Kolkata: Alex Ellis, British High Commissioner to India will visit Kolkata with a 55-strong delegation of senior officials from various business houses and institutions which will be the biggest ever UK delegation to the Bengal Global Business Summit (BGBS) 2023 scheduled on November 21 and 22, 2023.
Reliance Industries chairman and managing director Mukesh Ambani and top industrialists from companies such as the ITC, Ambuja Neotia and Hiranandani Group are likely to attend the Bengal Global Business Summit scheduled here next week, an official of the state government said.
It was, however, not clear whether Adani Group chairperson Gautam Adani will attend the two-day summit, the official said, adding that representatives of the group will be present.
“Mukesh Ambani is likely to attend this year’s BGBS. Other industrialists such as Sanjeev Goenka, Sanjeev Puri, Purnendu Chattopadhyay, Harshvardhan Neotia and Sajjan Jindal will be present,” the official said. Anna Shotbolt, UK’s Deputy Trade Commissioner to South Asia will accompany the High Commissioner to BGBS.
Alex Ellis, British High Commissioner to India said: “I am greatly looking forward to leading the UK’s largest ever delegation to the Bengal Global Business Summit in Kolkata, including to learn about West Bengal’s pioneering green transition, for the electrification of its public transport system. I hope the summit will help British businesses to expand here and that companies from Bengal can enhance their footprint in the UK.”
Andrew Fleming, British Deputy High Commissioner to East and Northeast India said: “I would like to congratulate the Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee and the Government of West Bengal for hosting the BGBS this year. Within days of my arrival in Kolkata, I’m delighted to have Alex Ellis, British High Commissioner to India leading one of the largest foreign delegations to BGBS 2023. The UK-India 2030 Roadmap agreed by our Prime Ministers promised to transform trade and investment between the UK and India. That’s what we are here to do.”
The UK, in collaboration with the Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry, will facilitate a ‘B2B (Business-to-Business) UK Country session on ‘Building a Net Zero Future’ along the sidelines of the summit at ITC Sonar on November 21. These discussions will enable participants to identify opportunities for future collaboration, research and innovation, and facilitate the expansion of trade and investment.
The UK is also organising a ‘Green Adda on a Tram’ with climate experts in Kolkata on November 20. The experts will participate in rich, insightful discussions on how to build on the already enriching partnership towards reducing emissions and creating new jobs.
The UK-India partnership is well and truly ‘Alive with Opportunity’.
The Alive with Opportunity campaign which was launched earlier this month, is designed to showcase the strong bond between our two countries and further build on the continuous exchange of people, ideas and culture.
As part of the UK’s ambitions to double its trade with India by 2030, this campaign aims to stimulate interest and demand for UK goods and services, increase the UK’s ability to grow its business through trade with India and attract new Indian inward investment.