The Columbia Business School hosted its 20th Annual Business Conference February 8, focused on India’s global rise and the future of the country and its bilateral economic relations with the US.
Held in the Geffen Hall at Columbia, the Conference theme was “India on the Global Stage: Powering the Next Wave of Growth.”
The day-long Conference was kick-started by India’s Consul General in New York Binaya Srikanta Pradhan who delivered the opening remarks.
Organizers describe it as “the largest India-centric forum in New York” which has been taking place since 2006. Sponsored by the State Bank of India in New York, and organized by the South Asia Business Association (SABA), the student-run conference usually attracts about 300 attendees including students, faculty members, alumni, professionals, business leaders and entrepreneurs. Overall, the goal of the conference is to provide a forum for networking, learning about India, and bridging the knowledge gap between the U.S. and India.
This year’s Conference aimed at showcasing the diversity of India’s economy, growth prospects, and challenges. The Conference looked at how Indian businesses are charting a path toward sustainable growth in times of economic uncertainty.
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According to the website of SABA, this year’s conference brought together more than 30 speakers and 300 attendees to discuss India’s economy, policy challenges, and opportunities in the form of panels, fireside chats, and more.
“India Business Conference offers a forum to deliberate on the most relevant topics to shaping India today. In short, the conference brings together voices at the frontier of their industries as they share their stories, challenge conventional wisdom and provide insight into the future they are writing – the future of a “new” India,” SABA said.
Some of the speakers listed on SABA site include Sri Rama Mohan Rao Amara, SBI’s managing director of International Banking, Global Markets and Technology; Ashish Chauhan, CEO of National Stock Exchange of India; Executive Chef Vikas Khanna; Vijay Subramaniam, CEO of Collective Artists Network; Vivek Vikram Singh, CEO, Sona Comstar; Puneet Singh Jaggi, Founder, BluSmart Mobility; Arvind Gupta, CEO, MyGov India; Sandeep Vardhan, CEO, Coinopoly; Ritika Patni, CEO, ArtH; Dr. Neetika Ashwani, CEO, KRIASH; Phalgun Kompalli, Founder, Upgrad; and Bhaskar Majumdar, Managing Partner, Unicorn India Ventures.
Mark Linscott from US-India Strategic Partnership Forum, USISPF’s senior advisor on Trade, spoke in a “Fireside Chat” on “Bridging Borders: The Future of U.S.-India Trade Relations. He covered key themes on the bilateral trade relationship including the history, the impact of Trump-era policies, implications for the future, and the key individuals and milestones in ongoing trade negotiations.
The panel “Betting on India’s Entrepreneurs: Venture Capital’s Role in India’s Growth Story,” was moderated by Pravin Patil, founding partner at Prana Ventures. The panelists included Vinny Pujji, of Left Lane Capital, Bhaskar Majumdar, Pratibha Vuppuluri, general partner at Plum Alley, and Rajul Garg, managing partner at Leo Capital.
Chintu Patel, founder and CEO of Amneal Pharmaceuticals, spoke on, “The Supply Chain of Care: India’s Role in Global Pharma.” Patel highlighted India’s potential to become a global leader in affordable pharmaceutical innovation over the next decade, the organizers said in a Linkedin post. “He emphasized the need to eliminate inefficiencies and shift from a volume-driven approach to a value-driven mindset in drug discovery. Moreover, knowing when to pursue organic versus inorganic growth is critical to long-term business strategy.” With the right focus, India has the potential to redefine global healthcare, Patel said.
Kompalli, co-founder of upGrad, shared a powerful lesson on entrepreneurship, organizers said on Linkedin. ”Stay the course, despite the numerous hurdles. If you stay the course, it’s going to be a rewarding journey and eventually, you build something,” Kompalli is quoted saying.
Vijay Subramaniam of Collective Artists Network, shared how independent creators are becoming their own distribution channels, leveraging platforms like YouTube and Netflix. “People will never stop doom scrolling and actors shouldn’t box themselves into just the big screen,” adding, “With India on the global stage, this is just the beginning!
Also, among the speakers was Warren Kevin Harris, CEO & managing director of Tata Technologies.
The conference sponsors included SBI New York, TATA Group, Motwani Jadeja Foundation, The Consulate of India – New York, Jerome A. Chazen Institute for Global Business, and Columbia Business School Office of Student Affairs.
(Used with permission)