PA/06/12 5 March 2012
Australian and Indian CEOs discuss trade and investment opportunities
Senior CEOs from Australia and India met today in New Delhi to examine ways to expand trade and investment between the two countries.
The first meeting of the Australia-India CEO Forum concentrated on practical ways to remove trade barriers between Australia and India. CEOs drew on experiences and lessons learned from a number of different sectors in assessing steps which could be taken to facilitate and accelerate trade growth. The emphasis of the group was on specific practical issues in relation to investment processes, temporary transfers of skilled personnel, transfer of good practice in management fields, new export opportunities, and engagement of the two governments to conclude quickly FTA negotiations between Australia and India.
The Forum is co-chaired by Mr. Lindsay Fox AC, Founder and Chairman of the Linfox Group of companies, and by Mr Naveen Jindal, MP, Chairman and Managing Director, Jindal Steel and Power. On the Australian side, members include Mr Sam Walsh AO, Executive Director and Chief Executive, Iron Ore, Rio Tinto; Mr Peter Coleman, CEO, Woodside Petroleum; and Mr Paul O’Malley, Managing Director, Bluescope Steel. The Indian members are Mr. Ganesh Natarajan, WT Director, President & CEO, Ennore Coke Ltd; Mr Shubhendu Amitabh, Group Executive President, Aditya Birla Minerals Ltd; Mr Sanjay Pattnaik, Chief Raw Materials Strategy Group, Tata Steel Ltd; and Mr Ravi Vishwanathan, Head of Emerging Markets, Tata Consultancy Services.
The Forum agreed to present its recommendations by a letter from the two co-chairs to the Prime Ministers of India and Australia. In addition, Forum members agreed to meet again, in Australia, before the end of 2012.