New IBPC Board Announces Plans to Help Boost India-UAE Strategic Relations

IBPC announces line-up of year-long events and plans to offer strategic advisory to investors and stakeholders to help strengthen bilateral relations between India and the UAE as new Board takes charge following unanimous election of the Office Bearers

• IBPC will increase the number of events to promote India-UAE relations in the UAE
• As UAE-India relations reach a strategic level, following Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s historic visit to the UAE in 2015 and the historic visit by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi to India as the Chief Guest on India’s Republic Day in 2017
• The UAE is investing Dh275 billion (US$75 billion) into Indian economy that will help the country to accelerate its economic growth
• Indian business & professional community created a history by electing a woman President and a woman Secretary-General

Dubai, April 11, 2017

In view of the growing strategic and strong bilateral relations between India and the UAE, the Indian Business and Professional Council (IBPC) – the largest business group in the UAE – announces a strong line-up of events for 2017-18 that will help strengthen two-way investment and trade between India and the UAE as the newly-elected Administrative Board takes office.

On March 25, the members of the IBPC had elected a new Administrative Board who then unanimously elected the Office Bearers with Ms Bindu Suresh Chettur becoming the first woman President and Ms Smita Prabhakar as the first woman Secretary General, Mr Hemant Jethwani as the Vice President and Mr. Janak Panjuani as the Treasurer to lead the organization. 

Others elected to the nine-member Administrative board include;

Mr. G.R. Mehta
Mr. James Mathew
Mr. Kulwant Singh
Ms. Monika Agarwal
Mr. Nimish Makvana

“We have been elected to lead the IBPC at a very significant juncture of the bilateral relations between India and the UAE when both the countries are becoming strategic development partners in their journey,” Bindu Suresh Chettur, President of IBPC, says. “Accordingly, the role of the IBPC will also have to be re-defined to help strengthen the strategic direction. In the next few months, we will be undertaking a number of new initiatives to elevate IBPC to a new role to support the new environment of stronger economic cooperation.

“There are lots of investors in the GCC who are looking at the new economic opportunities in India – but do not know how to approach and who to talk to. Now IBPC will play a role to help these investors to find the right partner and look at the right industry to achieve a faster and higher return on investment.”

The IBPC election comes two months after the UAE signed a series of agreements in New Delhi during the historic visit by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi to India as the Chief Guest on India’s Republic Day.

At the height, bilateral trade between India and the UAE reached $75 billion in 2013-14. The two countries signed 14 agreements in January this year that have cemented the bilateral relations.

“The UAE’s US$75 billion in 2015 is the single largest investment announcement in India’s history and that speaks a lot about the nature of the bilateral relationship between the two countries,” Smita Prabhakar, Secretary-General of the IBPC says. “In January, the UAE signed up to build a strategic energy reserve in India that will help boost India’s energy security and help power the growth of Indian economy and help power new industries and urban centres as the country plans to deliver 100 smart cities.

“Indian economy is on a roll and for that it needs strategic partners. As the UAE stands by to support India’s growth, it becomes crucial for all of us to help rally the private sector investors to identify the best investment opportunities and benefit from the India growth story.”

About IBPC
Indian Business and Professional Council (IBPC), Dubai is the only recognised representative organisation of Indian Business community and Professionals in Dubai under the auspices of Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry.