[Singapore, 21 May 2014 (Wednesday)] – The Singapore Management University (SMU) held the second Singapore-India Business Dialogue (SIBD) today following a very successful inaugural Dialogue in 2012.  This forward-looking conversation and exchange brings together academics and businessmen from Singapore and India, and facilitates the sharing of insights and knowledge.  Held shortly after the conclusion of the historic Indian elections, and themed 'The Changing Financial Landscapes in Singapore and India’, the event attracted some 350 business leaders, academic experts and finance professionals with a keen interest on the outlook of India’s and Singapore’s financial climate.

Mr S. Iswaran, Minister (Prime Minister’s Office) and Second Minister for Home Affairs and Trade & Industry, graced the occasion as the Guest-of-Honour.  Apart from sharing with the audience on the challenges and opportunities in India, Mr Iswaran also encouraged Singaporeans and local companies to venture into India to seize the opportunities that arise from India’s economic growth.

The keynote speaker, Mr Prashant Saran, Whole-Time Member, Securities & Exchange Board of India, spoke about challenges and prospects for India’s economy.  Stating that India’s growth story had suffered a setback in the recent years, Mr Saran added that the new government will need to meet various challenges.  These included economic, social, market, institutional, environment and infrastructure issues, among others. Mr Saran also touched on prospects for India in each of these areas and ended with the positive note that the India story is still being written.

Four distinguished business leaders, each possessing a wealth of knowledge about investing and doing business in India, shared their views and experiences as panellists at the Dialogue. They were:

• Mr Manish Kejriwal, Managing Partner, Kedaara Capital Advisors LLP;
• Mr Soumen Mitra, Chief Executive Officer of TATA Captial Pte Ltd;
• Mr Ronald Tan, Director, Listings, Singapore Exchange Limited; and
• Mr Sandeep Sharma, Co-Head, HSBC Private Bank Southeast Asia.

Professor David Lee, Director of Sim Kee Boon Institute for Financial Economics, who is also a Professor of Quantitative Finance at the SMU Lee Kong Chian School of Business, chaired the panel discussion, which focused on global trends, as well as the key changes to the financial climate in the two countries following the recent India elections, and the implications on businessmen and investors on both sides.

SMU Provost and Deputy President (Academic Affairs), Professor Rajendra K Srivastava, said, “Under SMU’s India Initiatives, we are working towards creating knowledge networks in partnership with leading educational institutions, and by working closely with business organisations and international conglomerates which offer us useful perspectives on how to operate successfully in both markets.”

“Through developing case studies and executive programmes focusing on Asia, and organising forums and high-level dialogue sessions like today’s, we want to generate fresh and forward-looking management understanding of India and the rest of Asia through focused market insights, with SMU fielding the academic content, and our partners providing industry perspectives.  In doing so, SMU hopes to contribute to the further deepening of the excellent bilateral relationship and understanding between India and Singapore that the two countries currently enjoy,” he added.

Enclosures:

• Welcome address by Professor Rajendra K Srivastava
• Speech by Minister S. Iswaran
• Keynote address by Mr Prashant Saran
• Annex 1: Fact sheet – About SMU’s India Initiatives

Media Contact:

Huang Peiling
Senior Assistant Director, Corporate Communications
Singapore Management University
DID: (65) 6828 0964
Mobile: (65) 9845 3361
Email: plhuang [at] smu.edu.sg