In a first of its kind interaction, a Portugal-India Business roundtable was held on 11thApril 2018 in London with nearly 40 top Indian companies based in the UK with interests across Europe. A large Portuguese government and business delegation comprising of over 40 members, participated in the roundtable, which was addressed by His Excellency António Costa, Prime Minister of Portugal.
A diverse range of major Indian-headquartered companies and Indian-owned entities were present at the interaction including the Hinduja Group, Tata Consultancy Services, Tech Mahindra, Wipro, ICICI Bank, L&T Infotech, Cox & Kings, Grange Hotels, Golden Tours, Taj Hotels, East End Foods, Dabur, Ty-Phoo, Piramal Pharma Solutions, Global Gene Corp, Usha Martin, Zee TV and others.
“India is a world leader in many areas but the strongest shining star is undoubtedly new technologies. Portugal too is leading Europe in new technologies, with many multinational corporations choosing our country as their digital, tech and innovation hubs in Europe. This sets the stage for deeper economic engagement between the two countries and to make Portugal even more attractive for Indian companies” said Prime Minister Costa.
He added, “We are strongly committed to strengthening the partnership between the EU and India, based on a spirit of cooperation, reciprocity and mutual benefit, and I am delighted that PortugalIn and the Confederation of Indian Industry come together to facilitate collaboration between Indian and Portuguese companies.
High Commissioner of India (UK), Mr Y. K. Sinha, spoke about the warm and friendly relations between India and Portugal. High Commissioner highlighted the existing opportunities in India, the world’s fastest growing large economy, and the various initiatives taken by Prime Minister Modi’s government to boost India’s economic growth. He emphasised that it was the right time for not only for Indian companies to enhance partnerships across Europe, but also for Portuguese companies to explore doing business in India.
Shuchita Sonalika, Director, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) said, “We are deeply honored to organize this interaction for Indian industry in London with the Portuguese business and government delegation led by Prime Minister Costa, and appreciate his commitment to strengthening ties with India. The wide-ranging of interest in enhancing business between Portugal and India was evident in sector representation at the roundtable, including Information and communication technology, pharmaceuticals, financial services, and indeed, hospitality and tourism, food and beverage and fashion.”
