(Singapore, 19 October 2012, Friday) – The Singapore Management University (SMU) held the Inaugural Singapore-India Business Dialogue today to mark the launch of its India Initiative. Themed, “Leveraging on Untapped Opportunities and Growth”, the event attracted some 350 business leaders and academic experts with keen interest in India-related issues and affairs.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam graced the occasion as the Guest-of-Honour. He delivered a keynote address to the audience on four key aspects of India’s development, namely Urbanisation and Productivity; Demographics and Education; Manufacturing; and Globalisation. His speech also touched on the implications of these economic facets for Singapore and Indian companies, as well as on the role SMU could play in strengthening bilateral ties between Singapore and India. His Excellency, Dr T.C.A. Raghavan, High Commissioner of India to Singapore, was invited to give a closing address.
Four distinguished business leaders, each possessing a wealth of knowledge about doing business in India, shared their views and experiences as panelists with participants at the Dialogue. They were Mr Sanjiv Misra, Chairman, Asia Pacific Advisory Board, Apollo Management; Mr Girija Pande, Executive Chairman, Apex Advisors Pte Ltd; Mr Teo Soon Hoe, Senior Executive Director, Keppel Corporation Ltd; and Mr Jonathan Yap, Group Assistant CEO for Funds and CEO of India, Ascendas Pte Ltd. SMU Deputy President and Provost, Professor Rajendra K Srivastava, chaired the lively panel discussion, which focused on trends, challenges, risks and opportunities for Singapore companies venturing into the rapidly-growing India market.
SMU President, Professor Arnoud De Meyer said "SMU is privileged to be organising the Inaugural Singapore-India Business Dialogue. We hope that this interaction platform will enable the business and academic communities in both Singapore and India to exchange ideas, share experiences, develop synergies, build enduring friendships and enhance mutual understanding between the two countries as well as their peoples.“
SMU Deputy President and Provost, Professor Rajendra K Srivastava said, “The Singapore-India Business Dialogue is the first activity being rolled out under SMU’s India Initiative. We are working closely with our corporate and academic partners, such as Tata, and leading Indian educational institutions including the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore and the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, New Delhi, to create knowledge-action networks harnessing Asian insights and cross-border management capabilities.”
“Other pipeline undertakings include business roundtables, executive programmes, and workshops that provide networking and expertise development opportunities for corporate leaders, business executives, academics and students from both countries. Such collaborations will ultimately help boost bilateral ties not just in trade and investment, but also in education and other relevant areas. Through these efforts, we are confident of building a global reputation for SMU as the University for the World of Business and Management,” Professor Srivastava added.