations and young entrepreneurs of member countries with regard to improving access to finance for young
entrepreneurs (Full text appears in Annexure 1). The communiqué was signed by the leader of each country's
delegation in a formal ceremony. The signed communiqué was formally handed over to Ms Katherine Ellis, Director
and Head, Youth Affairs- Commonwealth Secretariat London who promised to ensure that this landmark and historic
document would be sent to the Ministries and officials of the member governments. She also stated that the upcoming
Ministerial meetings of the Commonwealth Youth Ministers in Papua New Guinea would also provide CAAYE to
present the communiqué to the Heads of government in attendance.
The Summit concluded with the CAAYE flag being handed over by India to Pakistan, which will host the next CAAYE
Interim Meetings and Leadership Assembly in June 2013.
Mr Srikanth Suryanarayan, National Vice Chairman, Young Indians and Managing Director, Tradelinks Ventures P Ltd
concluded the summit by giving the closing remarks. After summarising some key learnings and takeaways from all
the deliberations, he thanked all delegates present, Ms Katherine Ellis and Mr Aminul Khan of the Commonwealth
Secretariat, Dr Rahul Mirchandani, the Yi secretariat and the student volunteers for putting up a world class Summit.
The Delegates were then treated to some great violin music by a group of 9 to 12 year old special children from
Hyderabad on the theme “Colours of India”. 35 children presented an amazing symphony much to the delight of all
present.
The Official Communique of theCommonwealth Asia Alliance of Young Entrepreneurs
Signed in Mumbai, India at the CAAYE Summit on this fifteenth day of December, 2012
Presenting the official communique to Ms Uphekkha Samaratunga, Consul General, Consulate of Sri Lanka in Mumbai
Handing over of the CAAYE flag to Pakistan who will host the CAAYE Interim Meetings and Leadership Assembly in June 2013
COLOURS OF INDIA; A spectacular violin performance by 8 - 12 years old children of the Aarabhi School of Music from Hyderabad
The Second Meeting of the CAAYE Leadership Assembly12 - 14 December 2012: Mumbai
The Leaders of the Delegations representing Eight Nations with One Ambition of The Commonwealth Asia Alliance of
Young Entrepreneurs (CAAYE) had their 2nd Leadership Assembly Meeting from 12 to 14 December 2012 at the
World Trade Centre, Mumbai on the sidelines of the historic CAAYE Summit themed around 'Building a Better Youth
Entrepreneurship Ecosystem'.
The meetings lasted for 3 days and concluded with the finalization of a communiqué with the consensus of country
representatives present. The leaders of the delegations from India, Bangladesh, Brunei, Malaysia, Pakistan,
Singapore & Sri Lanka were present with Nepal invited as an observer nation.
Discussions focussed on joint opportunities with the Commonwealth Youth Programme and CAAYE including
representation at all commonwealth Ministerial Meetings and active support by Commonwealth Youth Program. It
was also decided that CYP would ensure that CAAYE has a Voice on the table of all Commonwealth Forums and
advocacy platforms to represent views of Asia's young entrepreneurs. CYP is also keen that CAAYE mentors similar
Alliances in the other three Regions of the Commonwealth, namely the Carribean, Africa and the Pacific.
In addition there were detailed deliberations on Partnership opportunities with the ILO's Youth employment network,
Radiowalla Networks for CAAYE Radio (an online radio channel dedicated to entrepreneurship) and Smart CEO
business magazine (for a year long set of 12 monthly features on CAAYE member organisations). An interaction was
also held on learnings from the G20 Young Entrepreneur Alliance experiences with UK and Italy leaders on the G20
YEA present in person.
Ms Uphekkha Samaratunga, Consul General, Consulate of Sri Lanka also met the Leadership Assembly. And
discussed ways in which Alliances like CAAYE can help advocate the reduction of trade barriers and better people to
people connections in the Region.
Students Orientation / Ice Breaking Session10 December 2012: Mumbai
Composition of Student Volunteers Students Work Allocation
Ahmedabad
Bangalore
Chandigarh
Coimbatore
Delhi
Gandhi Nagar
Mumbai
Indore
Vadodara
Leadership Assembly & Inaugural
Post Event Report
Live Blogging
Factory Visits & Logistics
Registration
Headtable Management & VIP Lounge
Floor Management
General
Valedictory Session
Media Management
Liaison for Overseas Speakers
Brunch-@-Sea16 December 2012: Mumbai
The CAAYE Summit Team
Special Moments... Unforgettable Experiences
Special Moments... Unforgettable Experiences
Feedback from delegates and speakers
Salaam Namaste!!
Much thanks for hosting myself and the delegates
from Brunei. It was indeed a lasting impression albeit
24 hours in Mumbai, but I am sure I will be back again.
Hafimi Abdul HaadiiLVK Group of Companies
BRUNEI
Dear CAAYE Team,
Thank you for such an amazing and wonderful show ! We
really enjoyed our stay and sincerely appreciate all your
hospitality. We have made lot of friends here.
Adnan ShahidIdeogeny
PAKISTAN
“The hosting association, Young Indians and the other
CAAYE members have put together an intense
Summit. This summit has not only given the delegates
an opportunity to network, interact and learn from
speakers and delegates, but also a platform for
enhancing cooperation amongst associations of
young entrepreneurs in building global awareness
about youth entrepreneurship and the tremendous
growth opportunity. A major point of strength has also
been the ability of the organizing team to show the local
success stories, but also the challenges India is facing
. The energy and commitment of the young leaders
present supported by inspiring and curios student
volunteers have generated constructive ideas and
suggestions that will be useful to the Commonwealth
Secretariat.”
Luca DonelliExecutive - Euros S.r.I & G20 YEA Sherpa of Italian
Delegation of Confindustria Y.E
“The first CAAYE Summit provided a unique platform to
engage young Asian entrepreneurs from the
Commonwealth countries in a constructive debate on how
to break trade barriers and increase investment flows in the
21st century’s fastest growing economic region. As a
speaker at the event, I was encouraged by the diversity,
scope and the willingness to move beyond the official
policy lines. Perhaps, the most powerful example of this
was the genuine warmth and friendship between
delegations from India and Pakistan that completely defied
common perceptions and prejudice. Rational, common
sense arguments and desire to engage in a constructive
fashion also prevailed in discussions on specific
investment opportunities in India as well as the need to
improve the level of education and improve access to
finance.”
Paulius KuncinasRegional Editor - Asia, Oxford Business Group & Panelist
at the CAAYE Summit
I am afraid that words would fail if I wish to place on
record my sincere thanks and appreciation to you and to
valiant members of Yi team, students and volunteers
who worked really hard to make the Summit a success. It
was, I must say, not an easy task to make it a historic
event. It also sets a mile stone, a bench mark and all of us
would feel the challenge to organise similar events in
such a way.
It was a learning for me as it provided lots of opportunity
to meet and to interact with speakers, delegates and
students. All of you have successfully left no room for me
to be critical even for a small lapse. I got to know what is
really meant by excellence. I am proud to be associated
with all of you and Yi and wish to take it forward in our
work in India and across the region.
Great work! Excellent hospitality! Good learning!
Aminul Islam KhanRegional Director
COMMONWEALTH SECRETARIAT
I felt very honoured to be asked to attend the summit and to
take part. It really was a tremendous achievement and
something i hope you feel very proud of. It was the start of
something special and something that will create both a
wide and positive impact.
Alex MitchellDirector, Young Brits Network
UNITED KINGDOM
The event was just very elegant and graceful, from the
food to the speakers, venues, delegates attending,
industrial visits, topics etc. there's a part of me still
yearning to go back and not leave the atmosphere. I carry
back from the summit new friendships, renewing old ones
and with a lot of intellectual stuff. I can guarantee from my
end that the summit would go a long way in helping me
professionally and the country indirectly. I wish the forum
further flourishes and brings in large benefits.
Sreevats GopalYi Kochi
ITALY MALAYSIA
INDIA
Our Student Volunteers Speak...
"I will never forget CAAYE Summit 2012 and the people I met there. If I have to sum up my
experience of CAAYE in short, I would just say it’s one of a kind experience…where you
sleep, breathe, eat, drink entrepreneurship. I feel lucky I got to share my ideas with some
of the delegates, and I really thank them for their patience for not only listening to me but
also guiding me in strategizing my plans better. I know for sure I will be better at working it
out now, thanks to CAAYE, I would have never got a chance to meet them personally. I
had a great time, made a lot of friends, learnt a lot and this is something that I will cherish
for the rest of my life.”Janhavi SharmaTaaleem College of International Studies, Chandigarh
“It was a great experience and it took me to
places which I might never go being a
commoner. It helped me network even as a
volunteer and I hope the contacts established
will help me sometime somewhere. I was glad
we were asked to travel round the city cause it
gave me an insight into the life of a local in the
city. Most importantly, the summit was an eye
opener for me. Hearing great personalities
speak, I was inspired and presently I am
working on my own ideas. Last of all, thanks to
the CAAYE team; it was a life changing
experience. Will be happy if I get more chances
like these in the days to come.”
Gowri Shankar.S
Kumaraguru College
of Technology,
Coimbatore
“CAAYE was the big memorable experience of my
life that I never forget. Got lots of knowledge from
the factory visits. Without CAAYE, it would not
have been possible to visit the Dharavi slums
which is the perfect example of entrepreneurship
which can run successfully under any
circumstance. Been a part of high professional
event and getting inside in Bombay Stock
Exchange was a great experience.”Chirag ShahXcellon School of Business, Ahmedabad
“The CAAYE young entrepreneur summit was a great learning experience. We got the opportunity to witness history being created in places where many other historical events have taken place and share a small but significant role in understanding the process of change being brought about. Meeting other students from various parts of the country, working with the various CII organizing committee members, the late night calls to confirm the schedules for the next day, running around to get the work done and making sure everything goes smoothly, and last but not the least the the exposure to a summit of such a scale, was nonpareil. It was an honor to have been a part of the CAAYE summit. Thank you for the opportunity and looking forward to working with all of you again.” Shraavya SiriPandit Deendayal Petroleum University,Gandhinagar
“The summit has been one of the best
learning experiences of my life. Personally
meeting, interacting and observing 200
entrepreneurs from 8 Asian countries has
g i ven me more
knowledge than one
y e a r w o r t h o f
academics would
have. During the
course of the week, I
v i s i t e d t h e
Dabbawa l l as a t
Lower Parel station while they conducted
their famous daily six-sigma procedure of
sorting our dabbas. I feel lucky to be a part of
the historic CAAYE summit 2012 and
fortunate enough to have contributed, albeit
in a small way, to its success.” Manal SalgaonkarVidyalankar Institute of TechnologyMumbai
“CAAYE was the best experience of life so far. I got to be inside landmarks like the world trade center and the Bombay stock exchange that a r e o t h e r w i s e
impossible to be at. The factory visits were a bundle of knowledge. Learning about organizations like Bule Dart and Mahindra & Mahindra couldn't have been anything other than retreat for a management student. The visit to Dharavi slums p o r t r a y e d p e r f e c t e x a m p l e o f entrepreneurship be that in any circumstances. I built up networks with a diaspora of delegates from the 8 member countries of CAAYE. I'm sure CAAYE is going to play a major role in shaping my career ahead.” Toshita DharmadikariC K Shah Vijapurwala Institute of Management, Vadodara
In the media
In the social media
Inspiring Entrepreneurship related Content IES CAAYE Team commenced setting up for the 1st time a web based ecosystem from 26th Sept 2012 with the posting of inspirational videos, quotations, images and articles. They created linked accounts on various other online media like Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Blogger.com, E-cells of various B-Schools, Orkut, etc.Introduction of CAAYE member Organizations
The introduction of the various CAAYE member organizations along with a brief snapshot was done from 22 October 2012.
Greatest EntrepreneursFrom 28th October, 2012, posting of quotes from some of the greatest mentors such as Ray Kroc, Oprah Winfrey, Coco Chanel etc amongst others, on a daily basis compiled by the Social Media Team.
Discovering MumbaiBeginning 1st November, 2012, CAAYE began posting photographs edited by Branding Bees on “Discovering Mumbai”, an initiative to bring to light all the sights, sounds and experiences in store for the delegates when they reach the port city of Mumbai.
Festivals in Mumbai and IndiaOnce the delegates for CAAYE summit were closer to their arrival at Mumbai, beginning 12th November, the Facebook page began informing the visitors through pictures of the various festivals that comprise to the Mumbai experience.
BlogSpot ArticlesA BlogSpot account for the CAAYE summit was created, beginning 4th November, by IES & covered topics such as the challenges faced by entrepreneurs, Asia-centric business articles, etc.
Introduction of CAAYE Summit speakers/ delegatesBeginning November 6th, 2012 an introduction to the speakers and delegates in the form of infographics.News Articles related to CAAYE Summit From November 7 posting of news articles released in the media on CAAYE Summit were being posted.
University Entrepreneurship MarathonAt the collegiate level, a competition called the “University Entrepreneurship Marathon” was underway from 17th. A tab was created on the facebook page where students could enroll & win prizes for themselves and recognition for their University.
CAAYE Summit CoverageDuring all events continuous coverage was done live by IES CAAYE team where photographs were taken at various excursions, meetings, celebrations and the actual finale summit itself and up-to-date photo albums were made available to Summit delegates. Bombay Stock exchange also featured the event on their website and Facebook page.
Live Streaming- CAAYE SummitOn the final day of the Summit a live web streaming of the event was made available to viewers the world over. This was made possible by IES MCRC and Digital Infomedia Solutions.
Live Questions from Online ViewersThe online viewers posed questions and got responses by the Panelists through Live Streaming & Tweeting.
In the social media
Facebook Statistics for each of the above events
Facebook Report Statistics
16th– 30th September, 2012
1st – 31st October, 2012
1st – 31th November, 2012
Summary of the virality during the various time intervals
1st – 20th December, 2012
Twitter Details
Activities on the Twitter handle @caayealliance had started in the month of October. The focus was to get the #caaye2012 trending. It started with 4-5 posts a day and in the period from 7-12-12 to 15-12-12, the activities were intense which included pictures, comments, one liners and quotes from the delegates and entrepreneurs.
December 13-15, 2012 Mumbai, India.
facebook.com/caayealliance
twitter.com/caayesummit
www.caaye.comwww.caayesummit.comwww.youngindians.net
www.cii.in