By IANS,
London : Business leaders from India and Britain meet here later Monday to discuss emerging trends in media, sports and retail sectors at the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) summit on Next Generation India: Talent, Trends and Technology.
Looking forward to the summit, UKIBC CEO Sharon Bamford said: “UKIBC will mark its first anniversary with a summit focusing on trends emanating from India’s booming economy that play to the strengths the UK has to offer.
“The idea is to go beyond the usual conference topics to explore the opportunities emerging from the complex landscape of India, characterised by growing middle class demand for luxury brands, drive for the latest clean technologies and a boom in sports business.”
Helen Alexander, formerly CEO of the Economist and vice president of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), will provide an overview of recent economic trends in the Britain-India corridor and will then go on to explore trends in three areas: media acquisitions and partnerships, sports entrepreneurship and sponsorship opportunities, and the boom in luxury goods and retail. Jim O Neill, who coined the ‘BRICs’ term, will act as moderator.
David Roberts, partner, Olswang, will highlight the current trends in media and will be joined by Parvinder Bhatia, COO, Prime Focus/VTR, who will explain the horizontal expansion of media companies in India seeking content from Britain.
Manoj Badale, owner of the Rajasthan Royals, will discuss how British companies can participate in Indian sports while Terry Hill, chairman of Arup, will reveal the company’s expansion plans with a focus on sports infrastructure.
Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC) Executive Director, V Sivakumar, will lay out the ground by highlighting the emerging trends in luxury goods, while Mark Henderson of Gieves and Hawkes will discuss why Saville Row is eyeing the Indian market. Malav Shroff, former Olympian, will share his insight of India as a market for leisure and luxury business.
The event will have representation from the business world and government with influential figures including Karan Bilimoria, UKIBC chairman, James Smith, chairman of Shell, and Sanjoy Chatterjee, chairman of ICICI, among the speaker.