UK investors, British High Commissioner to visit India to boost trade ties

The commissioner, Sir James Bevan, will lead the UK delegation to the investors’ event in Kochi, Kerala on 12 September. The two-day event will be inaugurated by the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Sir James
will speak at the UK country session.

“We are bringing our largest ever business delegation to Kerala, further evidence of the wider, stronger, deeper partnership between the UK and India,” Sir James said ahead of his visit to India.

The UK business delegation includes business leaders from the UK’s education, healthcare, infrastructure and technology sectors. Business leaders from companies such as London & Partners, Balfour Beatty, Happold Consulting, NHS Global, ARM, Wardray Premise, Silver Streak Consultants, City & Guilds, The Converging World, BMT Group, SERCO and Mott MacDonald will be part of the team.

Currently, the bilateral trade between India and the UK is at £16.4bn.

Earlier this month, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) re-opened its office in Delhi to deepen Britain’s business links with India. The CBI India office will give UK businesses insights into the Indian market and act as an enabler for doing business in the country.

Last year, India-UK bilateral trade grew by 26%. UK exports to India grew by 29%. India has become the 5th largest investor in the UK and the UK is the third largest investor in India.

In 2011 alone, the UK attracted 81 new investment projects from India generating 5,454 jobs in the UK.

Over the last three years the UK has had business outreach events in both Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala state, according to the British High Commission.

 “Our business engagement with Kerala is long-standing,” said Mike Nithavrianakis, British Deputy High Commissioner in Chennai.