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Issue 04 www.ukibc.com UKIBC in India New MD unveils business centre View from the Top Ajit Gulabchand Exclusive The Bollywood story India’s film-makers just love London

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UK India Business Exchange (Formerly Partnership in Action) is an authoritative magazine published by the UK India Business Council to drive and inspire UK based companies to compete successfully in India. It highlights UK-India business opportunities and challenges, profiles success stories, and carries in-depth interviews, spots trends and offers insightful analysis from business leaders, experts and policy makers. Published every three months, the magazine is read by Chairmen, CEOs, senior business people, decision makers in companies operating in or looking to do business with India, government officials and young professionals.

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Page 1: UK India Business Exchange 04

Issue 04 www.ukibc.com

UKIBC in IndiaNew MD unveils business centre

View from the TopAjit Gulabchand

Exclusive

The Bollywood storyIndia’s film-makersjust love London

Page 2: UK India Business Exchange 04

?????????

ii Business ExchangeIssue 04 www.ukibc.com

Page 3: UK India Business Exchange 04

Contents

The UK India Business Council is a business-led organisation promoting business links between the two countries. Our mission is to facilitate an increase in trade through business-to-business dialogue. We inform UK Plc of the opportunities in India and, more importantly, how they can capture them.

Through our partnership with UKTI, and with an extensive network of influential corporate members, we provide the resource, knowledge and infrastructure support vital for UK companies to capitalise on the opportunities in India. For more information please see www.ukibc.com

MIssIon sTaTEMEnT

19 Marketing your brand

20 UKIBC news & events

23 UK success stories

24 agusta Westland

26 Healthcare revolution

28 Tax Update from PwC

29 sonita’s journey

30 Point of View: Education

33 Business opportunities

UKIBC Business Exchange is the UK India Business Council’s new flagship publication, which highlights business opportunities between both countries, predicts trends, profiles success stories, offers tips and practical advice, and carries in-depth interviews and analysis with business leaders and policy makers.

Published each quarter, the magazine is aimed at business people interested in bilateral trade opportunities between India and the UK.

Editor: Ishara Bhasi CallanLead Features Writer: Ian HalsteadEditorial Coordinator: adam PollardAdvertising: stuart Walters & sam skillerProduction: open Box (ob-mc.co.uk)

For magazine enquiries please contact [email protected]

BUsInEss ExCHangE

Contact Details:

UK India Business CouncilHEAD OFFICE 12th Floor, Millbank Tower 21-24 Millbank London SW1P 4QP United Kingdom

t: +44 (0) 207 592 3040e: [email protected]: www.ukibc.com

Advertising enquiries:

open Box Top Floor, Regent Court 68 Caroline Street Jewellery Quarter Birmingham B3 1UG United Kingdom

t: +44 (0)121 200 7820e: [email protected]: www.ob-mc.co.uk

02 CEo’s foreword

03 View from the Top

06 Maharashtra fact-sheet

09 Cities to watch

10 JCB on the up

11 Focus on Pune

12 Maharashtra’s cultural scene

14 From soho to Mumbai

16 India Centre is launched

ConTEnTs

London map showing the locations favoured by Bollywood film

producers. Story on pages 14 and 15.

Front cover image:

Sculptor working on the sculpture of Lord Ganesha.

Read more on pages 12 and 13.

01

Page 4: UK India Business Exchange 04

Foreword

WElCoME,

In partnership with:

Dear Reader,

First and foremost, I want to share exciting news with you – we are launching our UK India Business Centre in Gurgaon, near New Delhi, on September 19th. It will be a ‘home away from home’ for British businesses, and provide an ideal platform for you to enter India and do business there.

Our strategy is simple: To set up a series of multi-functional platforms, in six major business locations across India by 2017, offering office space, training facilities, meeting rooms, and networking and social areas. These centres will enable UK companies to access a range of services, events and interactions specifically designed to enhance their knowledge of the Indian operating environment, and their chances of success in the sub-continent. We have dedicated three pages in this magazine to highlighting the centre and its services, which I hope you find useful.

This edition focuses on the State of Maharashtra, which hosts the business capital of India, Mumbai. Maharashtra has been - and still is - a fantastic business destination for UK companies, and its other major cities and commercial centres include Pune, Nagpur and Aurangabad.

We have an informative feature capturing the vision of one of India’s leading industrialists;Ajit Gulabchand, the chairman and MD of Hindustan Construction Co. Ltd, who shares his vision of building planned cities in India.

Other noteworthy pieces look at how AgustaWestland and JCB see India as a place to do business, and what makes London - and especially Soho - a productive location for Indian creative, film and production companies. We also have an illuminating feature from our India Board member, Vandana Poria, on doing business in Pune, plus columns from our newly appointed MD in India, Richard McCallum, and our Manchester-based regional director, Steve

Toogood. Further, there is a colourful piece on Maharashtra’s history and culture, information on Indian consumer behaviour and tips on marketing your products and services in India, plus analysis of India’s Goods and Services Tax.

Since the launch of this magazine a year ago, I am pleased to say that our circulation has almost doubled, and will double again within the next six months. Business Exchange is now distributed across the City, at Westminster, and at international airports. We are constantly aiming to increase our - and your - reach.

I hope you find this edition both engaging and insightful, and very much look forward to any feedback or comments.

Yours sincerely,

Richard Heald Chief Executive UKIBC

Gateway of India

Richard Heald

02 Business ExchangeIssue 04 www.ukibc.com

Page 5: UK India Business Exchange 04

View from the Top

In a candid interview with Ishara Callan, Hindustan Construction Co’s Chair and MD, and UKIBC Advisory Council member, Ajit Gulabchand, debates India’s infrastructure needs, and identifies potential opportunities for UK firms.

BUIldIng THE CITIES OF TOMORROW

It’s four years since the spectacular eight-lane bridge of the Bandra-Worli Sea Link opened, offering Mumbai’s stressed-out commuters a much-needed alternative route to its western suburbs.

India needs more Sea Links - and more planned cities - to address the challenges of a fast-growing economy and an ever-expanding urban population.

Hindustan Construction Company (HCC), which delivered the Sea Link, is bringing forward India’s first planned city in more than half-a-century, is eager to address the infrastructure challenge head-on.

Davse - the first town at Lavasa

03

Page 6: UK India Business Exchange 04

View from the Top

Its track record is impressive; HCC has constructed 25% of India’s hydro-electricity power, more than 50% of its nuclear power, some 34,000 kilometres of expressways and highways, and more than 320 bridges.

No wonder then that Ajit is both passionate about the future India, and has strong views on how its infrastucture demands can be met.

McKinsey Global Institute predicts that - as migration from rural heartlands increases - India’s teeming cities will be home to 600 million people by 2030. The forecast finds favour with Ajit.

“Over the next 35 years, it is likely that over 400 million people will migrate to the cities. To put this in context, similar migration in Europe took place over 1,000 years. So, how will India manage migration of this magnitude?”.

He sees three options; the Guragaon way (organic growth), the China way (where the state builds mega-cities and urban centres) and the Chandigarh way (India’s first planned city).

Ajit’s HCC is taking the latter route with its ambitious Lavasa project, where a city is being developed across seven hills in Maharashtra, an hour’s drive outside Pune.

The venture, which is privately financed, will ultimately

see some 300,000 people working and living across 100 square kilometres, in five urban settlements.

Ajit believes such planned cities are India’s future, because the pattern of migration from rural to urban areas has changed.

“In the past, when migration into big cities took place, it was in phases. Say, first from Bihar, then Bengal and then Tamil Nadu,” he says. “Now though, it is not happening in phases, and people are migrating at the same time from different regions.”

However, he admits that the Lavasa proposals were not welcomed with open arms.

“The biggest challenge I have faced is that of changing perceptions. We have to educate stakeholders that this is not a mere real estate project. We are building a city, so we must explain how it can create jobs and be a sustainable place.

“It is a hill city, so we can’t get manufacturing or processing plants there, but we can have tourism, hotels, education, call centres, back offices and other soft services, and sports academies.”

Ajit, who sees opportunities there for construction work over the next 10-15 years, believes that Lavasa will also be attractive for centres focused on R&D and innovation, helping to stimulate sustainable economic growth.

Ajit Gulabchand, Chairman, HCC

What next?

ConTaCT:

Caroline Erskine Senior Sector Manager UKIBC

T: +44 (0)20 7592 843E: Caroline.Erskine

@ukibc.com

04 Business ExchangeIssue 04 www.ukibc.com

Page 7: UK India Business Exchange 04

He’s equally positive about India’s economic growth, even though GDP growth is currently running at around half of its 10% peak.

“I believe India’s GDP growth is sustainable, because domestic consumption is 70%, but in China it is just 30%, which is good news for investors here and overseas.”

Around two-thirds of India’s population is under 35, and the government believes it needs to create 300m jobs in the next 20 years, so the country needs huge investment in education and skills, and Ajit sees much scope for Britain to become involved.

“The UK has world-class institutions and is a leader in the education and skills sector. India needs to upskill its young population, so that is a natural fit.”

He also highlights the major opportunities for British companies, following the government’s decision to earmark a trillion dollars for infrastructure.

“There is huge scope for infrastructure services and equipment required to feed India’s infrastructure demands. The UK also has excellent financial and professional services strengths, and Indian companies will welcome these to partner with.”

However, Ajit also admits that India isn’t yet ready to embrace global inward investment of the scale which it will require in the coming decades.

“If the government wants to hand out huge subsidies, it also should look at ways to raise large revenues, and for this you need to make the investment climate better.” he says.

“India needs to create a more business-friendly climate. Bad policies, such as excessive subsidies, have led to huge deficits. The government has been slow in introducing reforms, which have been on hold for years, and have caused the rupee to lose half of its value, meaning everyone’s savings have been devalued.

“Growth has stalled, and improvement in the investment environment has come to a halt. Uncertainty has stopped Rs 10 lakh crore worth of projects. However, the good news is that the government has now realised that it needs to change policies, make them better, and more business-friendly.”

“I think we can rectify these policies. When you have a large country, there will be disparity in incomes, but if you do not create opportunities you cannot lift everyone up. For that, you need to double your GDP. Prosperity comes at the end of the development.”

Sea Link in Mumbai

“Planned cities are India’s future, because the pattern of migration from rural areas to urban has changed”

What next?

ConTaCT:

sonali Patel Infrastructure Sector Manager UKIBC

T: +44 (0)20 7592 3846E: [email protected] – part of

the Lavasa project

- at night

05

Page 8: UK India Business Exchange 04

state Fact sheet: Maharashtra

Peter Beckingham, Deputy High Commissioner in Mumbai, is taking up a posting in the Caribbean in October, but penned this valediction to India.

Mumbai is a city of contrasts, especially to eyes which come from overseas.

Between the luxurious apartments and the slums around the airport, the exotic stores selling $2,000 saris and the vendors outside offering 10-rupee snacks, and the packed trains arriving in the main-line stations and the air-conditioned SUVs cruising the streets.

Everyone has their own examples. My most recent was near our office, the depressing sight of ‘ragpickers’ - ladies and their children - trawling through piles of waste on a building site.

Seconds later though, it was like being alongside an F1 track, as a sports car (retail price minimum £180,000) roared past at 100mph and more.

Such contrasts are regularly drawn on an India-wide scale, as expatriates and visiting business people debate the future India.

Some point to the fragile infrastructure, failing to keep pace with the demands of the middle-class and see the huge rich-poor disparities leading to urban disorder.

Others maintain that India’s massive population will propel its economy, and believe the country has moved beyond the occasional ethnic or religious clash, and is beginning to erase its deep-seated governance issues.

In short, is the India glass half-full or half-empty?

Having spent the last three and half years talking to UK business about the advantages of being in India, I am certainly no pessimist, but equally, I do not believe progress will be as ‘vertical’ as some think.

A FOND FAREWELL FRoM PETER

When I arrived in Mumbai in February 2010, business leaders expected GDP to be running at 9-10% this year, but today it is barely half that figure.

Equally, although some airports and highways are world-class, there is a long way to go before, for example, Mumbai has the infrastructure to compete as an international financial centre.

I was much taken by the balanced way in which two of India’s leading economists - the Nobel Laureate, Amartya Sen and the activist academic Jean Dreze - addressed these issues in their just-published book: ‘An Uncertain Glory: India and its contradictions’.

“An agreeable picture of a country in a rapid march forward towards development, with justice, would definitely not be a comprehensive, or even balanced, account of what has been actually happening. Indeed far from it. “There are many major shortcomings and breakdowns - some gigantic - even though privileged groups, and especially the celebratory media, are often inclined to overlook them”.

Wise words, and their analysis is well worth studying.continued on page 8

06 Business ExchangeIssue 04 www.ukibc.com

gEnERal

area:307,713 km2 - approximately the same size as Italy (Source Government of India 2001 Census of India.)

Population:112,372,972 - Second most populous state in India, and has a population comparable to Mexico (source Government of India 2011 Census of India.)

Urban Population:45.23% - India’s third-most urbanised state (source: Government of India (2011). Census of India)

Capital:Mumbai (formerly Bombay)

Climate:39°C (summers) and 12°C (winters) Monsoon season: June – August

language:The official language is Marathi. Hindi and Urdu are also spoken.

Page 9: UK India Business Exchange 04

07

aURangaBad

PUnE

nagPUR

MUMBaI

WHo’s alREady THERE

Top five UK companies in Maharashtra :• Mott MacDonald • Pearson Ltd • Rolls-Royce• Standard Chartered • GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals Ltd

Top five Indian companies in Maharashtra:• Tata Group • Reliance Industries • Aditya Birla Group • ICICI Bank Limited• Larsen & Toubro Limited

HoW To gET THERE

Virgin Atlantic, Jet Airways, Air India, British Airways > London Heathrow – Mumbai

(From Mumbai there are connecting flights to both Pune and Nagpur)

Ports:Maharashtra has good port infrastructure and is served by three major ports in Mumbai, as well as over 50 smaller ports along its Coastline.

Road network:Maharashtra has one of the largest road networks in India at 267,452 kilometres and seventeen different Highways provide good connections to Maharashtra’s six neighbouring states.

EConoMy

share of India’s gdP Fy 2012:14.95% source: VMW Analytics services, accessed 28.06.13,

gdP Fy 2012:Usd $233.89Bn (slightly larger than Portugal) source: VMW Analytics services, accessed 28.06.13,

growth rate Fy 2012:16.86% - More than twice China’s growth rate in 2012) source: VMW Analytics services, accessed 28.06.13,

Source: http://unidow.com/india%20home%20eng/statewise_gdp.html

URBan aREas

Maharashtra’s capital, Mumbai, houses the headquarters of almost all major banks, financial institutions, insurance companies and mutual funds. For example, India’s largest stock exchange and oldest in Asia, is located in Mumbai. Bollywood, the centre of India’s Hindi film and television industry is also based in the city, making it a media and entertainment hub.

Pune is the second largest city in Maharashtra and the seventh largest in India. it is also the state’s cultural and heritage capital and has a population of 4.5 million people. It is located approximately 170 km from Mumbai by road. There are a large number of automotive and manufacturing companies that operate in the city, but Pune is also emerging as a prominent location for IT companies.

THanE

Page 10: UK India Business Exchange 04

state Fact sheet: Maharashtra

I am confident India has a future which should compel UK business and education to engage here, although puzzled that some UK visitors - and swathes of the British media - consider business here should be ours by ‘divine right’.

We have, their argument goes, a special relationship with India based on shared traditions of language, law, history, sport and culture, which creates a commercial advantage.

However, one of the first things which struck me was the entrepreneurial nature of Indians; from the rich Gujarati planning his next acquisition, to the shoe-mender on the pavement.

Indians will do the business, sign the treaty, or complete the deal which suits them best, and historic ties or shared traditions are not part of the equation, although they do have a mature relationship with Britain, free from hang-ups, and approach it like any other country.

Of course, many Indians like the UK. Look at the line of PG Wodehouse novels at the airport, or the Enid Blyton books in school satchels, and their middle-class delight in holidays to London or to see their relatives.

With Tata owning JLR though, and Essar Oil operating the UK’s second largest refinery, the commercial relationship has become one of equals.

Let’s not forget the impact of UK businesses in India though. I worked with two SMEs who have set up manufacturing subsidiaries in Pune, in the automotive and petrochem sectors. Both had challenges to overcome, but are here for the long haul.

One of the UK’s largest private companies, facilities management specialist OCS, launched its India business in Mumbai last month. When I met its CEO three years ago, it had 2,000 employees. Now it has 22,000 and climbing.

BP and Diageo have also become major players in their sectors; the former is India’s largest overseas investor and the latter runs one of India’s largest drinks companies.

Of course there is more we can do. The Germans, for example, appear to be leading the way in machine tools and automotive supplies, especially around Pune, and the French likewise in civil nuclear work.

But we shouldn’t be either too modest, or complacent, about our achievements.

I leave Mumbai confident that it is a city in which, as the commercial capital of India, the UK is making a mark, witness our huge successes in insurance and banking.

It is not an environment for the faint-hearted or claustrophobic, but it is also one which no UK company with international ambitions can afford to miss.

My wife Jill and I will certainly miss it all. Our next assignment is the Turks and Caicos Islands, and I suspect its capital, Cockburn Town, has fewer inhabitants than the street outside our front door in Mumbai. We may even come to miss the incessant traffic horns. Well, possibly.

08 Business ExchangeIssue 04 www.ukibc.com

UsEFUl soURCEs oF InFoRMaTIon

Useful websites:doingbusinessinmaharashtra.orgmaharashtra.gov.inincometaxindia.gov.in/mieda.in/ (Maharashtra Industrial and Economic Development Association)

overseas Business Risk:Consider registering with Overseas Business Risk if your business faces issues such as cyber risks, bribery and corruption. The Overseas Business Risk is brought together by UKTI and FCO to give you access to strategic information on the issues and risks related to business security in a wide selection of markets. http://www.ukti.gov.uk/export/countries/asiapacific/southasia/india/overseasbusinessrisk.html

Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI):FICCI Western Regional CouncilKrishnamai Cooperative Housing Society LtdGround Floor, Plot No. 33-BPochkhanwala Road, WorliMumbai - 400 030Phone: 022-24966633-39Fax: 022-24966631-32

Confederation of Indian Industry (CII):CII Maharashtra State Office105 Kakad Chambers132 Annie Besant Road, WorliMumbai-400018MaharashtraIndiaPhone : +91-22-2496 4792 / 2493 1790Fax :+91-22-2493 9463 / 2494 5831

Page 11: UK India Business Exchange 04

Maharashtra

Nagpur’s economic potential is evident, not least because of its central location - roughly equidistant from Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata.

India’s two main highways, and its key train trunk routes, pass through the city, highlighting its merits for logistics and distribution centres.

Much hope is placed on the long-delayed MIHAN project, which would see an SEZ (special economic zone), road-rail terminal and international cargo-hub constructed across a 4,000-hectare site, around the current airport.

Nagpur’s appeal to business has increased steadily during the last decade, with a fast-growing population (some 2.4m), the Nagpur Institute of Technology and the city’s university - which now embraces more than 800 individual colleges - among the attractions.

UKIBC research identified the Tier-11 city as an emerging destination for UK companies back in 2009, underlined by the arrival in Nagpur later that year of trade minister Lord Mervyn Davies.

British corporates were already present, with Scott Wilson master-planning the SEZ, and Mott MacDonald working on both the present airport and future infrastructure proposals.

Key business sectors eager for overseas support and investment include agriculture (a major four-day expo and conference is planned for next January), energy, IT, manufacturing and textiles, and there has been notable interest in Nagpur’s future skills requirements.

Last October, delegates from 14 educational institutes in Nagpur, Aurangabad and Pune visited the UK, and this April saw representatives from 13 British universities and colleges make the return journey.

TWO CITIES WHICH dEsERVE aTTEnTIon

Aurangabad has long been a major tourist destination, but although it was also a significant location for silk and textiles, its modern economy was slow to evolve.

However, the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation is changing both wider perceptions of the city, and its ability to offer suitable business space, through a raft of sizeable industrial estates.

Aurangabad’s Vision 2020 strategy has also won plaudits, especially for its marketing programme which has avoided the ever-present pitfall of trying to do too much too soon.

In the short-term, it aims to attract investment to existing business sectors, notably agro-food and textiles, increasing the city’s profile through conferences, seminars and two-way trade missions.

In the medium-term, the focus will be on high-growth sectors, including automotive, brewing, engineering, IT and pharma.

In the longer-term, the 2020 team expect the construction of the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) to transform the economic status of the city and the region, by dramatically improving connectivity and stimulating such sectors as logistics, warehousing, electronics and manufacturing.

The proposed Shendra-Bidkin Park is one of the DMIC’s early-stage projects, and seen as a major future hub for automotive and engineering companies, from India and overseas.

The industrial township, which is also one of central government’s seven National Manufacturing & Investment Zones, would span some 8,400 hectares, and include an international convention centre, close to Aurangabad’s airport.

What next?

Call the UKIBC Business Helpline for more information on doing business in India on 0800 0196 176

09

Page 12: UK India Business Exchange 04

advanced Engineering & Manufacturing

It’s 34 years since Sir Anthony Bamford took the inspired decision to enter India’s fledgling construction sector. Now it’s JCB’s largest global market. Ian Halstead reports.

There’s not much to cheer the global construction industry in these austere times, but JCB caught the eye this year, when unveiling the biggest profits in its long history.

Sales were steady at the previous £2.7 billion, but earnings were up £10m to £365m, despite contraction in many markets, notably China.

Much attention focused on the impressive achievements of JCB India, which sold 25,000 units to domestic customers during the year, making it JCB’s largest market worldwide.

The same division had already announced last October that it would invest some £60m over the next five years, building a new production plant on a 115-acre site at the Mahindra World City SEZ, in Jaipur.

Given the slowdown in India’s construction sector, it was an impressive statement of belief in the country’s growth prospects, and the strength of the JCB brand.

July saw further good news, when Vipin Sondhi - JCB India’s CEO and managing director - launched a new 20-tonne tracked excavator, designed and developed for the Indian market.

The JS205LC, which will be the most fuel-efficient machine in the group’s portfolio, will be manufactured at Talegaon, a small town some 35 km from Pune, where JCB has two production plants, and which has also attracted several other industrial OEMs, including Audi, General Motors and VW.

The excavator is being manufactured on a global platform, and will be exported to the Middle East, South East Asia, and parts of Africa.

JCB IndIa HITS THE ExPORT TRAIL

The second Talegaon site has focused on export sales since it opened in 2007, and the last financial year saw 1,000 units shipped to East Africa, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and other South-East Asian markets - up three-fold on the previous trading period.

Vipin is confident that number will grow during 2013-2014, especially as the new model is expected to attract customers from buoyant Middle East and Gulf economies.

However, he stresses that designing and delivering the right products is only one element of JCB India’s success.

“We’ve always had an intense focus on training and R&D, and on building a dealership network which can meet our customers’ needs, in whichever area of India they work,” said Vipin.

“We now have more than 7,000 employees, throughout the country, who are trained to sell and service our machines. At the same time, having a pool of skilled manpower is equally important, and we also have eleven operator training centres, which have trained more than 20,000 young men.

“It’s also been great to see many of them later invest in JCB machines, and a significant number have adopted the entrepreneurial spirit, acquired fleets of our machines and become successful contractors.”

Vipin Sondhi, MD, JCB India

What next?

ConTaCT:

Prasenjit dhar Advanced Engineering and Manufacturing Sector Manager UKIBC

T: +44 (0) 207 592 3844E: Prasenjit.Dhar

@ukibc.comF: +44 (0) 207 592 3041W: www.ukibc.com

10 Business ExchangeIssue 04 www.ukibc.com

Page 13: UK India Business Exchange 04

British Business groups

Vandana Poria, who co-chairs the British Business Group (BBG) in Pune and sits on the UKIBC’s India Board, looks at the city’s economic transformation.

When asked about Maharashtra, most people think of Bollywood and Mumbai, but just as lead actors change from generation to generation, so do the nature and make-up of cities.

Over the years, Pune has gone from being - in Bollywood terms - a player in a provincial chorus to a leading actor known nationwide. It’s also become a favoured business destination for Europeans. German companies alone have invested some $2.5 billion here since the early-90s.

So what’s the story? How was Pune transformed from a sleepy town to a vibrant melting-pot of modern business, contributing GDP of $48 billion and boasting a population of more than 6m million?

Baba Kalyani, Chairman and MD of Bharat Forge, and one of the city’s leading industrialists, believes its strength comes from a strong industrial base, combined with excellent R&D expertise, and a powerful education sector.

Pune is now home to more than 600,000 students, some 100 technical institutes, and nine university colleges, including the College of Engineering which gave the city its name for auto and engineering skills.

Just as one example, Tata Motors, has its India R&D centre for JaguarLandRover in Pune.

The presence of entrepreneurial families has also been influential. The Kirloskars, Bajaj Group, Thermax and the Serum Institute of India may not be known globally by name, but their products are everywhere.

The latter produces a billion doses of medicine each year, immunising around half the world’s children.

FROM THE CHORUS To CEnTRE-sTagE

Pune has more motor-bikes per capita than any other Indian city, most likely because Bajaj is the country’s second largest motor-bike manufacturer. Its colourful three-wheel rickshaws can also be seen throughout India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Global companies have also been attracted. HSBC’s global technology centre was established to develop software for the banking giant, and Vodafone, Barclays and Aviva are other multi-nationals here.

Pune is noted for having one of the largest concentrations of expatriates anywhere in India. It’s an easy place to live, has many international schools and a fabulous climate. Barely 100 miles from Mumbai, it’s an easy location to reach from the UK.

Naturally, having such a volume of national and international companies has spawned the need for ancillary industries. OEM component-makers, IT design and education have grown exponentially.

However, the city still faces huge challenges to manage its growth. It has sensibly encouraged investment along its perimeter, and encouraged expansion in different areas of the city which focus on different industries. Its SEZs (special economic zones) also offer good tax breaks for large inward investment projects.

The Mahratta Chamber of Commerce Industries & Agriculture (MCCIA) is strong and supportive, but also aware that Pune’s infrastructure needs careful monitoring. McKinsey’s prediction that Pune’s per capita GDP will leave all other Indian cities behind by 2025 might not prove true, but it is certain that the city will maintain an impressive growth rate.

Vandana Poria, Founder,

Get Through Guides

“Pune’s strength comes from a strong industrial base, excellent R&D expertise and a powerful education sector”

What next?

ConTaCT:

Vandana Poria Chair of the BBG Pune

E: [email protected]: +91 9623454020

Vandana qualified as a chartered accountant, worked for Ernst & Young, then spent eight years working in Eastern Europe, before setting up Get Through Guides (a publishing, training and content business). She chairs the British Business Group in Pune, and joined the UKIBC’s India board as a non-exec in 2013.

11

Page 14: UK India Business Exchange 04

Culture

Maharashtra stretches far and wide; from the beaches of the Eastern Arabian Sea, over the Western Ghats mountain range and across the stunning Deccan Plateau to the city of oranges, Nagpur, which itself sits at the very heart of India.

During the state’s long history, it was at the heart of many of India’s great kingdoms.

Each left its mark, from the Konkan Mauryas who may have carved the ancient Elephanta Caves, to the British Raj whose influence is still felt strongly in the state’s architecture, with many significant buildings, including the Victoria Terminus and Bombay University, built in the Gothic Revival style.

The state hosts India’s cosmopolitan capital, Mumbai (formerly Bombay) and Bollywood, but Maharashtra’s cultural capital is Pune, which epitomises Marathi culture and offers a spectacular array of traditional culture arts and crafts, music, and theatre.

Maharashtra’s culture is displayed each year during the Hindu month of Bhadra, (normally from mid-August to mid-September) when its beaches and rivers are filled with hundreds of elaborate models of the Hindu God Ganesh, often towering over the devotees guiding them into the water.

Ganesha Chaturthi, the great Ganesha festival, is celebrated by Hindus all over India, but the spectacle is at its most impressive in Maharashtra.

Worshippers spend months building their models, and in the days before the festival communities place them on raised platforms to offer prayers and thanks to Ganesh.

As with any good festival, it is celebrated with dancing, food and music. The main sweet dish, called “modak” in Marathi, is a dumpling made from rice or wheat flour, stuffed with coconut and dry fruits.

MAKE THE MOST OFMaHaRasHTRa

When to go

The Monsoon season reaches Maharashtra in July, but between November and February, the weather is perfect for a pleasant visit. If you wish to see the festival, Ganesha Chaturthi, make sure you check the start date ahead of time, but it usually begins between late August and early September.

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Page 15: UK India Business Exchange 04

Whilst the size of the caves alone is impressive, thousands of visitors every year are drawn by the ancient Hindu and Buddhist carvings which adorn their walls.

There are two main networks of interconnected caves, each with several spectacular chambers carved from solid rock. Many are believed to have once been painted in elaborate colours, but they are still impressive and captivating in their current state.

Whilst there are no inscriptions to give an insight into their purpose, there are numerous statues and pillars decorated with the images of Hindu gods, such as Shiva.

Local guides may tell you the caves were made by mythical Indian figures, such as Pandava or Banasura, but as might be expected, that is simply entertaining folk-lore.

Abandoned after the arrival of Europeans in Maharashtra, exactly who built these caves remains a mystery, but some have suggested the now-lost civilisation of the Konkan Mauryas.

The English name actually comes from the Portuguese, who were some of the first colonists in the region and the name is believed to relate to a giant statue of an elephant then located on the island, which can still be seen in the garden of the Bhau Daji Lad Museum, in Mumbai.

The arrival of Europeans saw a dramatic reduction in the population of the island, and the caves fell into decline and disrepair. However, after Indian independence, they were renovated, are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and well worth a visit.

By adam Pollard

After ten days of worship the statues are paraded, then taken to the coast to be swept out into the Arabian sea. The procession and following ceremony are symbolic of Ganesh’s journey to his otherworldly home of Kailash.

To Westerners, Ganesh is one of the most iconic Hindu gods.

The son of Lord Shiva and the Goddess Parvati, he has the head of an elephant and a human body. Ganesh is the god of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune, and is prayed to particularly when people are beginning a new enterprise, or starting a new business.

Maharashtra is also home to the captivating Elephanta caves, a spectacular network located on the island of Elephanta, near Mumbai.

Where to stay

Vivanta by Taj – Blue diamond, Pune -Just 5km from Pune airport, the Vivanta by Taj, Blue Diamond is in the heart of Pune’s business and entertainment area. The hotel is wirelessly connected, the business centre is kept open around the clock, and it has a range of meeting facilities.

11, Koregaon Road Pune- 411 001, Maharashtra Telephone: +91 20 6602 5555

Vivanta by Taj – President, Mumbai - Located close to South Mumbai’s main business district in Cuffe Parade, business is made easy at the Vivanta by Taj President, Mumbai, which offers wi-fi and a business centre that is open 24-7. Guests can also unwind after a hard day’s work in the Jiva Spa, which offers a blend of ancient wisdom with contemporary therapies.

90 Cuffe Parade Mumbai - 400 005, Maharashtra Telephone: +91 22 6665 0808

getting to the Elephanta caves

The Elephanta Caves (top right) can be reached via a one-hour ferry from the Gateway of India, Mumbai. Tickets can be bought from the Maharastra Tourism Development Corporation at the entrance of Gateway and cost around 130 rupees (approximately £1.40). The boats leave frequently, but our tip is to go on a week-day to avoid the crowds.

A spectacular cave carving at

the Elephanta caves

Maharashtra’s culture is displayed each year during the Hindu month of Bhadra

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digital Innovation

Ishara Callan looks at the love affair between Bollywood and Britain.

Any die-hard Bollywood fan will tell you that Indian films are incomplete without song and dance numbers.

Until the 1980s, the beautiful valleys of Jammu and Kashmir were the perfect locations, and heroes and heroines cavorted round poplar trees all along the Srinagar- Baramulla Road.

But with the rise in insurgency in the valley, Bollywood’s film-set finders had to look elsewhere.

Switzerland offered a picturesque and pleasant replacement, at least until the location teams discovered London, with its squares, parks and palaces.

The initial attraction blossomed into a full-grown love affair, and soon two out of every three Bollywood movies was being made here.

The UK’s strong Indian diaspora also made it easier to set the stories here and soon from production to post-production and screening, the UK become a significant player in the Bollywood story.

London has long held sway in the creative world, and its musicians, film-makers, TV and theatre producers, authors,architects, video game developers, fashion designers and publishers are highly successful internationally.

The UK now has one of the world’s largest creative sectors, employing some 1.5 million people and contributing significantly to both the domestic economy - an estimated £4.6 billion annually - and exports.

It’s estimated that London is the third busiest global centre for film-makers, and a typical day can see as many as 40 crews on location in its streets.

No wonder that, while in Mumbai last year, London’s Mayor Boris Johnson encouraged Indian film and television industry to use both London locations and the industry’s post-production facilities.

BollyWood’s aFFECTIon BLOSSOMS FOR LONDON

Soho remains a particular attraction for Indian production houses.

Prime Focus, a leading visual entertainment services group originating from Mumbai, increased its global footprint in 2006, by acquiring VTR, an AIM-listed business in Soho, and London has since become a major element in the group’s international operations.

Its portfolio of VFx work includes several sequences in James Cameron’s 3D spectacular, ‘Avatar’ - the highest-grossing movie of all time - and Parvinder Bhatia, Prime Focus’s MD Broadcast VFx in London, says his company had multiple reasons to choose the UK.

“For post-production and visual effects, this is a very important strategic market to access both local, as well as international work.”

“The market here has a thriving television and commercial post-production industry and also attracts high-end visual work from Hollywood, because of the availability of a large pool of experienced talent.”

Value of UK Film Tax Relief

For films with a total core expenditure of £20 million or less, the film production company can claim payable cash rebate of up to 25% of UK qualifying film production expenditure For films with a core expenditure of more than £20 million, the film production company can claim a payable cash rebate of up to 20% of UK qualifying film production expenditure

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BollyWood’s aFFECTIon BLOSSOMS FOR LONDON

“Besides these strategic reasons, other ‘soft reasons’, including cultural similarities between India and the UK makes this country a preferred market for Indian companies going global.”

Mumbai-based outfit Reliance Big Entertainment recently increased its stake in the Warwickshire-based racing game developer Codemasters - whose brands include DiRT, GRID, Cricket and Operation Flashpoint - to 60%, underlining the UK’s importance in the eyes of Indian digital, animation and production houses.

G Krishnan, the former chairman of TV Today and the founder of New Age Global Media, agrees that the UK has advanced technology, graphics and studios which Indian production houses find very useful, but admits that these services do come at a price, especially at a time when the Rupee is falling.

Meanwhile though, India’s media and entertainment industry - worth some £9bn in 2011 - is growing at 12% a year, and some forecasters estimate that the sector could have doubled in size by 2016.

There are even bullish voices which claim growth could be even greater, should all the elements be put into place.

And no wonder, given that India is one of the largest media consuming markets in the world, home to Facebook’s second largest user base (65 million), and the third largest TV market worldwide, after the US and China.

At a recent UKIBC event, Jehil Thakkar, from KPMG India, identified opportunities for UK players in animation and VFx, live events (venues), TV production (content and formats), value-added services, software licensing, radio broadcasting, niche magazines, advertising agencies, publications, and film exhibitions (eg; multiplexes).

India’s top three market segments by revenue are television, print media and film, which will continue in the near future.

However, it is important to note that - although still a small portion of the media and entertainment pie - three segments are emerging with growth rates of 30% or higher; digital advertising, gaming and animation, and VFx.

Meanwhile, to attract more international companies producing TV, animation and games, the UK is offering corporation tax relief from the start of the 2013-2014 financial year, which will complement the tax relief already available through a film co-production agreement between India and the UK.

(L-R) Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan,

Deepika Padukone and Arjun Rampal

at a film screening in London.

The UK now has one of the world’s largest creative sectors, employing some 1.5 million people and contributing significantly to both the domestic economy and exports.

What next?

ConTaCT:

Radhika Pandey Digital innovation Sector Manager UKIBC

T: +44 (0) 207 592 3842E: [email protected]

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Business Centre

By Richard McCallum, Managing director, UKIBC India

I am delighted to join the UKIBC to lead the expansion of its India operations, and to be working in close partnership with UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) and the British Business Groups. The first centre is opening in Gurgaon, near New Delhi this September. It covers 7,200 sq ft and is located in Infinity Towers, Cyber City. It will act as the “hub” within the important North Central Economic Region (NCER) in India. We also have a 600 sq ft “spoke” in Connaught Place, Central Delhi. The Centres are designed to transform the quantity and quality of support available to British businesses, especially SMEs, seeking to enter or expand in India

The opportunities for mutually advantageous trade flows between India and the UK are immense. We have built a team with strong Indian sectoral and commercial experience providing UK businesses the additional support they need to succeed in India.

Doing business with India need not be complex. In order to help companies with their India entry, we have structured our services around a simple four steps model - Learn, Asses & Prepare, Plan and Launch & Grow. We’ll start by helping companies gather the information they need via reports, events and networking. We can prepare an India readiness report and provide practical tools from training and mentoring, to bespoke research, and market visits. And, for their launch in India, companies can use UKTI India services and UKIBC Launchpad. For on-going support, they can use our office and meeting space, hot desking, mentoring, networking and training facilities.

I hope you will find our Centre and Services beneficial to your business.

UKIBC laUnCHEs UK INDIA BUSINESS CENTRE AND SERVICES

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hot-desking, reception and

cafeteria

Richard McCallum, MD,

UKIBC India

The Business CentreThe Centre is a multi-functional space providing world class office facilities.

Work space - The Centre offers adaptable office space including open plan areas and private, as well as hot desking facilities for people on business trips. This space can be altered to create private work space depending on a company’s needs.

Training space – The Centre provides a space for companies to train new staff, hold training workshops or seminars for clients. The space is also ideal for UK education organisations, whether a business school’s Executive MBA programme or an FEE college training session. UKIBC will use the space to brief incoming delegations, and hold “master classes” covering a range of topics related to doing business in India. The space holds up to 50 people and can be divided to cater for smaller workshops.

Meeting space - UK companies visiting or operating in India will now have access to a range of meeting facilities including our Oval Boardroom, which is able to hold 22 people and is equipped with modern audio visual capabilities making it ideal for Board meetings and roundtable discussions.

Event space – The Centre will be a hub for British business events and offers UK companies world class and flexible event/networking space, including an exhibition space with an open air terrace overlooking Gurgaon.

What next?

ConTaCT:

To contact Richard McCallumand other members of the UKIBC team in India, please drop them a mail at: [email protected]

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Business Centre

location Box

gurgaon, India

• Gurgaon is a business centre in its own right, but it is also located at the centre of the National Capital Region (the world’s largest agglomeration representing over 25% of India’s GDP).

• Gurgaon is 45 minutes by metro from the Centre of Delhi where we have our “spoke” office.

• Gurgaon is 15 minutes drive (12 kms) from Delhi International Airport, which of course has excellent connections across India and the globe.

• Gurgaon has excellent business infrastructure, including a range of high quality professional services firms and business parks, and for this reason it is already a destination of choice for many UK and Indian companies.

• It has the highest density of Fortune 500 companies anywhere in the world.

• It’s also a rapidly growing city with over 1.5 million people, making it one of India’s many emerging cities.

UKIBC servicesdoing Business In India Helpline - For support call 0800 0196 176

India Readiness Programme - In collaboration with AcceleratorIndia, UKIBC is providing an India Readiness Programme, allowing UK companies to, firstly, assess how well-prepared they are for India market entry and, then, participate in workshops and other activities that will enable success in India.

India Familiarisation Visits - Tailored familiarisation programmes for businesses visiting India.

Bespoke Research - UKIBC specialists can now carry out bespoke work for businesses. From a straightforward identification of competitors and distributors, to a more involved analysis of the competition, opportunity and route to market, our team can deliver.

Training - Expert masterclasses for established businesses and new entrants to the Indian market.

Mentoring - The UKIBC will offer one-to-one expert guidance on how to navigate and do business in the Indian market, which will be provided by BBG and UKIBC members.

networking and Events - Seminars, workshops and events across India, covering a wide range of topics.

delegations - Introductions to Indian contacts and potential partners.

sector groups For members - Regular meetings to discuss matters of policy, regulations and market access.

services directory - The UKIBC will provide users with a directory of service providers operating in India. This will allow UK companies to narrow the field when selecting from the professional service providers.

launchpad® - provides UK businesses with a dedicated UKIBC consultant, space and IT facilities to help them accelerate their India entry.

*UKIBC Launchpad® is a registered trademark of the China Britain

Business Council (CBBC), who have granted sole permission to UKIBC

for its use in relation to India.

Meet the India staff

Kanika Banerjee, Executive Assistant

Rajni sachdeva, Sector Adviser

Rohit singh, Head of Sectors

neeru sood, Sector Analyst

atul Khurana, Sector Adviser

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Practical advice

HoW To… MARKET YOUR BRAND

Harjiv Singh, co-CEO of the global Gutenberg Communications agency, offers advice to UK companies looking at India.

India is a very diverse country of almost 1.2 billion people, 29 states and at least 22 recognised languages, so you require a deep understanding of target audiences, as well as regional and cultural differences.

Whilst India is perceived as somewhere English is spoken widely, this is true of only 125-150m people - less than 11% of the population.

Companies therefore need to understand the importance and use of local and regional languages, in creating communications strategies, and to keep their varied and intended target audiences top of mind.

India has over 900m mobile phones, companies like Vuclip, the world’s largest mobile video company, also allow brands to reach a very significant audience, and TV also has a wide reach.

Social media channels like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn enjoyed very strong recent growth, and India now has the world’s third largest number of Facebook users.

Although India is still a developing country with a per capita GDP of about £1,000 - whereas the UK’s figure is around £25,000 - it has one of the fastest growth rates of millionaires anywhere.

As consumers in the UK and India are very different, understanding local characteristics is critical.

I recently heard a wonderful assessment of the Indian consumer, suggesting that the focus should be on ABCD: Astrology, Bollywood, Cricket & Discounts. I would also add ‘P’ for politics to those traits.

India is the land of festivals, which certainly offer a nice way to localise a brand’s appeal.

Diwali, the festival of lights is one of the largest. Holi, Christmas, Eid, Baisakhi and Independence Day are among others which brands can leverage for promotions.

Demand for luxury products is growing rapidly - Burberry, Asprey and Dunhill, for example, have strong appeal - especially with the opening of India’s retail sector to foreign direct investment.

There are also practical ways in which experienced public relations and marketing practitioners can help.

Build strong relationships with the media, as they provide third-party credibility to your brand. Position your senior team at key conferences and events, allowing them to build thought leadership, whilst also networking at the highest levels.

Your online reputation is critical and requires an effective Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) strategy using dynamic and integrated keywords.

Securing company and senior executive awards helps to build brand credibility and differentiates you from the competition, and your use of social media enables you to create and disseminate content in a personalised way.

You must also have a well-defined social media strategy that allows you to reinforce your brand’s thought leadership and meaningfully engage with your customers.

“India is the land of festivals, which offer a nice way to localise

a brand’s appeal”

Harjiv Singh, co-CEO,

Gutenberg Communications

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UKIBC news Roundup

MInIsTERs BaCK UK IndIa BUsInEss CEnTREs

On June 25th in the presence of UK and Indian Ministers Lord Green and Anand Sharma, UKIBC announced the launch of its first UK India Business Centre in India in Gurgaon. The Centres will be a home-from home for UK businesses, and will offer a range of services to UK companies including Launchpad®, hot-desking, office space, meeting facilities, and the new UKIBC India Team will provide intelligence-led services.

MoU WITH InVEsT IndIa

UK India Business Council (UKIBC) signed a unique MoU with Invest India – a joint venture between the Government of India’s Department for Industrial Policy and Promotion of India (DIPP), India’s State governments, and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) - to help British companies understand the investment opportunities and accompanying regulatory environment in India. It was signed by Rt. Hon. Patricia Hewitt, Chair, UKIBC and Dr Didar Singh, Secretary General, FICCI.

UKIBC and Invest India will hold joint webinars and briefings in India and the UK. Regular briefings highlighting latest policy and regulations will be held at the UK India Business Centre in Gurgaon, near New Delhi.

MoU WITH sME CHaMBER oF IndIa

UKIBC CEO, Richard Heald, signed an MoU with the SME Chamber of India, to enhance connectivity between Indian and British SMEs and facilitate the exchange of information. UKIBC will host B2B interactions for Indian delegations in the UK and the SME Chamber of India will host UKIBC delegations in India.

The UK India Business Council’s Advisory Council held its inaugural session in London last July, to discuss UK India collaboration opportunities in sectors including infrastructure and skills. The Council has been set up to provide strategic advice and insight, helping UKIBC focus its efforts more effectively on the opportunities in India’s key sectors and States.

The members who attended the first meeting were Lucy Armstrong, Capital for Excellence, Graham Cartledge, Benoy, Professor Sir Michael Gregory, University of Cambridge, Gerry Grimstone, Standard Life, Ajit Gulabchand, HCC, Dame Lucy Neville-Rolfe, EuroCommerce, TV Mohandas Pai, Manipal Global Learning, Stuart Paver, Paver Shoes, Analjit Singh, Max India Limited, and Noel Tata, Trent Limited.

UKIBC adVIsoRy CoUnCIl MEETs FoR THE FIRsT TIME

Inaugural meeting of the UKIBC’s Advisory Council

sUCCEssFUl sKIlls dElEgaTIon

At the beginning of September the UKIBC took a skills delegation to Delhi and Mumbai. In Delhi, delegates were able to attend the annual FICCI Global Skills summit and meet and network with Indian skills providers. The programme also included a round-table and networking reception with Subramaniam Ramadorai, Vice-Chair, Tata Consultancy Services and site visits to projects in Mumbai.

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HEalTHCaRE IndIa EVEnT ExPloREs IndIa oPPoRTUnITIEs

UKIBC and BT held a successful half-day event for over 100 delegates on “the opportunities in the Indian healthcare market for UK companies”. The event gave participants an overview of the Indian healthcare market, an insight into the market entry routes available to UK companies looking at India, and details of how they could access these opportunities through collaborations with companies such as BT.

The event featured Clive Selley, CEO, BT Technology, Service and Operations and CIO for BT Group plc, Rt. Hon. Patricia Hewitt, Chair, UKIBC, George MacGinnis, Healthcare Director, PA Consulting, Richard Cawdell, Health Practice Lead, AcceleratorIndia, Loy Lobo, Director of Strategy and Innovation, BT Health and, Jag Grewal, Group Sales and Marketing Director Omega Diagnostics.

ngn: In ConVERsaTIon WITH daME lUCy nEVIllE-RolFE

The UKIBC’s Next Generation Network held a networking evening featuring Dame Lucy Neville Rolfe, EuroCommerce and previously Group Director of Corporate Affairs for Tesco. Dame Lucy spoke about women entrepreneurship and empowerment in India. She shared her expert views on the advancement of women in the corporate world and the rise of women entrepreneurs in the UK-India space. She highlighted inspirational stories and exciting new initiatives being undertaken by these business leaders, and ways in which these dynamic groups should harness their strengths to work together and achieve success.

UKIBC Research and Publications

UKIBC produces insightful research papers, reports and regular publications to keep our members and wider stakeholders updated on the India business opportunity and policy changes. We make sure that our research is relevant, current and correlates directly with needs of UK companies. UKIBC also publishes joint research reports and white papers. Here are a few of our most recent reports.

noTEs FRoM THE noRTH

We have been running a series of Doing Business in India events throughout the North and Scotland, and there is clearly a keen interest amongst the business community to review opportunities in the developing markets. I have had the pleasure to sit on a number of panels alongside key business personalities from companies with India experience, each having a positive outtake from their India journey. However complex the regulatory environment is, they all felt that engagement helped strengthen their overall business. Those that have put any India activity on hold, are currently watching the positive moves regarding deregulation and improving market access opportunities. And they are clearly ready and prepared to take advantage of the obvious potential for growth and scalability that the India Market offers.

The next major event in the calendar is 2014’s International Festival for Business, which this year is being hosted in Liverpool. This should present a great platform for business and cultural exchange of business with key focus on the Indian market. Having witnessed the attendance at the recent Accelerate precursor event, which attracted over 1000 delegates I think it is safe to say it will be a fantastic networking and business opportunity. by steve Toogood

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UKIBC news Roundup

RaKEsH BIyanI EVEnT

The UKIBC, in cooperation with Ashurst, hosted Rakesh Biyani, Joint MD of the Future Group, for an insightful discussion on Indian retail and changing consumer trends in the market.

The Future Group were the pioneers of modern retail in India. When they started, they had to create all the necessary support infrastructure because at the time it just didn’t exist. At the event Rakesh Biyani, Joint MD of the Future Group shared innovative strategies and marketing ideas adopted by his company to succeed in the dynamic yet complex Indian consumer market.

doIng BUsInEss In IndIa onlInE

UKIBC have launched an online event on ‘Doing Business in India’ which can be watched free of charge on our website. In this event India experts answer frequently asked questions on a range of issues including tax, finance, hiring, firing and Intellectual Property. UKIBC members also share practical tips learned from their experience of doing business in India.

The resource is available at www.ukibc.com/DoingBusinessInIndia

new Members & sector subscribers

ALMT Legal Amity University BTTG Ltd CG Health International City College Plymouth Eastern Country Foods Epitude Export2India Global78 HealthPharm Improving Health and Wellbeing KLBD Mirams Waterhouse North Notts Create Ltd Polo Marco Experience Price & Buckland Ltd Safeguard Biosystems Holdings

Upcoming Events doing Business in India with

surrey Chamber of Commerce 26th September, Guildford

doing Business in India south West8th October, Exeter and 9th October, Bristol

doing Business in India with norfolk Chamber of Commerce 15th October, Norwich

doing Business in India with south yorkshire International Trade Forum 17th October, Sheffield

doing Business in India with West Cheshire and north Wales Chamber of Commerce 22nd October, Chester

doing Business in India with PwC23rd October, London

diwali networking Reception with next generation network and City Hindu network 31st October, London

Food and drink seminar5th November, Manchester

seminar on the Indian ICT Industry12th November, London

Webinar on the automotive sector in India 18th November, Birmingham

ngn in Conversation with atul Chaihan and the amity group 20th November, London

accessing skills opportunities in India seminar 3rd December, Manchester

What next?

ConTaCT:

Contact UKIBC’s Communications department at [email protected] with news and case studies

22 Business ExchangeIssue 04 www.ukibc.com

Page 25: UK India Business Exchange 04

Business news: UK success stories from India

If you would like to get more information on these companies or would like to send us your success stories, please contact [email protected]

InFRasTRUCTURE

Benoy has announced their fifth instruction with one of South India’s leading property developers, the Prestige Group.

Parsons Brinckerhoff, a Balfour Beatty Group Company, have recently provided the construction supervision consultancy and successfully overseen the completion of construction for the new terminal building at Kolkata Airport.

adVanCEd EngInEERIng and ManUFaCTURIng

Jaguar land Rover (JlR) has started assembling the Jaguar xF at its new facility in Chakan near Pune this year. JLR has also responded to rising demand for luxury vehicles in India, and has started selling the Jaguar F-Type, for the first time.

Cairn has announced it will invest GBP 2 billion (over Rs 16,000 crore) over the next three years in finding more oil and gas in its Rajasthan oilfields and other blocks in India.

Tata steel UK has secured a long-term agreement to supply aerospace steels to Safran Group, the manufacturer of aircraft, rocket engines, aircraft equipment and propulsion systems.

RETaIl

Booker Wholesale in India has now opened a new Cash and Carry store in Chandivali. Adding to Booker’s stores in Pune and Mumbai. Booker also plans to open two more stores, one in Mumbai and one in Surat (Gujarat). They have also launched 235 Happy Shopper symbol retailers.

Unilever has raised its stake in Hindustan Unilever, India’s largest consumer goods maker, to 67.28% from 52.48% as part of a strategy to increase its presence in fast-growing emerging markets.

sKIlls and EdUCaTIon

King’s College london have signed up for UKIBC’s new Launchpad services for their India operations. They will be using UKIBC’s new Business Centre in Gurgaon, near New Delhi for these services.

Plymouth University has signed an MoU with IIM-Kozhikode to facilitate the exchange of students and faculty members. The MoU also helps academics from both the institutions to collaborate in research projects.

First ascent have doubled the size of their export business through using UKTI’s ‘Passport to Export’ programme, and won prizes for the quality of the service and training they provide in India.

newcastle University Business school has announced a new MBA scholarships geared towards attracting high-calibre, future business leaders, in India.

dIgITal InnoVaTIon

TestPlant, the automated software testing company, has won a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the International Trade category – the UK’s most prestigious award that recognises outstanding achievement in overseas sales.

Follow us:

PRoFEssIonal sERVICEs

Last financial year, ashurst llP acted on several award winning deals in India, including acting on transactions involving GVK, ONGC and Binani Industries. Deals with a combined value of over US $12.5bn.

Herbert smith Freehills llP has acted on the two largest cross-border deals of the last year. Including advising United Breweries on the £1.28 billion investment by global drinks giant Diageo in United Spirits.

allen & overy llP have acted on Apollo Tyres USD2.5 billion financing acquisition of Ohio - based tyre manufacturer Cooper Tire & Rubber Company, as the two tyre makers seek to compete with bigger global rivals.

addleshaw goddard’s India Business Group has advised leading soft drinks business Britvic plc on its agreement with The Narang Group for the sale and distribution of its popular Fruit Shoot drink in India.

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advanced Engineering & Manufacturing

AgustaWestland has been operating in India since the early 1930s. Ian Halstead hears about its current projects - and its future ambitions.

Partnership working is firmly in vogue in today’s global economy, but few corporates can trace their commitment to the concept back for many decades.

However, AgustaWestland has been working with the Indian government and its armed forces since 1932, when the country’s air force was created, as a flight of Westland Wapiti biplanes took to the skies.

The four aircraft may have been named after a North American elk, but the pilots took the Himalayan Eagle as their proud emblem. At just £10 apiece, the cost didn’t break the budget either.

Almost fifty years later, the Indian Navy acquired its first Westland Sea-King, and the veteran helicopters remain in service today.

The UK-Italian company had just one commercial helicopter operating in India in 2005, but the number has now swelled to 40, a sizeable chunk of the market, given that fewer than 300 civilian craft operate there.

The scope for increased sales of commercial aircraft was the catalyst for its joint venture with Tata Sons (Indian Rotorcraft Ltd - IRL), whose Hyderabad-based assembly plant is due on stream in April 2014, producing AW 119Ke helicopters, a top-of-the-range single turbine craft.

Mark Thistlethwaite - until recently responsible for AgustaWestland’s sales and services to all departments of the Indian government, and a former Sea King pilot and engineer - points out, with understandable pride, that the project is India’s first privately-owned helicopter final assembly plant.

PLANNING FOR THE long-TERM

“We conducted feasibility studies on several possible locations, but the final decision was overwhelmingly in favour of Hyderabad. The city, and the state government, demonstrated a firm strategic desire to develop a hub of aerospace manufacture and maintenance there,” he recalls.

“The nearby Rajiv Gandhi airport is one of the world’s best, there are new and fast transport links to the city centre, and there is a tremendous local supply of highly-skilled personnel, so the location is ideal for many reasons.”

Mark says the case for a jv structure - and with Tata Sons - was equally compelling.

“We have experience of setting up new joint ventures like IRL in several countries, and however much preparation and analysis you do, there are always unexpected hurdles, so having a good local partner is critical.

“Our advice to other corporates looking to enter India would be to carry out very thorough research, and then to choose your partner very carefully, to ensure your relationship will be long and successful.

“Tata Sons is a world leader in a range of industrial and commercial sectors, India’s leading industrial group and keen to expand its aerospace operations. Its experience of both Indian and global business, and its history of pioneering business opportunities in India, were clear incentives for us.

“However, the pace of industrial development in India exceeds what is being experienced in Europe, or the US, so regulations do change in line with the changing business environment.

“It’s very important to keep a watchful eye on the regulatory framework to identify new and changing opportunities at the earliest moment, and again, Tata Sons’ contacts and knowledge are vital to us.”

The IRL project is only one element of AgustaWestland’s India strategy though, as Mark explains with the persuasive charm of a career diplomat.

“If one market is all about the long-term, it is definitely India”

What next?

ConTaCT:

Prasenjit dhar Advanced Engineering and Manufacturing Sector Manager UKIBC

T: +44 (0) 207 592 3844E: Prasenjit.Dhar

@ukibc.comF: +44 (0) 207 592 3041W: www.ukibc.com

24 Business ExchangeIssue 04 www.ukibc.com

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to tenders detailing the supply of 56 helicopters to the Indian Navy, and 14 to the Coast Guard service, and the former contract alone has a budget of some 500m euros.

Its approach is far more sophisticated though, than simply pitching for work in either the military or civilian sectors, with Indian jv partners.

“The government wishes to establish a domestic aerospace sector, capable of meeting its own requirements, and ultimately, of competing in export markets, so transfer of technology has to be at the heart of its strategy,” suggests Mark.

“It needs global partners who can drive expertise and innovation into its domestic industry, so there is huge scope for overseas companies. We’ve already seen Reliance working with overseas OEMs, as are Tata, and Mahindra & Mahindra.

“There’s no reason why several aerospace consortia or alliances shouldn’t operate successfully in India. In Western Europe, we have ourselves, Eurocopter and Airbus. However, anyone entering the market needs to create a model which reflects India’s size, the strategic ambitions of its government, and of the various states.

“I think the Special Economic Zone approach will continue to be popular and successful, which dovetails neatly with our preference for centres of excellence. At the same time, we are looking to establish R&D centres, and to set up partnerships on the academic side, most obviously with the technical institutes.

”We may well decide to give a chunk of research work to one or more of those institutes, and perhaps sponsor a chair (in advanced engineering) at one of the universities. It’s all about helping to build India’s future capability in aerospace, so it has the right technology, and the right kind of engineers.

”When you’re building an entire industry, you have to cover all the different facets; research, supply chains, manufacturing, logistics, technology, customer support and of course, people. Where will the Western world get all its future engineers from? It might well be that many come from India.

”Of course, it sounds very ambitious, but until you commit yourself in a small way, you never have a chance to understand the potential, and we are most certainly committed to this country.

”We already have an 80-year relationship with India, and we’d like to still be here in another 80, as if there is one market which is all about the long-term, it is most definitely India.”

“From the perspective of the Indian government, they are committed to building up a proper domestic aerospace industry, through a series of public-private partnerships, which will probably take between 30 and 40 years,” he says.

“The country’s armed forces are also increasing their capabilities, upgrading and replacing their helicopters, and ensuring their military resources are sufficiently flexible for the demands of modern warfare.

“In the next 10 to 15 years alone, the government is expected to buy 450 helicopters for military uses, and given that India is the size of Western Europe, the civilian market is likely to expand even more quickly. Ratan Tata, for example, believes that barely 10% of the demand for such aircraft is being satisfied.

“The government is looking to identify the best international aerospace manufacturers to help them achieve their vision, and we are determined to become one of their long-term strategic partners.”

As an indication of the scale of the procurement work which lies ahead, AgustaWestland responded

Top: An AgustaWestland 101

in action & below,

Mark Thistlethwaite is CEO

of AgustaWestland Aviation

Services

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life sciences and Healthcare

Healthspring aims to drive radical change into India’s primary care sector. Co-founder Professor Gautam Sen outlined his vision to Ian Halstead.

India is proudly democratic. Sadly, its healthcare system is anything but.

Affluent patients seeking specialist tertiary treatment can swiftly access skilled surgeons, backed by the latest technology, then recover in luxurious four-star suites.

For the rural poor, urban slum-dwellers and the less well-off though, even basic primary care is about random chance.

The World Bank identifies a key issue as the poorly-trained personnel (Accredited Social Health Activists) who are the front-line for public clinics, whilst the Lancet suggests the inequalities of India’s healthcare system are probably its greatest predicament.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has of course pledged commitment to universal health coverage, but it’s not clear how such intent is impacting the challenges.

However, it’s interesting to hear Gautam Sen’s views, given that he spent more than 30 years as a consultant surgeon in Mumbai, and is currently Emeritus Professor of Surgery for the city’s university.

“Healthcare in India is like an inverted funnel. Tertiary care is very developed, but quality primary care is almost non-existent,” he admits.

“We see ‘mom and pop’ GP shops which practice independently, stand-alone pharmacies and chains of diagnostic centres. When people become sick, they are forced to either seek higher-than-required care in hospitals, or inconvenienced by running from pillar to post to seek the medical services they need.”

nEW MEdICInE FOR OLD ILLS

Below: Sir Mark Walport of

The Wellcome Trust with

Healthspring team

Right: Professor Gautam Sen,

founder, Healthspring

As it’s now 70 years since the Bhore Commission recommended India should adopt a three-tier delivery system; underpinned by a robust primary care and referral system, leading to secondary care in district hospitals, then feeding into tertiary care for a minority, what went wrong?

“That structure worked very well initially, but from the mid-60s onwards, there was a technology boom at both diagnostic and therapeutic levels. Attention shifted towards creating more sophisticated tertiary care facilities, with abject neglect of primary care, and some cosmetic improvements in secondary care,” says Prof. Sen.

“The results are now very apparent. We have one of the highest rates for maternal and under-fives mortality in South-East Asia, overburdened tertiary care facilities are crowded by those who actually need primary care, and people have lost confidence in whatever neglected primary care facility is available.

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So might further fund-raising lie ahead, and would Prof.Sen welcome input from the UK’s healthcare providers?

“We have eight centres now, which have had great traction. We plan to raise another £6.5m to £10m in the coming six to nine months, to fund our next wave of growth, with new centres in Mumbai and major metro cities,” he says.

“We think it is very possible to bring forward at least 180 Healthspring centres during the next four years, based on the concept of the traditional family doctor, but in a modern setting”. Kaushik Sen, co-Founder and CEO of Healthspring, and a former Principal at Bain & Co., says, “We have focused from Day 1 on creating scalable systems and a sustainable value proposition for employed doctors, and have set a great foundation for quick growth.”

“Our aim is to provide modern family medicine services in the neighbourhood, so routine healthcare needs can be catered for under one roof. Each centre is 1,500 sq ft, and we have four or five full-time primary care physicians, and we also cater for pharmacy, pathology and routine radiology needs.

“We also have a referral network of specialists and hospitals, our own 24x7 emergency response system, and very talented management team.

Dr. Sen adds, “We believe passionately that robust primary care, with a focus on prevention and early detection, can really deliver better outcomes for India.

“Sharing expertise and knowledge with the NHS through a strong partnership will be extremely valuable, and we’re also looking for strategic investment partners, so approaches from the UK would be most welcome.”

”At the same time, amongst new medical colleges, the race was to develop more and more super-speciality post-graduate courses, and the rush today for every medical graduate is to get a seat in these highly-coveted specialisms.

“None of India’s 313 medical colleges, for example, provide a curriculum in general practice, as is prevalent in the UK and the United States, and as a result, India has an acute shortage of GPs, who are well-trained in conventional medical treatments.

“Quality of care is also extremely variable. India has some of the best doctors in the world, but finding them amongst the many mediocre ones is very difficult for the typical consumer.

“Unfortunately, many doctors in single practice do not have the opportunity, or desire, to re-skill themselves, and almost none follow internationally accepted protocols of healthcare delivery.

“The quality of customer service is also poor, and the convenience of patients almost completely ignored. In emergencies, consumers are left with little recourse, and have to scramble to reach the hospital.”

Analysts value India’s primary care sector at around £32 billion, so the required funding isn’t going to come from central government, especially as GDP growth slows, making overseas institutions, sovereign wealth funds and private equity providers the most obvious investment sources.

In January, Thomson Reuters highlighted Goldman Sachs, Warburg Pincus, the Singapore Investment Corp and Sequoia Capital as major investors during 2012, as funding more than trebled on the 2011 level to some £350m.

Healthspring has benefitted from the backing of venture capitalists, bringing in some £6.5m, principally from Bangalore-based Catamaran Ventures, Asian Healthcare Fund, and BlueCross BlueShield Venture Partners.

“The inequalities of India’s healthcare system are probably its greatest predicament”

What next?

ConTaCT:

Radhika Pandey Life Sciences and Healthcare Sector Manager UKIBC

T: +44 (0) 207 592 3842E: [email protected]

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Viewpoint: Taxes

IndIa’s gsT REFoRM aT POLITICAL CROSSROADSAdriana Vega, Policy & Research Manager, UKIBC compiles a feature from a special report prepared by PwC on GST, one of India’s biggest political and economic issues.

The proposed new Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime is potentially one of the most important tax reforms in India, posing great advantages for industry and consumers, and much anticipated by foreign investors.

A political standstill, and an electoral year, pose major challenges, with little clarity on the next steps towards the passing of the GST bill - and its implementation.

However, informed analysis by PwC’s India team suggests that the foundations have already been laid, and that India’s politicians are well on their way to reaching agreement in the foreseeable future.

There is no debate about the problem though, India’s current indirect tax system is inefficient and costly.

It applies a number of indirect taxes at different stages of the supply chain, with the central and state governments levying excise duty, VAT and service tax, resulting in a multiplicity of taxes and a cascading effect.

Businesses face, in addition to high costs, multiple registrations, filing of multiple tax returns, and double taxation. As PwC points out, the above are further complicated by the lack of adequate set-off mechanisms. At the moment, the proposed implementation date of April 2014 seems less and less plausible. Challenges remain, with weak support for the current GST architecture by the leadership of some key states.

Tamil Nadu and Kerala, for example, oppose GST implementation on products like petrol; while Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat have expressed concerns on the basis of autonomy.

Hopes of agreement have been further challenged by the recent resignation of the chairman of the GST committee - and the former deputy chief minister of Bihar - Sushil Kumar Modi, following the breakup of the coalition government in Bihar.

Mr Modi, a member of the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, is recognised for having spearheaded the consensus-building initiative that saw the reaching of agreements, on a number of issues surrounding GST.

Among these issues is the compensation to states for losses arising from the phasing out of the Central State Tax, when the new tax is introduced.

While the deadline of 2014 has not been officially pushed back, GST is not likely to be implemented during the tenure of the current government coalition.

PwC’s estimate for implementation in 2015 seems appropriate, as the next fiscal year following the 2014 election.

Going forward, and to capitalise on the political momentum gained by Modi, a swift selection of a new committee chairman is important.

Candidates are likely to include a leading politician from an opposition state. However, some experts believe that high-level negotiations have already taken place, paving the way for a more granular debate on the GST structure and roll-out.

States that share economic interests are likely to support GST reform, with less regard for political affiliations, if it proves advantageous to the local economy. A phased inclusion of states into the regime has also been considered.

In his resignation statement, Modi urged Finance Minister P. Chidambaram to address the issue of CST compensation to states, and to clarify payment plans promptly.

This could indeed prove a fantastic avenue towards more political goodwill, and much needed support for reforms in the near future, but for now, the political standstill continues.

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Retail & lifestyle

sonITa MaKEs SMOOTH PROGRESS

Beauty products entrepreneur Sonita Unadkat, who founded Urban Shore London in 2007, explains how she developed India’s first multi-brand international specialist skincare business.

I’d worked in Harrods, and saw a need for high-end cosmetics stores in India, where customers could have access to the world’s finest brands, sold in an inviting environment by knowledgeable staff.

Now, we have 36 different brands, with a focus on those manufactured in the UK, as I wanted to champion the ‘Best of British’.

Urban Shore has flagship stores in New Delhi and Mumbai, as well as ‘shop-in-shops’ in India’s top-end department stores. We wholesale our brands to other retailers, upmarket spas and five-star hotels, including the Four Seasons Mumbai and Claridges New Delhi.

We also have an e-commerce website - http://www.urbanshore.in - to tap into the growing number of online customers throughout India.

Now of course, the retail landscape is very different. Every brand wanting to be considered truly global needs an Indian presence.

However, establishing ourselves really was a huge challenge, especially winning hearts and minds among the global skincare brands.

We opened our first store in Delhi, targeting both local consumers and international travellers, who wanted aspirational and luxurious products.

It was designed by the same team which worked for Harvey Nichols, Mulberry and Burberry, because we wanted to create a customer experience like that of London’s Oxford Street.

I also put much effort into deciding which brands and products would work in India, taking into account skin types, the climate and local preferences.

However, some brands weren’t confident their products could be sold in what was to them a Third World country, so our design team created 3D walk-through presentations, allowing them to visualise how the store would look.

Some thought staff might not share information about ingredients, formulations, applications and product usage with customers, so I assured them I would take care of staff training, which I still do.

Some brands weren’t even convinced of India’s appetite for such relatively expensive products, so I had to point out that such top designers as Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior were already here.

When the first store opened, I was there morning till night, seven days a week, for several months to gauge the customer response, be it to the product selection/mix, the pricing or the environment.

Listening to our customers was key to ensuring we perfected our business model, and only after we felt our strategy was aligned to the Indian environment did we open our second store in Mumbai - three years later.

Urban Shore may still be an acorn waiting to grow into an oak, but six years on, our shoots are really taking hold.

Sonita Unadkat, Founder,

Urban Shore

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What next?

ConTaCT:

Tara Panjwani Retail, lifestyle and Logistics Sector Manager UKIBC

T: +44 (0) 207 592 3841E: [email protected]

Page 32: UK India Business Exchange 04

skills & Education

TRICKY BalanCIng aCT FOR INDIAKPMG partner Narayanan Ramaswamy, who heads its India Education team, asks if the country’s vocational skills needs are being met.

William Wordsworth, in his poem Rainbow wrote ‘The child is the father of the man’, to describe how his childhood love of rainbows had endured through his adult years. The child is indeed the father of man. Skills and knowledge that children acquire in their formative years will shape their lives, their community, and ultimately, their country.

If we look at India’s schooling system today, and see how far is it preparing for the men and women for tomorrow, there is a big gap. The need of the country is to have skilled manpower, to power the much-needed GDP growth. So, education today is not merely about studying, but how well one applies it to make youngsters employable in a vocation.

The big question is how we can make sure our secondary education system is fit to take on our nation’s biggest challenge; meeting the government’s target of 500 million skilled people by 2020.

However, I believe a lack of understanding about the merits of vocational education, the dearth of involvement by our major industries, and the absence of a clear career path for youngsters all threaten to derail the government’s initiatives.

Our country is still obsessed with professional courses - particularly engineering and medicine - and it is widely believed that the best and brightest of our students would prefer these courses. Vocational courses, on the other hand, are considered the last resort for youngsters.

Even those students who do opt for vocational courses at school are often rejected by universities, when they apply for undergraduate studies. As in the past, students with vocational courses (even in areas such as fine arts and technology) failed to gain admission to the University of Delhi this year.

Many universities don’t even offer subjects linked to vocational courses studied in school, and this lack of coordination between school boards and universities discourages youngsters from choosing those courses.

Not surprisingly, with all the negative mindset about vocational streams, we have very few experienced and qualified teachers in this space.

Industries hardly participate in the vocational education system, resulting in outdated curricula being taught in schools. We neither follow our traditional ‘Gurukula system’- where on-the-job training was an integral part of education - nor the apprentice model of the West.

It is time that India changes this mindset and recognises the value of vocational studies, as most of the world’s major trading nations - including the UK, the United States, Germany and Australia - already do.

The government needs to increase awareness about its skill-based educational initiatives, to introduce vocational courses earlier in the school system, and to offer incentives to those institutions which foster vocational education.

Industries should recognise those who are trained, and differentiate in term of compensation and career path. To begin with, they need to start participating in the vocational education system - through course design, content creation, internships, placements etc.

There also needs to be much greater and effective coordination between schools, universities and industry, so there is a seamless transition from the beginning of a youngster’s studies to their employment.

Specialist universities need to be established, offering a syllabus based on vocational studies, through online programs, and via distance learning, and we need equally specialised teacher-training courses.

Only then can India start to begin closing the massive skills gap which exists now, and which will only continue to grow until vocational education is placed squarely on our national agenda.

Narayanan Ramaswamy

What next?

ConTaCT:

Jesh Rajasingham Skills and Education Sector Manager UKIBC

T: +44 (0) 2075923046E: Jesh.Rajasingham

@ukibc.comW: www.ukibc.com

30 Business ExchangeIssue 04 www.ukibc.com

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Practical advice

32 Business ExchangeIssue 04 www.ukibc.com

Fact Box

Gutenberg Communications has offices in London, New York, Boston, Silicon Valley, Mumbai, Hyderabad, New Delhi and Bangalore. It employs some 60 creative staff, speaking a combined 15 languages, and its clients’ sectors range from IT services and enterprise software to security and professional services, and from cloud computing and mobile technology to consumer and healthcare.

Page 35: UK India Business Exchange 04

Business opportunities in India

IndIa - PUnJaB sTaTE Road sECToR PRoJECT

The project is funding a combination of road upgrading/widening, rehabilitation and Periodic Maintenance. Broadly, these elements are:

i) Up-grading of roads (US$ 80 million)ii) Rehabilitation/Strengthening of roads

(US$ 50 million)iii) Periodic Maintenance of roads

(US$ 12 million)iv) Output & Performance based Road

Contracts (US$ 120 million)

deadline: 01/10/2013

http://www.ukti.gov.uk/export/countries/asiapacific/southasia/india/businessopportunity/562120.html

IndIa - aUToMaTIC WHEEl MoUnTIng & dEMoUnTIng PREss

A public sector organization invites application from suitable qualified manufactures for design, manufacture, supply, installation, testing and commissioning of Automatic Wheel Mounting and Demounting Press.

The manufacturing unit of the applicant where the Automatic Wheel Mounting and Demounting Press is being proposed to be manufactured and supplied against this Tender, should have experience of manufacturing of at least 5 numbers of Automatic Wheel Mounting and Demounting Presses in last 5 years ending 31.12.2012, out of which at least 2 numbers of Automatic Wheel Mounting and Demounting Presses should have been working satisfactorily for a minimum period of 2 years after commissioning as on the date of opening the Tender.

deadline: 16/09/2013

http://www.ukti.gov.uk/export/countries/asiapacific/southasia/india/businessopportunity/555340.html

IndIa - REqUEsT FoR ExPREssIon oF InTEREsT FoR a Mono RaIl PRoJECT In IndIa

A public sector agency invites expression of interest for selection of entities for the purpose of developing the Mono Rail systems for two cities in south India.

The applicant may apply as a single entity or as a consortium and should have executed at least one monorail projects on turnkey basis with design & construction of compatible concrete/steel beams and structures for monorail system, design and construction of compatible track switches and CBTC based signaling system signaling for GoA4 automation level as part of its scope of work.

The minimum net-worth of the Applicant during the last audited financial year shall be 3 billion INR. In the case of JV, the net worth will be based on the percentage participation of each member.

The Lead Member and other members of the consortium shall be committed to construct and commission and operate and maintain the Monorail Systems in two cities for Three Years.

deadline: 26/09/2013

http://www.ukti.gov.uk/export/countries/asiapacific/southasia/india/businessopportunity/555320.html

IndIa- REqUEsT FoR qUalIFICaTIon FoR aWaRd oF HoTEl dEVEloPMEnT PRoJECTs

An international airport management company plans to develop a unique world class destination for passengers in the form of an urban activity centre, with landmark architecture, well-planned infrastructure, urban design and landscape.

The company has invited interested parties to submit their applications for participation in the bidding process for the award of hotel development projects in Phase 1.

deadline: 16/09/2013

http://www.ukti.gov.uk/export/countries/asiapacific/southasia/india/businessopportunity/552120.html

IndIa - BIds FoR ElECTRICal EqUIPMEnT sUPPly & sET UP FoR THERMal PoWER PRoJECT

One of the largest Indian centrally-owned electric utilities company invites bids for electrical equipment supply & erection package for super thermal power project, stage I ( 2*800 MW). The power plant has been declared a Mega Power project by Government of India. Accordingly, supplies of goods under this package shall be eligible for the benefits/ exemptions as per provisions of the relevant notifications of the Government of India.

• Availability of Bidding document: 6 Aug 2013 to 27 Aug 2013

• Cost of Bidding Documents: US $500

deadline: 20/09/2013

http://www.ukti.gov.uk/export/countries/asiapacific/southasia/india/businessopportunity/567120.html

Send us your company’s India based business opportunities and tenders to [email protected] or for more opportunities visit www.opentoexport.com/opportunities

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