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September 2017 | Vol VI | Issue 2AMCHAM - The Voice of American Business in India

• DoorKnocktoWashingtonD.C.

• MeetingwithGlobalEntrepreneurshipSummit(GES)Delegation

• Anti-CorruptionComplianceandRiskManagementMasterClass2017

• MeetingwiththeChiefMinisterofTamilNadu,Mr.EdappadiK.Palaniswami

• Meeting with U.S. Embassy Dhaka Officials on the Business Environment and Economic Scenario ofBangladesh

• RoundtablewithAmbassadorFrankG.Wisner(U.S.AmbassadortoIndia1994-97), InternationalAffairsAdvisor,SquirePattonBoggs

• MeetingwiththeMr.DarpanJain,CommissionerforIndustrialDevelopmentandDirectorofIndustriesandCommerce,GovernmentofKarnataka

HIGHLIGHTS

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Contents18

MeetingwithAmbassadorFrankG.Wisner,InternationalAffairsAdvisor,SquirePattonBoggs

24NationalExecutiveBoardMeeting

28RoundtableMeetingwithMs.FatemaSumar,MillenniumChallengeCorporation:OpportunitiestoPartnerinDevelopmentProjects&EconomicGrowth

33Welcome Reception in Honour of Mr.EdgardD.Kagan,ConsulGeneral,U.S.ConsulateGeneralMumbai

36PanelDiscussiononSecurityinaDigitalEra

40FarewellforMr.JohnFleming,PrincipalCommercialOfficer,U.S.ConsulateGeneralChennai

48MeetingwiththeChiefMinisterofTamilNadu,Mr.EdappadiK.Palaniswami

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NATIONAL EXECUTIVE BOARD 2017-18

Office Bearers

Chairman

Mr. Pratyush Kumar President Boeing India

Vice Chairmen

Mr. Arun M. Kumar Chairman and CEO KPMG in India

Mr. Gulshan Kumar Sachdev Managing Director Quaker Chemical India Limited

Hon. Secretary & Treasurer

Mr. Atul Dhawan Partner Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India LLP

Board Members

Ms. Rekha M. Menon Chairman and Senior Managing Director Accenture Services Pvt. Ltd.

Mr. Varun Khanna Managing Director Becton Dickinson India Pvt. Ltd.

Mr. Arun Kumar Jain Managing Director Fluor Daniel India Pvt. Ltd.

Mr. Paresh Shah Senior Vice President & General Manager - India Syniverse Technologies Services India Pvt. Ltd.

Mr. Debdas Sen CEO TCG Digital Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

Mr. Krish Iyer President and CEO Wal-Mart India Pvt. Ltd.

Dr. Kiranmai Pendyala CVP HR Greater Asia AMD R&D Center India Pvt. Ltd.

Mr. Mahesh Krishnamurti Managing Director RGP India Private Limited

Mr. V. Laxmikanth Manging Director Broadridge Financial Solutions

Mr. Phil Shaw Chief Executive - India Lockheed Martin India Private Limited

Mr. Iqbal Sait Head of Asia Operations Saggezza Inc.

Mr. Rajan Aiyer Managing Director - GM, SAARC Region Trimble Information Technologies India Pvt. Ltd.

Mr. Ramkumar Ramamoorthy Senior Vice President, Marketing, Corporate Affairs and Communications Cognizant Technology Solutions

Mr. Arijit Ghosh President & Managing Director Textron India Pvt. Ltd.

Ms. Kaku Nakhate President & Country Head (India) Bank of America N.A.

Ms. Vanitha Narayanan Chairman IBM India Pvt. Ltd.

Honorary Members

Mr. Patrick Santillo Minister Counselor for Commercial Affairs U.S. Embassy

Special Invitee

Mr. C. R. Dua Chairman Dua Associates

Inthepasttwomonths,wehaveseenprogressintheU.S.–Indiarelationshipinasignificantway.PrimeMinisterNarendraModivisitedtheU.S.tomeetPresidentDonaldTrump.Thetwoleaderstalkedaboutterrorism,trade,energyandsecurityexpressingconfidencethattherelationsbetweenthetwocountries‘neverlookedbrighter.’Therehasbeencontinuityofdialogueonsuchsectoralissueseversince.Atpresent,thekeyareasofcooperationarelikelytobedefenceandcounter-terrorism,includingmaintainingfreeandopenseaways,freedomofcommerce,adherencetointernationallawandsovereigntyissues.

AMCHAMdelegatesmetwithpolicyandlawmakersinWashingtonD.C.duringourannualdoorknockinJune.AMCHAMandKPMG’sknowledgepaper‘TheIndia–U.S.Dynamic–BetterTogether’(http://www.amchamindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/AMCHAM-Door-Knock-Delegation-Knowledge-Paper.pdf)whichincorporatedsectoralissuesandconcernswaspresentedduringtheseinteractions.

Anewchapter in India’staxreformwaslaunchedwithGST,effectivefrom1stJuly2017. Ithasprovedtobeagamechangeras thegovernmentcollectedaroundRs.92,000crore in taxes in July itself.We foresee India'sgrowthmomentum toget sturdierwith the revitalization in theprivate investment cycleand realGDPgrowth,whichispredictedtoaverage7.4%over2017and2018.Althoughtherehavebeensometeethingproblems,thegovernmentiswillingtoaddresstheissues.

AMCHAMmemberswererequestedtogiveinputsontheissuesfacedbythemwiththeimplementationofGST.ThismeaningfulfeedbackonGSTrelatedchallengesisbeingconsolidatedandwillberepresentedtotherelevantgovernmentofficials.

Chargéd'AffairesMaryKayCarlsoninvitedAMCHAMtoparticipateinaninteractionwithMs.LisaCurtis,DeputyAssistanttothePresidentandSeniorDirectorforSouthandCentralAsianAffairs,NationalSecurityCouncilandAmbassadorAliceWells,ActingAssistantSecretaryforSouthandCentralAsia,U.S.DepartmentofState.

To coincidewith theNational ExecutiveBoardmeetingheld inChennai thisAugust, the TamilNaduChapterorganizedameetingwiththeChiefMinisterofTamilNadu,Mr.EddapadiK.PalaniswamiandMr.MCSampath,MinisterforIndustry,GovernmentofTamilNadu,alongwiththechiefsecretariatandothergovernmentofficials.Therewasadiscussiononpolicyinitiativesbeingtakentomakethestateanattractiveinvestmentdestination.

Indiahasbeenfacingachallengewith jobcreation,howeverwehaveseenAmericancompaniesoperatinginIndiacontributetothegainfulemploymentofa largenumberofemployeesacrosssectors includingruralandremoteareas.Theprogressintechnologyandinnovationcanaffectemployabilityandcanreducethenumberofjobsthatarecurrentlybeingoffered.Therefore,upskillingandtalentmanagementwillbecomecrucialtoIndia’sendeavors.Thefutureholdsmoreinclinationtowardsinnovationandentrepreneurship.Itis,infact,predictedthattheinnovationcompetitivenessofIndiawouldseeasignificantrisewithitsgrowthrate.

IlookforwardtoIndiaandU.S.co-hostingthe‘GlobalEntrepreneurshipSummit(GES)’inHyderabadfrom28thNovember2017.WelookforwardtoyourfeedbackandcontinuedsupportofAMCHAMactivities.

Chairman’s Message

Pratyush KumarChairman, AmChAm

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Conference Call of the Sub-Group on GST Asub-grouphasbeensetupbyAMCHAM’sTax,TariffandRegulatoryAffairsCommitteeunderthechairmanshipofMr.AtulGupta,SeniorDirector,DeloitteHaskinsandSellsLLP, todiscussandanalyze issuesrelating toGSTanddecidethewayforward.Thefirstconferencecallwiththesub-groupwasheldon21stJune.Itwasdecidedthatthesub-groupshouldhaveamonthlycall.ThenextcallwouldbeheldinthethirdweekofJuly.Beforethecall,memberswouldberequestedtosendtheirspecificconcernsandissuesthattheywerefacingunderGSTlawinadvancesothat themembersof thesub-groupcoulddeliberateonthoseissuesintheproposedJulymeeting.

The date and agenda for an AMCHAM event onGST with senior GST officials was also discussed.Membersdecided that thiseventshouldbeheld in thesecond or third week of August 2017 and governmentofficials would be invited. At this event, there could bepresentations by industry, consulting companies and

government.Memberspointedout thatAnti-ProfiteeringRules were important but the methodology and themechanism forcomputationwerenotclear. Inabsenceof any clear guidelines, price fixation of goods post1st July is a formidable challenge for companies.Therefore,thiswasoneissueonwhichAMCHAMshouldmakearepresentationtothegovernmentasap.Anotherissueraisedwasinregardstoeligibilityofavailinginputcreditontransitionstocksbasisacredittransferdocument(CTD)beextendedtoallgoodsratherthangoodshavinga value of more than Rs. 25,000. It was decided thatAMCHAMwouldrequestforspeedyreleaseofguidelinesforcomputationunderAnti-ProfiteeringRulesandalsoinregardstoextendingtheeligibilityofavailinginputcreditbasisCTDforallgoods, irrespectiveof thevalueof thegoods.Accordingly,arepresentationhasbeenmadetotheFinanceMinister,RevenueSecretary,andChairman,CBEC.

DELHI

Annual Door Knock to Washington D.C. 2017

The annual AMCHAM India door knock delegation toWashington D.C. was led by AMCHAM’s Chairman,Mr.PratyushKumar,President,BoeingIndia,from25th–28thJune2017,tocoincidewithPrimeMinisterModi’svisittoD.C.ThemainpurposeofthedoorknockwastoinformandsensitizeU.S.policy-makersonissuesimpactingU.S.investmentsinIndia.Thedelegationinteractedwithmanyoftheimportantplayersintheeconomicrelationshipandotherkeydecision-makers.

This year, AMCHAM,with knowledge partner KPMG inIndia,publishedThe India – U.S. Dynamic – Better Together,a document to leave behind with U.S. governmentofficialsduringthedoorknock.Thedocumentprovidedan industryperspectiveon India’s economy, theU.S. –India dynamic and highlights some of the key industryrelatedchallengesfacedbyU.S.companiesoperatinginIndia.

Someofthemainpointsofdiscussionincluded:

• StridesintheU.S.–Indiadefensepartnership

Having attended last 3 years’ door knocks, I would clearly encourage CEOs on the ground in India to take the opportunity and share their experiences and insights with U.S. policymakers and help drive policy conducive to American companies in India. Also over the years AmCHAm has built on the experiences, leveraged relationships to put together tight meeting schedules

which are focused too. House, Senate and administration also see merit in these cross sectoral interactions as it helps them put across their thoughts and clarify any doubts. It is also interesting to learn what is on the minds of the India Caucus, which is growing as the Caucus does influence policy in a meaningful way. This year the visit was well timed with Prime minister modi’s visit and it gave AmCHAm members a good chance to interact with the new administration and reiterate the importance of continuity to build the ties between the world’s two largest democracy.

Ms. Kaku Nakhate President & Country Head – India

Bank of America

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The door knock opportunity in Washington DC this year provided real time feedback and valuable insight from administration and Government of India officials on the visit and engagements of Prime minister modi. While not all the senior U.S. Administration officials were in place, House and Senate members were generous with their time for our delegation and ensured

continued bilateral support for the relationship with India. Overall a worthwhile activity by AmCHAm and I hope that this effort continues as it is a good opportunity for us to get our messages across to U.S. officials across all departments in one week.

Mr. Phil Shaw Chairman – Defense Committee, AmCHAm

Chief Executive, Lockheed martin India

Excellent line-up of meetings, great organization by Ranjana and Valerie, and great to meet with the AmCHAm delegation members…… I learned a lot.

Dr. Ravi Bhatkal managing Director, India

macDermid Performance Solutions, Cookson India Private Limited

• Commonissuesinsecurity

• Technologytransfer

• ‘MakeinIndia’vs‘MakeinAmerica’

• ImplementationofGSTinIndia

• Pricecontrolsformedicaldevices

• Concernsaboutpatientaccessandinnovation

• IncreasedFDIinflows

• ProsandconsoftheU.S.–IndiaCEOForum

• Readout on the Prime Minister Modi meeting withPresidentTrump

• Tradedeficitreport

• Re-thinkingtheU.S.–IndiaStrategicandCommercialDialogue

• Intellectualpropertyrights

• Trade Policy Forum to address market accessconcerns

• Reversetrademissionsforsmartcities

• USTDA’sGlobalProcurementInitiative

• GlobalEntrepreneurshipSummit

ChairinU.S.IndiaPolicyStudies,theCenterforStrategicand International Studies (CSIS), Ambassador TeresitaSchaffer, Brookings Institute, Mr. Sadanand Dhume,AmericanEnterpriseInstitute,Ms.TanviMadan,BrookingsInstitute, Mr. Irfan Nooruddin, Georgetown University,Ms. Emily Paragamian, Georgetown University, amongothers.

On Monday 26th June, the door knock began with aroundtablehostedbyCSISwiththinktankpolicyleadersintheU.S.–Indiapartnership.Someoftheparticipantsin thediscussion includedMr.RickRossow,Wadhwani

ThedelegationmetwithAmbassador Thomas Shannon,UnderSecretary forPoliticalAffairs,U.S.DepartmentofState.Later, thedelegationproceeded to thePentagonforameetingwithMr. David Helvey,AssistantSecretaryofDefense in theBureau of Asian andPacificSecurityAffairs in the Office of the Secretary of Defense andMs. Cara Abercrombie,DeputyAssistantSecretaryofDefenseforSouthandSoutheastAsiawithintheOfficeoftheAssistantSecretaryofDefenseforAsianandPacificSecurity Affairs. The finalmeeting for thedaywaswithRepresentative Ami Bera (D-CA). In the evening thedelegationdinnerwashostedbyDell.

On Tuesday 27th June, the delegation met withRepresentative George Holding (R-NC), Co-Chair oftheHouseIndiaCaucus.ThegroupattendedtheU.S.–IndiaBusinessCouncil’s42ndLeadershipSummitwheretheHonorableMikePence,VicePresidentoftheUnitedStates, delivered the keynote address. Other featuredspeakers included H.E. Ambassador Navtej Sarna,Ambassador of India to the U.S., Representative Pete

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Sessions(R-TX),RepresentativeGeorgeHolding(R-NC),Co-ChairU.S.-IndiaHouseCaucus andRepresentativeTulsiGabbard(D-HI),Co-ChairU.S.-IndiaHouseCaucus.Postlunch,thedelegationmetwithRepresentative Judy Chu(D-CA).Thedayconcludedwithareceptionhostedby AMCHAM’s Chairman at The Boeing Company inArlington,VA.

OnWednesdaymorning,28thJune,thedelegationmetwithMs. Diane Farrell, Deputy Assistant Secretary forAsia, U.S. Department of Commerce. From the Officeof South Asia, Mr. Jed Diemond, Deputy Director, Ms.Megan Hyndman, International Trade Specialist, Mr.Erol Yesin, International Trade Specialist, Ms. NoorSclafani, Mr. Jonathan Goldberg, International TradeSpecialist and Ms. Bhavna Vishwakarma, CommercialSpecialist,U.S.Embassy, joined themeeting.Next, thedelegation split up and some attended ameetingwithRepresentative Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) while othersmetwithMr. Charles Hall,ActingChairman,Ex-ImBank.Later, thegroupmetwithMr. Mark Linscott, AssistantU.S. Trade Representative for South and Central AsianAffairs,alongwithMs. Tanya Menchi,DeputyAssistantU.S.TradeRepresentativeforSouthandCentralAsiaandMr. Brendan Lynch,DirectorforIndia,USTR.

The AmCHAm door knock was a wonderful experience. The meetings, organized on the sidelines of the successful visit of Prime minister modi to Washington DC, were carefully curated and extremely well organized. Given the quality of the interactions and meaningful exchange between the officials and members of the delegation, I would definitely recommend other

organizations deeply embedded in both geographies to consider participating in the door knock next year.

Mr. Sukanti Ghosh managing Director – India

APCO Worldwide

I found the door knock to be a singular opportunity to engage with senior U.S. government and business stakeholders over 3 days of focused meetings to present the India perspective. The timing could not have been better with the backdrop of the Prime ministerial visit which helped really energize the overall relationship dynamic between the two countries and put

India on everyone’s mind. It was a privilege for KPmG to have partnered with AmCHAm on a report highlighting the sector-wise opportunities and challenges for U.S. companies in India, which was well received by all stakeholders. Congratulations AmCHAm for this stellar initiative!

Mr. Naveen Aggarwal Partner, COO – Tax, India – U.S. Corridor Leader

KPmG in India

The delegation proceeded to the USTDA office inArlington, VA to meet with Ms. Enoh Ebong, ActingDirector,UnitedStatesTradeandDevelopmentAgency.Mr. Henry Steingass, Regional Director, South and

SoutheastAsia,Ms. Heather Lanigan,CountryManagerfor South Asia andMs. Alissa Lee, CountryManager,SouthAsia,alsojoinedthemeeting.NextthegroupwenttotheEmbassyofIndiatomeetwithAmbassador Navtej Sarna,IndianAmbassadortotheU.S.andMr. Santosh Jha, DCM Designate, Indian Embassy. For a meetingwith theCo-Chairof theSenate IndiaCaucus,Senator Mark Warner(D-VA),thedelegationwenttotheCapitol.

ThedoorknockconcludedonWednesdayeveningwithameeting at theWhite House withMs. Anjana Modi, DirectorforIndiaandtheSubcontinent,NationalSecurityCouncil.

AMCHAM India Door Knock Delegation 2017

• Mr.PratyushKumar,President,BoeingIndia

• Ms.KakuNakhate,President&CountryHead–India,BankofAmerica

• Mr.PhilShaw,ChiefExecutive,LockheedMartinIndia

• Ms.AbbyPratt,VicePresident,AdvaMed–AdvancedMedicalTechnologyAssociation

• Mr.SukantiGhosh,ManagingDirector–India,APCOWorldwide

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(L-R)Mr.CharlesHall,ActingChairmanandPresident,Ex-ImBank,Dr.RaviBhatkal,ManagingDirector-India,MacDermidPerformanceSolutions,CooksonIndiaPvt.Ltd.,Mr.PratyushKumar,Chairman,AMCHAMandPresident,BoeingIndia,andMr.ScottSchloegel,FirstVicePresidentandViceChairmanoftheBoard(Acting),Ex-ImBank

• Mr.NealMontour,SeniorVicePresident–CorporateOperations,BelcanLLC

• Dr. Ravi Bhatkal, Managing Director, India,MacDermid Performance Solutions, Cookson IndiaPrivateLimited

• Mr.ArijitSen,DirectorGlobalGovernmentRelationsandPublicPolicy,DellInc.

• Ms. Lisa Schroeter, Global Director of Trade &InvestmentPolicy,TheDowChemicalCompany

• Ms.TiffanyMcCullenAtwell,DirectorofInternationalGovernmentAffairs,Dupont

• Mr.NaveenAggarwal, Partner, COO – Tax, India –U.S.CorridorLeader,KPMGinIndia

• Mr. Benjamin Schwartz, Director for Defense andAerospace,U.S.–IndiaBusinessCouncil

• Ms. Ranjana Khanna, Director General CEO,AMCHAMIndia

• Ms.ValerieSwope,ProgramCoordinator,AMCHAMIndia

AMCHAM'sdoorknockdelegationwithMs.EnohEbong,ActingDirector,U.S.TradeandDevelopmentAgencyandher teamat theUSTDAofficeinArlington,VA

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ThedoorknockdelegationattheIndianEmbassywithAmbassadorNavtejSarna,IndianAmbassadortotheU.S.

AMCHAM'sdoorknockdelegationwithAmbassadorThomasShannon,UnderSecretaryforPoliticalAffairs,U.S.DepartmentofStateinWashingtonD.C.

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Ms. Anjana Modi, Director for India and the Subcontinent,NationalSecurityCouncil,withthedoorknockdelegationonthestepsoftheWhiteHouse

Delgates with Mr. David Helvey, Assistant Secretary ofDefense in theBureauof Asian andPacificSecurity Affairsin the Office of the Secretary of Defense and Ms. CaraAbercrombie, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense forSouthandSoutheastAsiawithin theOfficeof theAssistantSecretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security AffairsandotherofficialsatthePentagon

Ms.KakuNakhate,NationalExecutiveBoardMember,AMCHAMandPresident&CountryHead–India,BankofAmericainconversationwithSenatorMarkWarner,Co-ChairSenateIndiaCaucus

SenatorMarkWarner,Co-ChairSenateIndiaCaucus,speakingtothedelegation

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Mr. Arijit Sen, Co-Chairman - Cyber Security Committee,AMCHAM and Director Global Government Relations andPublic Policy, Dell Inc. with Mr. Naveen Aggarwal, Partner,COO–Tax,India–U.S.CorridorLeader,KPMGinIndia

The door knock delegation with Representative Judy Chu(D-CA)

(L-R)Mr.RickRossow,WadhwaniChair inU.S. IndiaPolicyStudies,CenterforStrategicandInternationalStudies(CSIS),Mr. Pratyush Kumar, Chairman, AMCHAM and President,Boeing India, Ms. Ranjana Khanna, Director General CEO,AMCHAM and Ambassador Teresita Schaffer, BrookingsInstitute,ataroundtableatCSIS

AMCHAM reception hosted at the Boeing Company inArlington,VA

ThedelegationwithRepresentativeAmiBera(D-CA)

The door knock delegation with Representative GeorgeHolding,Co-ChairoftheHouseIndiaCaucus

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Aviation Committee Meeting AMCHAM’sAviationCommitteemeton3rdJuly2017inNewDelhi.TheydecidedtofocusontheimplementationaspectsofpolicyframeworkespeciallywithstatessinceAMCHAMhadsubmittedmanypolicyrecommendationsforwhichsomehavebeenimplementedinthepreviousunion budget and recentNCAP (National Civil Aviation

Policy). AMCHAM led stand-alone trade missions,reverse trade missions, an annual summit and eventsaround other big aviation shows, were also discussed.Airport infrastructure,MROand‘Make in India’andskilldevelopmentconcludedthediscussedtopics.

Meeting with Ms. Aruna Sundararajan, Secretary, Department of Telecommunications

AfewmembersofAMCHAM’sICTCommittee,ledbyitsChairman,Mr.AmitSharma,ExecutiveVicePresidentandPresidentAsia,ATCIndiaandCo-Chairman,Mr.NaveenTandon, Director – IEA, AT&TCommunication ServicesIndiaPrivateLimited,calledonMs.ArunaSundararajan,Secretary, Department of Telecommunications, on 3rdJuly2017.FromAMCHAM,Ms.MadhviKataria,DeputyDirectorGeneral,joinedthemeeting.

Mr. Sharma requested the Secretary to interact withindustry and AMCHAM members before policies wereannounced.Thiswouldhelpmemberstoshareglobalbestpracticeswiththegovernment.MembersalsodiscussedissuesrelatingtoequipmentsecurityasDoThadmaderegistration of equipment having Wi-Fi mandatory. Amembermade a request to issuewireless licenses forcaptivewirelessradiossincethesehadnotbeenissued

sinceFebruary2017duetotheabsenceofalegalauthorityto administratively issue spectrum approvals. AnotherpointraisedwastheneedfortransparentprocedurestolinktoBharatNet.Itwashighlightedthatthecurrentpolicyandlicensingframeworksomehowdoesnotaddresstheemerging technologicalandservice formats (SDN,UC,cloudetc).Allthesearecriticalforthegrowthofenterprisedataservicesandmayactasabarrierforinvestmentandproliferationofservices.Thecurrent licensesshouldbemadetechnologicallyneutral,aswellasserviceagnostic,in line with objectives of the National Telecom Policy2012. Secretary, DoT said that she had made a noteof all thepointsandsaid that shewas looking forwardto suggestions on 5G, IoT, etc. and said that DoTwasalsoworkingonanewtelecompolicyforwhichindustry,includingAMCHAM,wouldbecontactedforconsultation.

Meeting with Mr. R.S. Sharma, Chairman, TRAI

AfewmembersofAMCHAM’sICTCommitteeledbyitsChairman, Mr. Amit Sharma, Executive Vice Presidentand President Asia, ATC India and Co-Chairman,Mr.NaveenTandon,Director–IEA,AT&TCommunicationServicesIndiaPrivateLimited,calledonMr.R.S.Sharma,Chairman, TRAI, on4th July 2017.MembersdiscussedissuesrelatedtoVNO.Theselicensesdidnotdifferentiatebetween B2B and B2C licenses and led to double

taxation. Mr. Sharma agreed that this was a genuineproblem of double taxation.Mr. Naveen Tandonwouldbe sending a note to Mr. Sharma on multi-parenting.MembersappreciatedthatTRAIhadadoptedanumberof positivemeasures in the last fewmonths.MemberswerehopingthattheM2Mpolicywillbeannouncedsoonand the cloud consultation paper, for which chambershadsenttheirviews,wouldalsobefinalizedsoon.

Briefing Session with Visiting Officials from USTR

On 10th July 2017, AMCHAM organized a briefingsession over breakfast for visiting officials from USTR.AMCHAMmembersfromtheIPR,MedicalDevicesandPharmaceuticalscommitteesparticipatedinthebriefing

session.Themainobjectiveof thebriefingsessionwasto sensitize USTR officials on trade related challengesfrom specific sectors. The USTR delegation includedMs. Tanya Menchi, Deputy Assistant USTR for South

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AMCHAMmembersinteractingwithvisitingUSTRofficialsatabriefinginNewDelhi

andCentralAsia,Mr.BrendanLynch,DirectorforIndiaatUSTRandMr.ConorHarrington,DirectorforIntellectualPropertyandInnovationattheofficeofUSTR.Ms.SanjitKaur Batra, Chairperson – IPR Committee, AMCHAM,made the opening remarks and briefly touched uponsomeof the issues.Ms.ApurvaMehta,Co-Chair– IPRCommittee, AMCHAM, then welcomed USTR officialsand thanked the U.S. Embassy for giving AMCHAMthe opportunity for this briefing sessionwithmembers.She also introduced USTR officials to the participatingmembers. Each of themembers then highlighted theirconcerns.

SomeofthechallengeshighlightedbytheIPRCommitteemembersincludedtheNationalIPPolicyandlackoffocuson commercialization, improvement on enforcementmechanisms,improvementinbiodiversityandPVPoffices,certaintyandpredictabilityofpatentlife,lackofregulatorydataprotection, lackof tradesecretprotectionand lackofpatentlinkage.Pricingofmedicaldevices,preferential

procurement policy for domestically manufacturedproducts and lack of incentives for innovation wereamongst a few points raised by the medical devicesindustrymembers.Thepharmaindustryraisedconcernsregarding the IPR issues and patented product pricingand also briefed the officials on the looming threat ofcompulsory licensing. USTR requested AMCHAM toconductasurveyandtrytogetthedataontheinvestmentslost and technology lost by the country due to variouspolicychallengesandalsorequestedawhitepaperfromtheMedicalDevicesCommitteeonwhysuperioritytrailscannotbedoneincaseofmedicaldevices.

The briefing session included members from thefollowing AMCHAM member companies: DuPont,Microsoft,Qualcomm,PhilipMorrisIndia(PMI),EdwardsLife Sciences, MSD, BSA, Boston Scientific and IndiaMedtronic. AMCHAM was represented by Mr. GauravMendiratta, Director,MedicalDevices, PharmaceuticalsandIPR.

(L-R)Mr.BrendanLynch,Director for India,USTR,Ms.TanyaMenchi,DeputyAssistantUSTRandMr.ConorHarrington,Director forIntellectualPropertyandInnovation,USTR,atabriefingwithAMCHAMmembersinNewDelhi

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MembersofAMCHAM'sInfrastructureandSmartCitiesCommitteeatameetinginGurgaon

Defense Committee Meeting with DOMW

Members of AMCHAM’s Defense Committee met withEconomicAdvisorandIn-chargeDOMW,Mr.RajibSen,at Sena Bhawan, New Delhi. Mr. Phil Shaw, Chairman–DefenseCommittee,AMCHAMandMs.UdayaArun,Director–Aerospace&Defense,AMCHAM,alongwithmembers from Boeing, Honeywell, Textron and KPMG

attendedthemeetingon11thJuly2017.Memberswentthrough the committee’s recommendations on offsets,pointbypoint,andvolunteeredtogetmoreinformation,withrespecttobestpracticesfromaroundtheworld,toMr.Sen,asherequested.

Meeting with Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) Delegation

Mr. Pratyush Kumar, Chairman, AMCHAM India andPresident, Boeing India; Mr. Atul Dhawan, HonorarySecretary & Treasurer, AMCHAM India and Partner,Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India LLP; Mr. Saket Modi,ChiefExecutiveOfficer,LucideusTechnologies;andMs.MadhviKataria,DeputyDirectorGeneral,AMCHAMIndia,

metwithU.S.governmentofficialsfromWashingtonD.C.on11thJuly2017inNewDelhitodiscusstheforthcomingGlobalEntrepreneurshipSummit(GES)tobeheldinIndiainNovemberof thisyear.Dateswillbefirmedupsoon.AMCHAMexpressedkeeninteresttobeassociatedwiththissummit.

Smart Cities and Infrastructure Committee Meeting

AMCHAM’s Infrastructure and Smart Cities CommitteemetinGurgaonon12thJuly2017underthechairmanshipofMr.ArunKumarJain,ManagingDirector,FluorDanielIndia and co-chairmanship of Mr. Pawan Gupta, VicePresident,AECOM.ThemeetingtookplaceattheFluorDaniel office and was attended by many companyrepresentatives who participated whole heartedly andchalkedoutafutureplanofactiontotargetat leastfivestates with their designated smart cities. The meetingalsocameupwithfivesub-committeessothatmemberscan focus on their area of interest and target work forsmart cities accordingly. Members of the committeealso pointed out difficulties they face in the bidding

process where government officials do not follow dueprocess owing to various reasons. Mr. Patrick Santillo,MinisterCounselorforCommercialAffairs,U.S.Embassy,expressedpleasure inwitnessing such participation byAmerican companies in coming together and formingataskforcetocombatbiddingforsmartcityprojectsinIndia.Hesaidtheembassywouldhelpinanywayitcan.His colleagueMs.RenieSubin,Commercial Specialist,U.S. Embassy, echoed that sentiment. The committeeadjourned with a decision to meet again once therepresentationsforprojectsweresentfromtheAMCHAMsecretariattotherelevantgovernmentoffices.

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Mr.ArunKumarJain,Chairman-InfrastructureandSmartCitiesCommittee,AMCHAMandManagingDirector,FluorDanielIndiaandMr.PawanGupta,Co-ChairmanInfrastructureandSmartCitiesCommittee,AMCHAMandVicePresident(Water&UrbanDevelopment),AECOMIndia

AfewmembersoftheICTCommitteeofAMCHAMIndialedby itsCo-Chairmen,Mr.NaveenTandon,Director–IEA,AT&TCommunicationServicesIndiaPrivateLimitedandMr.VivekVasishtha,ExecutiveDirectorandCountryLeader–GovernmentandRegulatoryAffairs, IBMIndiaPvt. Ltd.metwith the newSecretary ofMeitY,Mr. AjayPrakashSawhney,on20thJuly2017inhisoffice.

MembershadaproductiveinteractionwiththeSecretaryandissuessuchaspublicprocurement(ModelRFP2.0/GFR),CRO,CRI,encryptionandIoTpolicy,manufacturingandR&Dwerediscussed.TheSecretary,MeitY,saidthatthesuggestionsmadebythememberswereveryusefulandtimelyandhesaidthathewouldwelcomeanoteontheissues.

Meeting with Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY)

Con-Call of Sub-Group on GST

(L-R) Mr. Puneet Kumar, Managing Director - GovernmentRelations Lead, India, Accenture, Mr. Arijit Sen, Director,Global Government Relations and Public Policy, Dell, Mr.HarishKrishnan,ExecutiveDirector,PublicAffairs&StrategicEngagement,India&SAARC,CiscoSystems(India)andMr.AjayPrakashSawhney,SecretaryofMeitY

A con-call of the sub-grouponGSTwasorganizedon27th July2017.Mr.AtulGupta,SeniorDirector,DeloitteHaskins and Sells LLP, sought members’ views onwhetheranyissuesneedtobetakenupwiththeMinistryofFinanceandGSTCouncil.Itwasagreedthatafollow-upnoteonanti-profiteeringwouldbepreparedbyAnitaofPwCandsenttothegovernment.ThepointssentbyAmazonwouldalsobe included.Mr.BipinSapraofEYwas requested to sendanoteon theexportof service

as therewere largenumberof issues in termsof filing/acceptingofLUT.Mr.AtulGuptacheckedwithmemberswhenAMCHAM’sTaxCommitteecouldorganizeaneventonGSTwith theRevenueSecretary.Afterdiscussion, itwasagreedthatsuchaneventshouldbeorganizedpost20thSeptember.MembersoftheGSTCouncilwouldalsobe invited. Itwasalsoagreed thatameetingwouldbesoughtwithMr.HasmukhAdhiaandChairman,CBEC.

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Defense Committee Meeting

AMCHAM’sDefenseCommitteeheldameetingon28thJuly 2017. A detailed briefing of the AMCHAMdefensemembersmeetingwithEconomicAdvisorandIn-chargeDOMWMr.RajibSenatSenaBhawan,NewDelhi,wassharedwiththewholeteam.Thememberswentthrough

the committee recommendations on offsets point bypointandwererequestedtoshareinputswithrespecttobestpracticesfromaroundtheworld.Thememberswerealsorequestedtosharecomments/recommendationsontheStrategicPartnershipPolicy.

Meeting with Mr. Vinay Pratap Singh, Deputy Commissioner of Gurgaon

MembersoftheNorthernRegionCouncilledbyMr.VarunKhanna, Managing Director, BD India Private Limited,calledonMr.VinayPratapSingh,DeputyCommissionerofGurgaon,on28thJuly2017 inhisoffice.Mr.Khannashared the Northern Region Council’s capability deck

with Mr. Vinay Pratap Singh which provides details ontheactivitiesofsomeoftheU.S.companieshavingtheiroffices inNorth India,particularly inGurgaon,and theircontribution in terms of employment, investment andrevenuegenerated.

Mr.VinayPratapSingh,DC,Gurgaon,withNorthernRegionCouncilmembersledbyMr.VarunKhanna,ManagingDirector,BDIndia

Mr.VivekVasishtha,ExecutiveDirector&CountryLeader– IBM India, South Asia, and other members offeredtechnologies by U.S. companies tomeet the needs oftheHaryanaGovernment.Skilldevelopment,safetyandsecurity, road transportation, and CSR activities werediscussed. Mr. Vinay Pratap Singh said that he would

liketoseesynchronizedeffortsofU.S.companiesintheCSR sphere as presently all companies were workingindividually. Mr. Varun Khanna said that AMCHAMmember companies would like to go beyond CSRactivities and offered solutions and technologieswhichwouldpromotethegrowthofGurgaon.

Meeting with Dr. D. Suresh, Commissioner, Gurgaon Division

MembersoftheNorthernRegionCouncilledbyMr.VarunKhanna,ManagingDirector,BectonDickinsonIndiaPrivateLimited,hadameetingwithDr.D.Suresh,Commissioner,GurgaonDivision,inhisofficeon28thJuly2017inhisoffice.Ms.MadhviKataria,DeputyDirectorGeneral,AMCHAM,spoke about AMCHAM and Mr. Varun Khanna gave anoverviewof theactivitiesof themembersofAMCHAMintheNorthernRegionCouncil.Thecapabilitydeckpreparedonthebasisofinputsreceivedfromcompaniesbasedin

thenorthernregionwassharedwithDr.Suresh.Therewasdiscussion on the areas in which U.S. companies wereoperating in Haryana, the employment generated, etc.AMCHAMrequestedDr.SureshtopinpointtheareaswhereAmerican companies could assist the Government ofHaryana.LackofskilldevelopmentinHaryanawasamajorcauseofconcern.Dr.SureshsaidthataforumcouldbeputtogetherwheregovernmentofficialsfromGurgaonDistrictandAMCHAMmemberscouldinteractonceamonth.

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Meeting with Ambassador Frank G. Wisner, International Affairs Advisor, Squire Patton Boggs

AMCHAMhostedaninteractivesessionwithAmbassadorFrank G. Wisner, International Affairs Advisor, SquirePatton Boggs (former U.S. Ambassador to India) on28thJuly2017intheofficeofBoeingIndia.Ms.MadhviKataria,DeputyDirectorGeneral,AMCHAM,welcomedandMr.AnkurKanaglekar,Director–Strategy&BusinessDevelopment,Boeing InternationalCorp IndiaPvt. Ltd.,gave opening remarks. Ambassador Frank G. Wisnersharedhisviewson thestateof theU.S.economyandU.S.–Indiarelations.Memberssharedopportunitiesandchallenges relating to defence, IT, manufacturing andmedicaldevices.

(L-R)Ms.MadhviKataria,DeputyDirectorGeneral,AMCHAM,Mr. Ankur Kanaglekar, Director – Strategy & BusinessDevelopment, Boeing International Corp India Pvt. Ltd.,Ambassador Frank G. Wisner, International Affairs Advisor,SquirePattonBoggsandMr.PhilShaw,Chairman-DefenseCommittee,AMCHAMandChiefExecutive,LockheedMartinIndia

AmbassadorFrankWisner,InternationalAffairsAdvisor,SquirePattonBoggswithAMCHAMmembersandMr.SunilMehta,PastChairmanofAMCHAM,ataroundtable

Roundtable on the Future of U.S. – India Relations with Mr. Nelson Cunningham, President, McLarty Associates

AMCHAMmembersmetwithMr.NelsonCunningham,President and Co-Founder, McLarty Associates, for aroundtablesessiononthefutureofU.S.–IndiarelationsattheofficeofBAESystemsIndiaon31stJuly2017.Mr.Nik Khanna, Managing Director – India, BAE SystemsIndia Services (Pvt.) Limited, welcomed participants,introducedMr.Cunninghamandgaveopeningremarks.

Mr.NelsonCunninghamgaveanoverviewofMcLarty’s

andtheirhistorywithIndia.HeemphasizedthattheU.S.– India relationship is one of few bilateral relationshipsin the world with bipartisan support in both countries.He discussed the political scene in Washington D.C.,the budget reconciliation rules in the Senate, the newadministration’s trade agenda and focus on countrieswithtradedeficits,andareasofmutualconcernsforbothcountries,suchascounterterrorismandenergy.

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Membersposedpoignantquestionsabouttheunorthodoxadministration intheU.S.andthe implicationsfor India.Ms.RanjanaKhanna,DirectorGeneralCEO,AMCHAM,

thankedMr. Cunningham for his support of the U.S. –Indiaeconomicpartnershipandanexcellent interactivesession.

AMCHAMmembersat a roundtable sessionon the futureofU.S. - India relationswithMr.NelsonCunningham,President,McLartyAssociates,hostedbyBAESystemsIndia

Anti-Corruption Compliance and Risk Management Master Class 2017

On 2nd August 2017, the Anti-Corruption & FCPACompliance Committee organized an Anti-CorruptionCompliance and Risk Management Master Class. Themaster class began with a welcome address by Ms.Ranjana Khanna, Director General CEO, AMCHAM. InheraddressshepointedoutthatIndiahasbeenranked79thamong176countries in theCorruptionPerceptionIndex2016 releasedbyTransparency International. TheAnti-Corruption & FCPA Compliance Committee wasformedtoassistU.S.companiestomanagetheadverseeffects of corruption on the business environment.Ms.Khanna introduced former U.S. Ambassador to India(1994-97), Ambassador Frank G. Wisner, InternationalAffairsAdvisor,SquirePattonBoggs.Hegavethekeynoteaddress sharing his experience as an Ambassadorin the early nineties when American companies werebeginningtheiroperationsinIndia.Healsotalkedaboutthe challenges facedby companies back then and hisadvicetothemduringhisterm.

Ms.RitikaRatti,Chairperson –Anti-Corruption&FCPACompliance Committee, AMCHAM and Chief Ethics &ComplianceOfficer&HeadofAnti-Corruption,WalmartIndia gave an introduction explaining the theme andoverviewofthesessionsfortheday.ShestatedhervisionfortheAnti-Corruption&FCPAComplianceCommittee.

She further thanked the partners for supporting themasterclass,Kobre&KimandKPMGinIndia.

The first sessionwas a presentation on ‘Top Trends inFCPA and Anti-Corruption Enforcement and RecentCorruption Cases in India’ by Mr. Vasu Muthyala,White-Collar, Corporate & Individual Investigations,and Enforcement Partner, Kobre & Kim. Mr. Muthyalacommencedbyexplaining thebasicsofFCPAfollowedby the recent enforcement trends. He went on to talkabouthowtoidentifyriskareasandtheirconsequences.He also described possible remedies that companiescouldtakeintoconsideration.

During thesecondsessionMs.NaomitaRoyan,SeniorAssociate, Baker & McKenzie (based in Australia) andMs.YindiGesinde,SeniorAssociate,Baker&McKenzie(basedintheUK)gaveapresentationonbestpracticesin investigations. Theyelucidatedon the three rules forsound investigations followed by sources and triggersfor investigations. They also shed light on how to dealwithinvestigativeauthoritiesandprosecutors.Ms.RoyanandMs.Gesindebriefedtheaudienceaboutearlycaseevaluations,timeestimatesandreporting.

The third sessionwas focused on ‘ShellCompanies in

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India–CorruptionandMoneyLaundering’andfeaturedspeakerMr.JagvinderS.Brar,Partner,ForensicServices,KPMG.Mr.Brarspokeaboutthewaycompaniesaresetupandwaystheymanagetolaundermoney.

In the next session, Mr. Ashish L. Sawkar, FBI, LegalAttaché,U.S.Embassy,gaveaninterestingpresentationon the FBI’s role in anti-corruption investigations. Heran theaudience throughapresentationexplaining thehistoryoftheFBI.HeexplainedtheundertakingsoftheInternational Corruption Unit, the impact of corruptionon the economy and on the world and their proactiveglobalstrategy.Thereafter,Ms.IsabellaDetwiler,DeputyMinisterCounselor,Economic,Environment,ScienceandTechnology,U.S.Embassy,spokeaboutherperspectiveonU.S.prioritiesincombattingforeignbriberyduringthefifthsession.

Ms.NaomitaRoyan,SeniorAssociate,Baker&McKenzieand Ms. Yindi Gesinde, Senior Associate, Baker &McKenzie spoke about M&A/JV compliance risks andmitigation in the sixth session. They spoke about thetypesofcompliancerisksandhowtomanagethedealprocessandjointventures.

The seventh session was on ‘Third Party RiskManagementandMitigation–LessonsLearned’byMs.ShuklaWassan,ExecutiveDirector–Legal&CorporateAffairs,SouthAsia,HindustanCoca-ColaBeveragesandMr.VasuMuthyala,White-Collar,Corporate& IndividualInvestigations, and Enforcement Partner, Kobre & Kim.They answered some of the essential questions thatonecouldhavewhiledealingwith thirdpartiessuchas–whyarethirdpartiesariskinAsia,whoaresomethirdpartiesandwhatarecommonthirdpartyredflags.Theygave suggestions on how tomanage third party risks,

mitigating these risks and taking preventive measures.Thiswasfollowedbytheaudienceaskingquestionsfromthepanel.

Mr. Rahul Lalit, Partner, Advisory, PwC, gave apresentationon ‘ISO37,001StandardandCertification’explaining the standards in detail during the eighthsession.Mr.Lalitexplainedwhatthestandardmeantbydefinition,itsrequirementsandfeatures.HealsotoucheduponthecertificationprocessalongwiththebenefitsandlimitationsofISO37,001.

TheninthsessionwasdeliveredbyMr.S.R.Wadhwa,IRS(Retd.), Chairman, Income Tax Settlement CommissionBoardMember,TransparencyInternationalIndia,entitled‘Transparency International’s Fight Against Corruption.’Mr.Wadhwa elucidated on Transparency International’sareas ofwork, free advocacy and Legal AdviceCentreandtheirvisionforIndia.

Mr. Anuj Bugga, Senior Managing Director, FTIConsulting,gaveapresentationfocusedontwodetailedcase studies in the last session. Mr. Bugga explaineda case study with a FCPA violation, the security riskmitigation, the investigationofallegations,and thedataforensicsprocess.Anothercasestudyinvolveddivertedfundsandtheinvestigatorsfoundadummysupplierwitharesidentialaddress.

Themaster classconcludedwith closing remarks fromMs.RitikaRatti,Chairperson –Anti-Corruption&FCPACompliance Committee, AMCHAM and Chief Ethics &ComplianceOfficer&HeadofAnti-Corruption,WalmartIndia. She requested the audience to fill out feedbackformstohelpusunderstandwhattheylikedandhowwecanimprovethemasterclassnextyear.

Ambassador Frank Wisner, International Affairs Advisor,SquirePattonBoggsdeliveringthekeynoteaddress

Ms.RanjanaKhanna,DirectorGeneralCEO,AMCHAMgivingAmbassador Frank Wisner, International Affairs Advisor,Squire Patton Boggs, the AMCHAM and KPMG in Indiapublication‘The India – U.S. Dynamic – Better Together’

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Mr. Vasu Muthyala, White-Collar, Corporate & IndividualInvestigations, and Enforcement Partner, Kobre & Kimspeaking on the 'Top Trends in FCPA and Anti-CorruptionEnforcementandRecentCorruptionCasesinIndia'

Mr. Jagvinder S. Brar, Partner, Forensic Services, KPMG,speakingabout ‘ShellCompanies in India -CorruptionandMoneyLaundering’

Ms.IsabellaDetwiler,DeputyMinisterCounselor,Economic,Environment,ScienceandTechnology,U.S.Embassy

Mr. Ashish L. Sawkar, FBI, Legal Attaché, U.S. Embassy,speakingontheFBI’sroleinanti-corruptioninvestigations

Ms.NaomitaRoyan,SeniorAssociate,Baker&McKenzieandMs.YindiGesinde,SeniorAssociate,Baker&McKenzie

‘Third Party Risk Management and Mitigation – LessonsLearned’withMr.VasuMuthyala,White-Collar,Corporate&Individual Investigations, and Enforcement Partner, Kobre& Kim andMs. ShuklaWassan, ExecutiveDirector – Legal& Corporate Affairs, South Asia, Hindustan Coca-ColaBeverages

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(L-R)Ms.TanyaPaul,CommunicationDirector,AMCHAM,Ms.RitikaRatti,Chairperson–Anti-Corruption&FCPAComplianceCommittee,AMCHAMandChiefEthics&ComplianceOfficer&HeadofAnti-Corruption,WalmartIndia,AmbassadorFrankWisner,InternationalAffairsAdvisor,SquirePattonBoggsandMs.RanjanaKhanna,DirectorGeneralCEO,AMCHAM,attheAnti-Corruption Compliance and Risk Management MasterClassinNewDelhi

Mr. Rahul Lalit, Partner, Advisory, PwC presenting on 'ISO37001StandardandCertification'

Ms. Valerie Swope, Program Coordinator, AMCHAMintroducingspeakers

Mr. Anuj Bugga, SeniorManagingDirector, FTI Consulting,during an in-depth discussion about a case study with aFCPAviolation

Mr. S.R. Wadhwa, IRS (Retd.), Chairman, Income TaxSettlement Commission Board Member, TransparencyInternationalIndia

Ms. Ritika Ratti, Chairperson – Anti-Corruption & FCPACompliance Committee, AMCHAM and Chief Ethics &ComplianceOfficer&HeadofAnti-Corruption,WalmartIndia,givingtheclosingremarks

Defense Committee Meeting with Ms. Cara Abercrombie

AMCHAM’s Defense Committee members met withMs.CaraAbercrombie,previously theDeputyAssistantSecretaryofDefenseforSouthandSoutheastAsia,U.S.Department of Defense, in New Delhi on 3rd August.Currently she is researching and writing at CarnegieEndowment for InternationalPeacebutcontinues tobe

affiliatedtotheDoD.Ms.AbercrombieisanoldfriendofAMCHAMandmembershavemethermanytimesduringher previous visits. Members discussed the U.S.-Indiadefenseclimateandthechallengesandopportunitiesthesectorcurrentlyfaces.

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Interactive Session on Innovation, Technology and Management Approaches to Remain Competitive and Succeed in the Energy Sector

AMCHAM’s ECP member companies met for aninteractive session on ‘Innovation, Technology andManagement Approaches to Remain Competitive andSucceed in theEnergySector’under theChairmanshipofMr.RajendraShrivastav,MarketBusinessLeader,AESIndia,on8thAugust2017inGurgaon.

Ms. Mehnaz Ansari, Country Representative – SouthAsia,USTDAalsoattendedthismeetingandemphasizedthat USTDA is keen to revive the Energy CooperationProgram (ECP) andwanted to take this initiative to thenext level.Shealsonotedthatnowtraditionalenergy iscomingbackasapriorityfortheadministrationandtheyare already working actively in refining and shale gassectorwiththeGovernmentofIndia.AnotherpriorityareaforUSTDAisenergystorageandtheyareopentolookatenergystorageprojects.Ms.AnsarialsotalkedabouttheRefineryMissionwhich iscomingup for theofficialsofMinistryofPetroleum&NaturalGasandfivemajorpublicsector refineries. Thismissionwill be ledbyMinister ofPetroleumwithBPCL,HPCL,ONGCandReliance andwouldliketoseeECPtakingtheleadtogetmembersonboard for theReverseTradeMission (RTM).Apart fromthisRTM,USTDAalsohasplanstoconductworkshopsinIndia.Ms.AnsariaskedAMCHAMtoprepareaproposal

foraworkshopandsubmit it toUSTDA forapproval. Itwasproposedthatthesamebeplannedintheearlypartof2018.

ECP member companies introduced themselves andstatedthatmany issuesandchallengestheyare facingaresimilartoallmembers.ForwhichMr.RajendrafromAESIndiasuggestedthatallmembercompaniesshouldjoinhands togetherwithUSTDAanddoadvocacy.Ms.DishaBanerjee,DirectorPolicy&Communication,SmartPowerIndiaalsotalkedaboutthechallengeswhichtheyare facing inUPas regulatory framework forminigridsis a major issue there. Mr. Mallikarjun from IngersollRandsharedthatBureauofEnergyEfficiencyhascomeup with ECBC (Energy Conservation Building Code) inpartnershipwithUSAID.Underthisinitiative22statesarealreadyintheprocessofimplementingitandatpresentthis is voluntary and not mandatory. He showed hiskeen interest thatAMCHAMshould takeup thisactivityunderECP for supporting the implementationofECBCin states. The meeting concluded with the statementfromMs.AnsarithatUSTDAisreadytosupportECPanditsmembers inallpossiblewaysasenergy isalwaysapriorityforthem.

Interactive Session on Proposed U.S. Tax Reforms

An interactive session on proposed U.S. tax reformswas jointly organized by AMCHAM India and Deloitteon 11thAugust 2017 in the office ofDeloitte,Gurgaon.Ms.MadhviKataria,DeputyDirectorGeneral,AMCHAM,

welcomedmembersandguestsandMs.NeeruAhuja,Chairperson–TaxandTariffCommittee,AMCHAMandPartner,BusinessTax,DeloitteHaskins&SellsLLP,madeopeningobservationsandintroducedthespeakers.

DeloitteU.S.globalleadersataninteractivesessiononproposedU.S.taxreformswithMs.NeeruAhuja,Chairperson-TaxandTariffCommittee,AMCHAMandPartner,BusinessTax,DeloitteHaskins&SellsLLPandMs.MadhviKataria,DeputyDirectorGeneral,AMCHAM,inGurgaon

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Deloitte U.S. global leaders, Ms. Terri LaRae, U.S. TaxReformLeaderand InternationalTaxPartner,Ms.JanetMoran,GlobalTMTTaxLeaderandPrincipalintheNewYork office of Deloitte Tax LLP, and Ms. Nancy Millett,GlobalC&IPTaxLeader,sharedtheirinsightsonthetaxproposals,howtobereadyforthetaxreforms,proposedcorporate and individual tax law changes that havebeen released to date, conditions that could hasten or

hinderactionontaxreformthisyear,backgroundonU.S.processontaxlegislation,globaltrendsintaxreformandhow to be prepared andwhat the India taxpayermustthinkabouttoday.

Mr.RohintonSidhwa,Partner,DeloitteHaskinsandSellsLLP,gavetheclosingremarksandproposedthevoteofthanks.

National Executive Board Meeting

The second meeting of the National Executive Board(2017-18)washeldon18thAugust2017inChennai.ThemeetingwasattendedbyChairman,Mr.PratyushKumar(President, Boeing India), Vice-Chairmen, Mr. GulshanKumar Sachdev (Managing Director, Quaker ChemicalIndia)andMr.ArunM.Kumar(CEO,KPMGinIndia),alongwithothermembersandofficialsfromtheEconomicandCommercialSectionsoftheU.S.Embassy.

Prior totheboardmeeting,membersof theNEBcalledon the Chief Minister, Mr. Edappadi K. Palaniswami,Industry Minister, Mr. M.C. Sampath and other officialsoftheTamilNaduGovernment.Intheevening,theTamilNaduChapterhostedanetworkingdinnerformembersof the NEB, members of the Executive Committee ofTamilNaduChapter,andotherinvitees.ThenewConsulGeneral,Mr.RobertG.Burgess,alsojoinedthedinner.

MembersoftheNationalExecutiveBoardatameetinginChennai

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Meeting with Mr. Munu Mahawar, Joint Secretary (Americas), Ministry of External Affairs

Ms.RanjanaKhanna,DirectorGeneralCEO,AMCHAMIndia, called on Mr. Munu Mahawar, Joint Secretary(Americas),MinistryofExternalAffairs, onAugust21st,2017todiscussupcomingG2Gengagements.TheU.S.

DefenceSecretarywouldbevisitingIndiaonSeptember25thandtheTradePolicyForummeetingwouldbeheldonOctober24th,2017inWashingtonD.C.followedbythemeetingofthenewlyconstitutedCEOForum.

Mr.PatrickSantillo,MinisterCounselorforCommercialAffairs,U.S.Embassy,speakingtotheNationalExecutiveBoardinChennai

Meeting with Dr. C. Muralikrishna Kumar, Sr. Adviser (CIT and I), NITI Aayog

Meeting with Mr. Asheesh Sharma, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship

HR Committee Meeting

Ms.RanjanaKhanna,DirectorGeneralCEO,AMCHAMIndia, calledonDr.C.MuralikrishnaKumar,Sr.Adviser(CIT and I), NITI Aayog, on August 23rd, 2017. AninteractionwasheldtodiscusspossibleengagementofAMCHAMIndiaintheforthcomingGES.Heindicatedthatthe participation from theU.S.was driven by the StateDepartment and they were looking for sponsorships

Ms.RanjanaKhanna,DirectorGeneralCEO,AMCHAMIndia, called on Mr. Asheesh Sharma, Joint Secretary,Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship,on August 23rd, 2017 to discuss the ApprenticeshipProgramoftheMinistryofSkillDevelopment.TheMinistry

TheHRCommitteeMeeting tookplaceon23rdAugust2017 at the EY office inMumbai. The introduction andopeningremarksweregivenbyMr.DPSingh,Chairman

including hosting a dinner on November 29th for upto3,000 people in Hyderabad. Sessions on womenempowerment, agri and food processing, artificialintelligence, were possible themes for consideration.AMCHAMhasbegunworkingwiththeU.S.Embassytofirmupitsparticipation.

is keen toworkwithAMCHAM for developingCertifiedApprenticeshipProgramswith theGovernmentof India.Theyhavealsosoughtindustry’sengagementincreatingmentoringprograms.TheHRCommitteewouldtaketheleadforthisonbehalfofAMCHAM.

–HRCommittee,AMCHAMandVicePresident–HumanResources(India/SouthAsia),IBMIndia.

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In thepreviousmeeting the committee haddecided toplan events around three themes, namely, upskilling,talent management, capability; inclusion and diversity,and thedigitizationofHR.Ms.Shalini Pillay,HeadHR,KPMG, who is leading the ‘Inclusion and Diversity’group presented the group’s idea of a maturity modeland its assessment basedon variousdimensions. Theparticipants discussed and deliberated the variousdimensions and suggested additional dimensionsthat shouldbe included. Itwasdecided that thegroupneededtodefineatleast3outcomesafterthecompletionof the maturity model assessment. Ms. Alpana Dutta,Partner,EYmadeapresentationon‘DigitizationofHR.’Shediscussed thegroup’splan for thecomingmonthsonbehalfofMr.AmarpalChadha,Partner,EY.Ms.Duttadiscussed how the future of work and improvementsin technologywill affect the employees. She also shed

lightonhowtheroleofHRwillchangewithautomationwhich will raise the need of upskilling. Thereafter Mr.Anil Sharma, Group HR Manager, Synopsys India,presentedhis ideas for thegroupon ‘Upskilling, TalentManagement,Capability.’Hesuggestedthatitwouldbehelpfultoorganizeawebinaron‘BigDataandMachineLearning,’whichwasagreedupon.

The participants were requested to give inputs anddiscuss the viability of the ideas andplansmentioned.Thecommitteedeliberatedandplanned toorganizeaneventbytheendoftheyearon‘UpskillingandLearning’asatheme.Mr.DPSinghheldaninteractivediscussiononthe‘DraftNewLaborCode’andbasedoncollectiveopinions, the HR Committee would like to send arepresentationtotheGovernmentofIndiaonthesame.

Defense Committee Meeting

AMCHAM’s Defense Committee held a meeting onAugust 25th 2017. The Ministry of Defense issued alist of FAQ’s pertaining to offsets contracts and offsetsbanking which was shared with members. Membersdiscussed offset issues - retrospective applicability ofoffset changes, India value addition, scopeof servicesfor offset discharge, levy of penalties, offset dischargebygroupcompanies.AMCHAM’srecommendationson

strategicpartnershippolicywerealsodiscussed.InterestonAMCHAM’scollaborationwiththeEuropeanBusinessGroup (EBG) was also sought. The committee wasupdatedabouttheupcomingdefenserelatedUSGvisits.MoD (Acquisition wing) issued an amendment to DPP2016 on Article 16 and MOD released major activitiesof Department of Defense, July 2017, which were alsosharedwiththecommittee.

ICT Committee Meeting

Ameeting of AMCHAM’s ICT Committee was held on30th August 2017 at the IBM office in Gurgaon. Themeetingwas chaired byMr. Vivek Vasishtha, ExecutiveDirector&CountryLeader–IBMIndia,SouthAsia,IBMIndia Pvt. Ltd. The agenda included issues relating topublicprocurement,CRI,CRO,cybersecurity,policyonprivacy,securityandownershipofdata.

Other thanAMCHAMmembers, therewasparticipationfrom the U.S. Embassy and IBM global leaders. Mr.Stephen W. Braim, Vice President Government &RegulatoryAffairs,IBMAsiaPacific,China,Japan,sharedhisglobalperspectiveson ITandMr.DavidN.Barnes,VicePresident,GlobalWorkforcePolicy,IBMCorporation,discussedlabourlaws,employmentrulesandpractices.

Meeting with Ms. Debashree Mukherjee, Joint Secretary, Prime Minister’s Office

Ms.RanjanaKhanna,DirectorGeneralCEO,AMCHAMIndia, along with Mr. Debasish Roy, Program Director,called on Ms. Debashree Mukherjee, Joint Secretary,PrimeMinister’s Office, on August 31, 2017 to discussthe AMCHAM Ganga Action Plan with end-to-endsolutions prepared by the Infrastructure and Smart

Cities Committee. AMCHAM members were workingonthepilotprojectinHardwartodefineourpartnershipengagementandcoordinatingwith theNamamiGangeProject. The Infrastructure and Smart CitiesCommitteewouldbeworkingonit.

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MUMBAIEnhancing and Accelerating Responses to the Needs of Orphan and Vulnerable Children: A Consultation & Learning Workshop

Ms.SurabhiWahal,RegionalDirector-WesternRegion,AMCHAMIndia,makinganaddressaspartoftheplenarypanelattheconsultation&learningworkshop

AMCHAM India, as a supporting partner to theKarnataka Health Promotion Trust and USAID, jointlywithMaharashtraStateAIDSControl Society (MSACS),Maharashtra District AIDS Control Society (MDACS)andNACO,organizedaCSRconsultationand learningworkshopon‘EnhancingandAcceleratingResponsestotheNeedsofOrphanandVulnerableChildren(OVC)’onFriday,14thJuly2017atHotelNovotel,Mumbai.

TheeventcommencedwithawelcomeaddressbyMr.Mohan HL, Managing Trustee, KHPT followed by thekeynote address by Professor Shalini Bharat, DeputyDirector,TISS,whosetthecontextoftheday’sprogram

whilespeakingonstatusandchallengesinimplementinga comprehensive response to the needs of OVC inMaharashtraandIndia.InauguraladdressesweremadebyMr.DwipalK.Bose,MentorandAdvisor,SocialandRuralEnterprises;Ms.SurabhiWahal,RegionalDirector–WesternRegion,AMCHAMIndia;Dr.PadmajaKeskar,ExecutiveHealthOfficer,MCGM&PD,MDACSandMs.Sangeeta Kaul, Senior Project Management Specialist,USAID. The presidential address was shared by Mr.Parimal Singh, IAS, ProjectDirector,MSACS. The chiefguest of the event was Ms. Leena, a young girl livingwith HIV, who provided dignity and hope through hermessage.

ThefirstsessionofthedayfocusedontheMaharashtrasituationwithOVC–needsandopportunities.ThesessionbeganwithapresentationonexperiencesandevidencesofprogrammeswithOVCbyDr.TroyCunningham,ProjectDirector,KHPT.Ms.ShrikalaAcharya,AdditionalProjectDirector, MDACS and Dr. Mamata Manglani, Director,Comprehensive Thalassemia Care Centre and BoneMarrow Transplantation Centre, spoke extensively onneedsandgapswithprograms.ThesessionconcludedwithtouchingexperiencessharedbychildadvocatesofOVCs.

Session twobroughtout theeffortsandexperiencesofCSRinbridginggapswithvariouscorporatessuchastheAmbujaCementFoundation,RonaldMcDonaldHouseofCharity,JSWFoundation,MaxIndiaFoundation,RelianceGroupofCompanies,TataTrust,NovartisArogyaParivar,ACC and theKewalramani Foundation. Post lunch, theparticipantsformedgroupstodiscussonthematicareasofsupportforOVCsthrougheducation,nutrition,healthandpsychologicalsupport,skillingandplacement.Theeventcame toaclosewithconcluding remarksbyMs.MohiniSingh,CEO,MaxIndiaFoundationandMr.MohanHL,ManagingTrustee,KHPT.

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Roundtable Meeting with Ms. Fatema Sumar, Millennium Challenge Corporation: Opportunities to Partner in Development Projects & Economic Growth

AMCHAMIndiaandtheU.S.ConsulateGeneralMumbai,met with Ms. Fatema Sumar, Regional Deputy VicePresident, Europe, Asia, Pacific and Latin America,MillenniumChallengeCorporationonMonday,24thJuly2017 inMumbai, to discuss opportunities to partner indevelopmentprojectsandeconomicgrowth.

At themeeting,Ms.SurabhiWahal,RegionalDirector -WesternRegion,AMCHAMIndia,spokeaboutthekeen

interestofAMCHAMIndiatofindasynergyforpartnershipbetween its members and the Millennium ChallengeCorporation in fostering growth and development. Theinteraction focussed on policies, funding mechanism,cross border projects, bidding opportunities ininternational projects for U.S. companies in India andother relevant aspects. AMCHAM’s strengths andinitiativesacross industrysectorsbroughtmuchinteresttothedialogue.

Ms.SurabhiWahal,RegionalDirector -WesternRegion,AMCHAMwithU.S.ConsulateGeneralMumbai colleagueswelcomingMs.FatemaSumarfromtheMillenniumChallengeCorporation

Ms. Fatema Sumar, in her address, highlighted theinitiatives of the Millennium Challenge Corporation, aninnovativeandindependentU.S.foreignaidagencythatis helping lead the fight against global poverty with aspecialfocuson‘development.’Thecorporationpartnerswith poorer countries across Latin America, Africa,Europe,AsiaandthePacific(suchasNepal,SriLanka,Philippines, Indonesia) that show they are committed

togoodgovernance,economic freedom,and investingin their citizens.Ms.Sumar spokeof theorganization’sinterest in partnering with AMCHAM and creating anoutreachtomembercompaniestocollaborateonvariousprojects with a special focus on infrastructure. Themeetingconcludedwithacommonvisiontoworkonthedevelopmentalgoalsofthetwocountries.

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Roundtable with Ambassador Frank G. Wisner (U.S. Ambassador to India 1994-97), International Affairs Advisor, Squire Patton Boggs

OnWednesday,26thJuly2017,AMCHAMIndia’sWesternRegion held an exclusive roundtable formemberswithAmbassadorFrankG.Wisner(U.S.AmbassadortoIndia1994-97), International Affairs Advisor, Squire PattonBoggson‘U.S.–IndiaBilateralRelations:TheOngoingDialogue Between Prime Minister Narendra Modi andU.S.PresidentDonaldTrumpandtheImplicationtoIndia/U.S.CommercialInterests,inMumbai.Themeetingwasattended by leaders of AMCHAMmember companies,representatives of the U.S. Consulate General Mumbai

and senior colleagues of Ambassador Wisner fromSquire Patton Boggs. Themeeting commencedwith awarmwelcomebyMs.SurabhiWahal,RegionalDirector–WesternRegion,AMCHAMIndia followedbyopeningremarksbyMr.MaheshKrishnamurti,Chairman–WesternRegion, AMCHAM and Managing Director, RGP India,whousheredintheagendaofthesignificanceofU.S.–Indiabilateral relationsalongwithabrief introductionofAmbassadorWisnerforallwhowerepresent.

(L-R)Ms.KakuNakhate,NationalExecutiveBoardMember,AMCHAMandPresident&CountryHead,BankofAmerica,AmbassadorFrankG.Wisner(U.S.AmbassadortoIndia1994-97),InternationalAffairsAdvisor,SquirePattonBoggsandMr.MaheshKrishnamurti,Chairman-WesternRegion,AMCHAMandManagingDirector,RGPIndia

Ambassador Frank Wisner began his address byreminiscing the wonderful experience of his tenure asU.S.AmbassadortoIndiafrom1994-1997,twodecadesago when Mumbai was still Bombay, also highlightingthephenomenalchangethatIndiahastraversedthroughthetimes.HesharedabriefintroductiontoSquirePattonBoggs, an international law firm with a broad reachacross the globe advising a diverse mix of local andcross-border clients. The Ambassador in his keynoteshared a comprehensive insight into the agenda ofPresident Trump’s administration and on U.S. – Indiabilateral relations, the implications of the dialoguesbetweentheleadershipsofthetwocountriesespeciallyon alignment of businesses and the economy, tacklingterrorism, the relationship with China, defense andmilitary partnerships. The Ambassador also shared hisobservationsofthestrategicdirectionforthefutureoftheU.S.–Indiarelationship:

• AstrongIndiaisgoodfortheU.S.,andviceversa

• Relationships between the U.S. and India goesbeyond our frontiers, over to all of Asia and at thegloballevel

• We share a key challenge and a coincidence ofapproachindealingwithChina

• Itisbasedon3corepillars–politics,economyandsecurity

He concludedby stating that the relationship functionsbest when we set big goals for ourselves. Further, inpreparation for his forthcoming meeting with PrimeMinister Narendra Modi, the Ambassador invitedmembers present to share insights into issues andchallengesforU.S.companiesinIndiatopositionatthe

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meeting.Thediscussionbroughtforthseveralkeytopicssuchas infrastructure financing, fixedpricing, theneedformarketflexibility, theeaseofdoingbusiness,capitalrepatriation, regulatory issues, digitizing India and theneedforstrongercybersecurity.

Ms. Jennifer Larson, Acting Consulate General, U.S.ConsulateGeneralMumbai,inabriefaddressstatedthatIndiaisnolongerseenasrisingcountry,butarisencountry,anditisourresponsibilityasleaderstoupholdit.Despitethefrustrationintheprocessofgrowth,sheencouraged

everyonetorememberthatthisisalong-haulgame.

The interactive and dynamic roundtable discussionconcludedwithavoteof thanksbyMs.KakuNakhate,National Executive Board Member, AMCHAM andPresident & Country Head, Bank of America, whothankedAmbassadorFrankWisnerfortheopportunitytohearofhisexpertinsights.ShealsoextendedgratitudetothemembersofSquirePattonBoggs,theU.S.ConsulateMumbai, the participants and to AMCHAM India. TheeventwaspoweredbyRGPIndia.

Supply Chain and Logistics Committee’s Sharing and Learning Concall Session on ‘How Will GST Aid and Help Design the Supply Chain Network?’

Todiscusstheimpact,implicationsandopportunitiesinsupplychainthatGSThascreatedforbothorganizationsand their value chain, AMCHAM’s Supply Chain andLogistics (SCL)Committee, in partnershipwithDeloitteTouche Tohmatshu India LLP, organized a sharing andlearningconcallsessionon‘HowWillGSTAidandHelpDesign the Supply Chain Network?’ on Thursday, 27thJuly 2017. The session was well attended, not only bymembersofAMCHAM’sSCLCommitteeandtheirteams,but also by members of AMCHAM’s ManufacturingCommittee. The call began with opening remarksby Ms. Surabhi Wahal, Regional Director – WesternRegion,AMCHAM,followedbywelcomeremarksbyMr.Srinivasan Sarangapani, Chairman – Supply Chain &LogisticsCommittee,AMCHAMandDirectorOperations,TimkenEngineering&ResearchIndiaPvt.Ltd.

The guest speaker for the session was Mr. Easwaran

Subramanian, Consulting Partner, Deloitte ToucheTohmatshu India who leads the supply chain andmanufacturing operations practice for the firm in India.Through an insightful presentation which began with acontext of the characteristics of supply chains in India,Mr. Subramanian spoke of the significant impact thatGSThashadonboththecoreandsupportfunctionsofcompanies.Healsobroughttolighttheopportunitiesthatorganizationsarenowpresentedwithtoenhancesupplychain effectiveness. The Q&A session that followedanswered several practical queries faced by supplychains across the diverse array of AMCHAM membercompanies who attended. The sharing and learningconcallcametoclosewithavoteofthanksbyMr.MilindTailor, Co-Chairman – Supply Chain and LogisticsCommittee,AMCHAMandHeadofIndirectProcurement&ElectronicSecurityAsiaPacific,DieboldNixdorfPrivateLimited.

Western Region Committee Meeting

The second meeting of AMCHAM’s Western RegionCommittee (WRC) was held over a concall on Friday,28th July 2017. Mr. Mahesh Krishnamurti, Chairman– Western Region, AMCHAM and Managing Director,RGP, alongwithMs.KakuNakhate,National ExecutiveBoard Member, AMCHAM and President & CountryHead,BankofAmerica,andparticipatingWRCmembersof the regional steering committee reviewed the pastevents which included specialized and topical events,

learning and sharing forums, advocacy initiatives, aswellasengagementand interactionwithsenior leadersandrepresentativesofstategovernments.InadditiontoreviewingAMCHAM’spasteventsandbrainstormingonforthcoming events, committee members collaboratedon concepts, ideas and sub group initiatives for theproposedWesternRegionsignatureevent inDecember2017.

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Roundtable on ‘30 Days of the GST Regime’

AMCHAMIndia,inpartnershipwithEYIndia,organizedaroundtableon‘30DaysoftheGSTRegime’onWednesday,2nd August 2017 in Mumbai. Ms. Surabhi Wahal,Regional Director – Western Region, AMCHAM, madetheopeningremarksandgavebriefintroductionsofthepanelspeakers.ThiswasfollowedbyaspecialaddressbyMr.GregoryTaevs,PrincipalCommercialOfficer,U.S.ConsulateGeneral,Mumbai.Mr.Taevssharedthenews

ofthearrivalofthenewU.S.ConsulGeneralinMumbai,Mr.EdgardKagenandstatedthatConsulGeneralKagenhas joined office starting 1st August 2017. Mr. HiteshSharma, a member of AMCHAM’s Western RegionCommittee and Partner, National Head of Life ScienceIndustry,EYIndia,welcomedtheparticipantsandsetthestageforthisimportanttopic.

AMCHAM'sWesternRegionmembersataroundtableon‘30DaysotheGSTRegime’hostedbyEY

Experts fromEY,Mr. Divyesh Lapsiwala, Tax Partner –Indirect Tax Services, EY India and Mr. Sanket Desai,Director - Indirect Taxes, EY India, shared valuableinsightsonsectorspecific implications,challengesandtheimpactthatGSThashadonbusinessesandindustriessinceitslevyon1stJuly.Thespeakersalsoshedlightontheactionplanthatcompaniesshouldbereadywithfor

thenext30-60-90daysoftheGSTregime.AnengagingQ&Asessionfollowed.

The session concluded with a vote of thanks by Mr.Matthew Timmons, a member of AMCHAM’s WesternRegion Committee & Managing Director – South Asia,LubrizolAdvancedMaterialsIndiaPvt.Ltd.TheeventwashostedbyEYIndia.

AMCHAM supported Executive Workshop: Leadership and Strategic Execution in a Chaotic World

AMCHAM supported an executive workshop on‘LeadershipandStrategicExecutioninaChaoticWorld,’an initiative of Twenty Eight Strategy Execution andDukeCorporation Education on Thursday, 10th August

2017inMumbai.Theeventwasaplatformforcorporateleaderstolearnanddiscusschallengesandstrategiestomanagetoday’sVUCA(volatile,uncertain,complexandambiguous)world.

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Ms. Sandhya Karpe, Managing Director of Singapore, DukeCorporation Education speaks to the participants at theExecutiveWorkshop:LeadershipandStrategicExecution inaChaoticWorld

Participants engaged in a strategy game to understandthe challenges in a VUCA world at an executive workshop'LeadershipandStrategicExecutioninaChaoticWorld'

ThemorningbeganwithawelcomebyMr.KrishnenduSen,RegionalManager,TwentyEightStrategyExecution.He introduced the speakers for the day – Mr. TimWasserman,ChiefLearningOfficer,TwentyEightStrategyExecution,Mr.NikhilRaval,ManagingDirectorof India,Duke Corporation Education and Ms. Sandhya Karpe,Managing Director of Singapore, Duke CorporationEducation.

With a brief introduction to the unique and powerfulpartnership between the two organizations, Mr. Ravalbeganwithalivelydiscussiononthenewtypeofleadershipcapabilities needed to navigate the VUCA world. Theconversationfocussedontheimportanceofdevelopingthe mindset, skillset and the toolset in organisations.Ms.SandhyaKarpeshared insights into the leadershipecosystem and spoke of the interconnectednessand alignment between the ‘architects’, ‘translators’

and ‘doers’ in every organization across industries.Mr.WassermanandMr.Ravalthenbroughttolightnewresearch insights into creating adaptive leaders witha focus on practical strategies to developing projectbasedworktothriveandsucceedinacomplexbusinessenvironment.Furthermore,topresentapracticalexampleofadaptiveexecutionandpracticalstrategiesinprojectsparticipantsattheworkshopweresplitinteams.Thehighspirited,mindboggling,teamworkinvolvedinthedominogame gave the participants an understanding of thechallengesandhowtostrategizeasateamintheVUCAworld.

AbriefQ&Asessionfollowed.TheeventwaswellattendedbyprominentorganizationsinIndiaacrosssectorsfromfinancial services, pharmaceuticals to logistics andmanufacturing, includingrepresentativesand leadersofAMCHAMmembercompanies.

Western Region Committee Meeting

AMCHAM’sWesternRegionCommittee(WRC)meetingwas held on Monday, 28th August 2017 in Mumbai.The meeting commenced with welcome remarks byMr. Mahesh Krishnamurti, Chairman –Western RegionCommittee,AMCHAMandManagingDirector,RGPIndia.

By a consensus of committee members present,Mr. Ron Reed, Managing Director – Petroleum &Chemicals, Jacobs Engineering India Pvt. Ltd. wasappointed as AMCHAM’s Western Region CommitteeCo - Chairman. Participating WRC members of theregionalsteeringcommitteereviewedtheregion’sevents

andactivitiesheldinJulyandAugust2017.Mr.MaheshKrishnamurtiupdatedtheWRCmembersonkeypointsdiscussedattherecentlyconcludedNEBmeeting,whichwasheldinChennai.CommitteememberscollaboratedtoputtogetheradesignatedframeworkinpreparationoftheproposedWesternRegionsignatureeventtobeheldinDecember2017.Mostimportantly,theWRCmembersagreed on understanding a common issue/concern ofthemajority ofmembers in the region and resolved tochannelizeononekeyobjectiveandachieveatangibleimpactforAmericanbusinessesinIndia.

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Welcome Reception in Honour of Mr. Edgard D. Kagan, Consul General, U.S. Consulate General Mumbai

On 28th August 201, AMCHAM’s Western Regionwelcomed the new U.S. Consul General to Mumbai,Mr. Edgard D. Kagan, over a working breakfast withdistinguishedmembersof theregion.Theeventstartedwith awarmwelcomebyMs. SurabhiWahal, RegionalDirector – Western Region, AMCHAM, who brought inthemagneticspiritofMumbaiwithavideoclippingoftheU.S.ConsulateMumbai,whichcapturedwarmgreetingsextended to the CG by people from different walks oflife, Bollywood included! The video was followed by apresentation showcasing AMCHAM and the WesternRegion’s membership, vision and future roadmap.Three significant publications of AMCHAM, capturingthe essence of the capabilities of AMCHAM’smembercompanies,CSRinitiativesandAMCHAM’sjourneyof25years,werepresentedtoCGKagan.

Mr.MaheshKrishnamurti,Chairman –WesternRegion,AMCHAMandManagingDirector,RGPIndia,expressedhow delighted AMCHAM was to welcome the ConsulGeneral.Hewentontoshare insight into thewonderfulpartnership that AMCHAM has shared with the U.S.Consulate over the years and that we looked forwardto many more partnerships under his able leadership.Ms. Kaku Nakhate, National Executive Board Member,AMCHAM and Country Head, Bank of America, madean address capturing the success of AMCHAM’s doorknockdelegationtoWashingtonD.C.Asadistinguished

leaderofthebankingandfinancialservices,shesharedabriefoverviewontheIndianeconomywithafocusonthe developments post demontisation and GST. Ms.NakhatefurtherwentontowelcometheConsulGeneraltoMumbai.ConsulGeneralKaganwasfelicitatedwithafloralbouquet.

CG Kagan began his remarks by commending thecommitmentandengagementofAMCHAM’smembers.Hestated that itwas in theDNAof theU.S.ConsulatetopartnerwithAMCHAMandhowhispredecessorhadspoken highly of AMCHAM’s support and contributiontowards U.S. companies operating in the country. Hebriefly shared his experiences of his previous postingsurgingmemberstocontinuetoreachouttohimandtheConsulate. CGKagan expressed his special interest inAMCHAM’ssectoralcommitteesandCSRinitiatives.HesharedhisintenttobuildontheIndo–U.S.traderelations.Last,butnotleast,hestatedthathelooksforwardtohistimeinMumbai.

The event continued with a round of introductions byall participants showcasing the wide array of industryrepresentationintheregion.ThefloorwasthenopenedtodiscussionwithConsulGeneralKagan.Membersspokeof the their experiences ofworkingwith AMCHAMandtheU.S.Consulate, the impactof their interactionswithleadersofthestategovernmentaswellasthechallengesfaced and issues that they would like to address in

(L-R)Mr.MatthewTimmons,ManagingDirector-SouthAsia,Lubrizol Advanced Materials India Pvt. Ltd., Mr. ChristopherGrossman,ChiefEconomic&PoliticalAffairs,U.S.ConsulateGeneral,MumbaiandMr.ArjunVaidyanathan,Partner,KPMG

(L-R)Mr.AlokGupta,ManagingDirector,ReichholdIndiaPvt.Ltd., Mr. Mahesh Krishnamurti, Chairman - WRC, AMCHAMand Managing Director, RGP India and Ms. Surabhi Wahal,RegionalDirector-WesternRegion,AMCHAM

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forthcomingevents.TheConsulGeneralappreciatedtheinsightfuldiscussionandclosedwithapromisetolistenandactiontothebestofhisability.

ThewelcomereceptionconcludedwithavoteofthanksandconcludingremarksbyMr.RonReed,Co-Chairman

–WesternRegionCommittee,AMCHAMandManagingDirector –Petroleum&Chemicals, JacobsEngineeringIndia Pvt. Ltd. The event was powered by AbbottHealthcarePvt.Ltd.

(L-R)Ms.SurabhiWahal,RegionalDirector-WesternRegion,AMCHAM,Mr.MaheshKrishnamurti,Chairman-WRC,AMCHAMandManagingDirector,RGPIndia,ConsulGeneralEdgardD.Kagan,Ms.KakuNakhate,NEBMember,AMCHAMandPresident&CountryHead(India),BankofAmerica,Mr.RonReed,ViceChairman-WRC,AMCHAMandManagingDirector–Petroleum&Chemicals,JacobsEngineeringandMr.MattTimmons,ManagingDirector-SouthAsia,LubrizolAdvancedMaterialsatawelcomeeventinMumbaiforthenewCG

SittingRow(L-R)Mr.NaveenMathur,WaterHealthIndia;Mr.ChristopherGrossman,U.S.ConsulateMumbai;Ms.KakuNakhate,BankofAmerica;U.S.ConsulGeneralMumbaiMr.EdgardD.Kagan;Mr.MaheshKrishnamurti,RGPIndia;Ms.SurabhiWahal,AMCHAMIndia;Mr.JeffRodrigues,OwensCorning

StandingRow (L-R)Mr.Davidmoo,U.S.ConsulateMumbai;Mr.AmitAdvani,SwagelokCompany;Mr. IshmeetSingh,Mattel Toys;Mr.AlokGupta,Reichhold;Mr.MukulVarshney,JohnDeere;Mr.RonReed,JacobsEngineering;Mr.AlokAgrawal,Deloitte;Mr.HiteshSharma,EYIndia;Mr.SudhirShenoy,DowChemical;Mr.RakeshDubey,MonsantoHoldings;Mr.MattTimmons,LubrizolAdvancedMaterials;Ms.WinnieLobo,AMCHAMIndia;Mr.PSrinvas,U.S.Consulate,Mumbai

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HYDERAbADFuture of Work Committee Meeting

The committee comprising the Chairperson and ViceChair of the AMCHAM Hyderabad Chapter, alongwithMD’s of Broadridge,D.E. Shaw, IndiaHeadHRofInternationalPaperandPartnerDeloitteHyderabad,metattheofficeofBroadridgeFinancialSolutionsatHi-techCity, Hyderabad on 4th July, 2017, to discuss the wayforwardfortheFutureofWorkConferenceinHyderabad.Ms.TanyaPaul,CommunicationDirector,AMCHAM,who

handles the HR Committee from AMCHAM joined viaconferencecall.

The members decided the date for the conference tobe25thOctober2017andplannedvarioussessions tobeconsideredforthisconference.TheyrequestedthatAMCHAMwork on sponsorships and confirmations forthe concerned panellists. The committee continued tokeepintouchviaawhatsappgroup.

Meeting with U.S. Delegation from Washington D.C.

AMCHAM’sHyderabadChapterCommitteemetwitha9memberdelegationfromWashingtonD.C.todiscusstheGlobalEntrepreneurshipSummit(GES)scheduledtobe

held inNovember2017 inHyderabad.Thiswasabrainstormingon topicsof importance tobe included in thediscussionatthesummit.

Sports Coordinators Meeting

A meeting of all the Sports Coordinators from variousmember companies participating in AMCHAM Sports2017washeldat theofficeofS&PGlobalon27thJuly2017.Atthismeeting,thedrawsforcricketweredoneandtheteamswereupdatedabouttherulesandregulations

forthe12eventsbeingconducted.AMCHAMSportsisscheduled to begin with cricket on September 16th or24thdependingontheavailabilityofthegrounds.ItwouldbeconductedeverySaturdayandSunday.Atotalof26companieshaveconfirmedtheirparticipation.

5th AMCHAM Healthcare Conference Committee Meeting

The committee for the 5th AMCHAM HealthcareConference was held at the office of PAREXEL inRahejaMindspace. Themembers present finalized theagenda and Ms. Sandya Rodrigues, Regional Director– Hyderabad Chapter, AMCHAM, informed the group

that more sponsorship needed to be raised to makethe conference self-sufficient. It was decided to get aconvenientdateandtimeforallthepanelliststoconnectandthenextmeetingwasscheduledfor31stAugust2017attheofficeofSt.JudeMedical.

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KOLKATATalk by Dr. Mammen Chandy, Director Tata Medical Center on Cancer – Its Spread, Awareness, Control and Cure

On 26th June 2017, AMCHAM’s Eastern Region, inassociation with PwC India, organized a session on –‘Cancer – Its Spread, Awareness, Control and Cure.'Dr. Mammen Chandy, Director of Tata Medical Center,Kolkata, was the Chief Guest. Dr. Chandy has been apioneerindevelopingthefieldofhematologyandbonemarrow transplantation in India. His special interestsincludeaplasticanemia,thalassemia,acuteleukemiaandstemcelltransplantation.Inhisremarks,Dr.Chandysaidthatcancer isalarminglygrowingallovertheworldandpossiblyatahigherrateintheeasternpartofIndia.Inthisfastpaced,stressfullifethatmanyleadnowdays,peopleareoftenaffectedbycancer.Itisimperativeforpeopletoknowhowtopreventcancerordetectitearly.Dr.Chandyspokeabouttheearlysignsofcancer,symptoms,typesofcancer,andwhyitisimportanttogoforregularhealthcheck-ups. He shared detailed information on how tohelppreventcancerbymakingsmalllifestylechanges.

Mr. Avijit Mukherjee, Regional Managing Partner, PwCEast, gave thewelcome address, closing remarks andvote of thanks. Mr. K.P. Sengupta, Immediate PastChairman and Co-Chairman Data Core Systems, gaveanintroductionandremarks.

TheinteractivesessionwasextremelyproactiveandtheaudienceraisedseveralqueriesduringtheQ&Aregardingradiation, whether an unbalanced lifestyle can lead tocancer, what to do if someone detects early signs ofcancerandtheeffectivenessofcordbloodpreservation.Dr.Chandyrespondedtothequerieswithattentionandcare.

(L-R)Mr.K.P.Sengupta,ImmediatePastChairman-EasternRegion, AMCHAM, Dr. Mammen Chandy, Director, TataMedical Center, Kolkata and Mr. Avijit Mukherji, RegionalManagingPartner,PwCEast

Panel Discussion on Security in a Digital Era

AMCHAM’sEasternRegionorganizedapaneldiscussionon ‘Security inaDigitalEra’at theHyattRegencyoverbreakfastonFriday21st July 2017 inKolkata. TheU.S.ConsulGeneralinKolkata,Mr.CraigHall,wastheguestofhonor.Mr.GulshanSachdev,ViceChairman,AMCHAMand Managing Director, Quaker Chemical, gave thewelcome remarksandMr.AmitMalik,ViceChairman–EasternRegion,AMCHAMandDirectorPublicSectorandServices,CiscoSystems,moderatedthesession,whichconcluded ina very livelyQ&A followedby theclosingremarks.Ms.AmadaKidwai,RegionalDirector–EasternRegion, AMCHAM, welcomed guests, introduced thepanelistsandgavethevoteofthanks.

CGCraigHall,inhiskeynoteremarkssaid,“Therapidly

expandingdigitalworld isonethatoffersa tremendousopportunityforallcountries,anditiscriticalthatwefindawayforwardthatsafeguardsthesignificantsocialandeconomicbenefitsalreadybeingderivedfromthedigitaleconomywhileensuringanopen,interoperable,secure,and reliable cyberspace environment. There are fewcountriesintheworldwithmoreatstakeingettingitrightoncybersecurity thanIndiaandtheUnitedStates.TheUnitedStatesispleasedtohaveIndiaasakeypartnerinfulfillingthisvisionforcyberspace.”

Mr. Gulshan Sachdev, in his remarks highlighted theimportanceof informationsecurity inthedigitaleraandremindedeveryonethatweallareresponsibleformakingthedigitizationsuccessful.Mr.AmitMalikhighlightedthe

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needofcybersecurityintheeraofdigitizationandhowthepartnershipbetweencorporatesandgovernmentcanbringthistoasuccess.

Mr.ParthaSengupta,HeadITSharedServicesITC,sharedhis views on how a large and complex manufacturingorganization should take care of the complexities of ITandsecurity.Hementionedthegrowinguseofartificialintelligence and machine learning in these areas andhow an organization’s exposure to various threatsare increasing. He also recommended some bestpractices,whichcanhelporganizationstoscalewithoutcompromisingperformance.

Mr. Biswajit Maiti, Associate Partner and IT leader atIBM focused on international best practices to helporganizationsachieveareasonable,secureenvironmentand remain compliant with the given controls. He alsohighlighted five simple but effective controls, which is

essentialtoachieveanylevelofcybersecuritystandards.He specifically mentioned Europe’s General DataProtectionRegulation(GDPR)thatwillreplacetheearlierregulationandwillhelpachieveEurope’sgoaloncybersecuritycontrol.

Mr. Somak Shome, Director Cyber Security Practices,PwC,spokeaboutCEO’s role incybersecuritycontrol.He highlighted instances when business goals aredifferent from ITgoalsandhow thiscan takedown theoverall performance of the organization. Somak alsowonderedwhattoolsandresourcesacommonmanhasathisdisposal tofacecyberthreats,andthestepsthatthegovernmentand industryhave to take toachieveasecuredigitalIndia.OnethingcameoutveryclearlyfromSomak’sdeliverywas that in today’shighlycompetitiveworld,digitizationisthekeyforanorganization’sgrowthandCEO’sneedtoownanddrivecybersecurityfromthetoptomaketheorganizationsuccessful.

(L-R)Mr.ParthaSengupta,HeadITSharedServicesITC,Mr.BiswajitMaiti,AssociatePartnerandITleaderinIBM,Mr.AmitMalik,ViceChairman - EasternRegion, AMCHAMandDirector Public Sector andServices,CiscoSystems,Mr. SomakShome,DirectorCyberSecurityPracticesPwC,Mr.KoushikNath,LeaderEnterpriseNetworkandDataCenterTechnologies,CiscoSystems

ConsulGeneralCraigHall,U.S.ConsulateGeneralKolkata,speakingataneventon 'Security inaDigitalEra'withpanelists(L-R)Mr.ParthaSengupta,HeadITSharedServicesITC,Mr.BiswajitMaiti,AssociatePartnerandITleaderinIBM,Mr.AmitMalik,ViceChairman-EasternRegion,AMCHAMandDirectorPublicSectorandServices,CiscoSystems,Mr.SomakShome,DirectorCyberSecurityPracticesPwC,Mr.KoushikNath,LeaderEnterpriseNetworkandDataCenterTechnologies,CiscoSystems

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Mr.KoushikNath, LeaderEnterpriseNetworkandDataCenter Technologies, Cisco Systems, spoke aboutindustry transformations e.g. cloud, social networking,IoT, BYOD, artificial intelligence, machine learning andbig data, and how these are making cyber securitychallengesmorecomplex.Healsohighlightedthattherewouldbe50billionnewdevicesconnectingtotheinternetby 2020 and thiswill take cyber security challenges to

Audience,includingMr.GulshanSachdev,ViceChairman,AMCHAMandManagingDirector,QuakerChemicalIndia,U.S.ConsulGeneralCraigHall,andMr.K.P.Sengupta,ImmediatePastChairman-EasternRegion,AMCHAMandChairman,DatacoreIndia

a new level as hugeamountsof datawill travel acrossallthesedevicestothecloud.Hedemonstratedlivehowphishingattacksworkbyspoofinganemailaddressandsending a mail with lucrative offers to the victim. ThisentirephishingexercisewascollaborativelydonebyMr.KoushikNathandMr.AbirAtarthi,acybersecurityanalystworkingwithTCGDigital.

Eastern Region Executive Committee Meeting

Mr.DebdasSen,Chairman–EasternRegion,AMCHAM,chairedtheExecutiveCommitteemeetingon11thAugust2017.Thefocusofthemeetingwasthemembershipdrive,upcoming events with an emphasis on the economicseminar.Heupdatedmembersonthevariouseventsthe

regionhadorganizedtilldateandmentionedthatalltheeventswereverywellattended.HerequestedmemberstoassistinthemembershipdrivefortheER.ThemeetingwashostedbyTCGDigitalSolutions.

Meeting with U.S. Embassy Dhaka Officials on the Business Environment and Economic Scenario of bangladesh

Members of AMCHAM’s Eastern Region met SyedaShahrazad Rahman, Commercial Specialist, U.S.Embassy Dhaka, Mahadi Sirat, Economic/CommercialSpecialist, U.S. Embassy Dhaka, and Jonathan Ward,U.S. Commercial Officer, U.S. Consulate Kolkata, on17thAugustinKolkata.Thetopicsofdiscussionincluded

cross-border trade issues, investment opportunitiesin Bangladesh and the U.S. Trade Show in Dhaka inNovember2017.

Mr.DebdasSen,Chairman–EasternRegion,AMCHAM,gavewelcomeremarksandthevoteofthanks.Theteam,

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during the interactive session, said that Bangladesh’strade scenario and investment opportunities were verygoodandthatBangladeshwasoneofthefastestgrowingeconomies in South East Asia. Members spoke aboutproblemsthattheyhavefacedasinvestorsinBangladeshandgavesomespecificexamples.TheteamfromDhakamentioned that their offices could assist AMCHAMmemberswhowere facing specific issuesby arrangingmeetings with the concerned departments of the

Bangladesh government. They invited AMCHAM IndiamemberstovisitBangladeshandsaidtheU.S.Embassycouldhelpfacilitateanyassistancethatwasrequired.TheyencouragedmemberswhohadofficesinBangladeshtobecomemembers of AMCHAM Bangladesh to avail ofnetworkingopportunitiesofferedbythechamber.

Theopendiscussionprovidedanexcellentexchangeofideas.TCGDigitalSolutionshostedthesession.

Mr.DebdasSen,Chairman–EasternRegion,AMCHAM,givingopeningremarksatameetingwithU.S.EmbassyDhakaofficialsonthebusinessenvironmentinBangladesh

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BANGALORE

AMCHAM’s Karnataka Chapter bid farewell to theoutgoingCommercialConsul,Mr.JohnFlemingonJune27th,2017.HethankedAMCHAMKarnatakaforworkingcloselywiththeU.S.CommercialServicesandhopeditwouldcontinue.Ontheoccasion,Mr.FlemingpresentedaCertificateofAppreciationtotheAMCHAMKarnatakaChapterforbeingapartnerinsignificantlyadvancingU.S.commercialintereststhroughoutSouthIndia.Mr.PareshShah,ViceChairman–KarnatakaChapter,AMCHAMand

Farewell for Mr. John Fleming, Principal Commercial Officer, U.S. Consulate General ChennaiSenior Vice President andGeneralManager, SyniverseTechnologiesServicesIndiaPvt.Ltd.,thankedMr.FlemingfortheappreciationandreiteratedAMCHAMKarnataka’ssupport totheConsulate.AlsopresentontheoccasionwereMr.NareshShah,President,HewlettPackardIndiaSoftware Operation Pvt. Ltd., Mr. Atul Ujagar, CountryDirector–NikeSourcingIndiaLtd.andMs.ManjushreePhookan,OfficeDirector,U.S.CommercialServices.

(Center)Mr.JohnFleming,PrincipleCommercialOfficer,U.S.ConsulateChennai,presentingaCertificateofAppreciationtoAMCHAM'sKarnatakaChapterforadvancingU.S.commercialintereststhroughoutSouthIndia

(L-R)Ms.InesMiranda,RegionalDirector-KarnatakaChapter,AMCHAM, with panelists at a session on energy neutralbuildings and smart corporate offices: Dr. Benny Raphael,Associate Professor, IIT Chennai, Mr. Marnik Vermeulen,Director,RealEstateStrategy&Operations-SouthAsia,IBM,Dr.C.Velan,ExecutiveDirector&CEO,TRILInfoparkLtdandMs.GayathriChauhan,RegionalManager,APACandMiddleEast,U.S.GreenBuildingCouncil

Breakfast Session on Energy Neutral Buildings and Smart Corporate Offices

AMCHAM’sKarnatakaChapterorganizeda sessiononenergy neutral buildings and smart corporate officeson 14th July in Bangalore. The speakers included Dr.C. Velan, ExecutiveDirector &CEO, TRIL Infopark Ltd,TataRealty,Dr.BennyRaphael,AssociateProfessor, IITChennaiandMs.GayathriChauhan,RegionalManager,APAC and Middle East, U.S. Green Building Council.The session wasmoderated byMr.Marnik Vermeulen,Director,RealEstateStrategy&Operations–SouthAsia,IBM.

Dr.BennyRaphael,AssociateProfessor,CivilEng.Dept,IITChennai, opened the session.He expanded on thedefinition of a “smart building” as a building “whereinformation and communication systemswork togetherwith building systems to enhance the effectiveness of

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the resident organisation.” He touched on Facebookrecognition and Google Home. He then discussed acasestudyonzeroenergybuildingsatBCAAcademy.Byusingenergy-efficientsystemsthereachievedasurplusof 24,159 kWh and 53% energy saving compared withtypicalofficebuildings.Hecomparedthebuildingsystemselectricityconsumptionvsdesigndatapredictions.

Dr. C. Velan, Executive Director & CEO, TRIL InfoparkLtd, Tata Realty, spoke next. His presentation wasentitled‘RamanujanITCity–ASmart&EnergyEfficientCampus.’HegaveanoverallviewoftheprojectandtheprocessofachievingtheLEEDcertificationandtheIMScertificationforthecampus.Thecampushasahighfloorefficiencyof80%,acentralizedutilityblockforcampus,allrenewableenergysourcesinusesuchasoncampussolar installationand80%ofwindenergy(rooftopsolarPV system), energy-efficient fittings (use of LEDs in allcommon area lighting, LED retrofitting), AHU retrofitin ECmotors, heat recovery units, use of electronicallycommutatedmotorsforallcommonareas,andmonitoringofperformancethroughEnMSsoftware.Thecostsavings

wereRs.51,08,454/-andunitssavedperdaywere2,036kWh.Healsoelaboratedonthesewagetreatmentplantandorganicwasteconverter.

Ms. Gayathri Chauhan, Regional Manager, APAC andMiddleEast,U.S.GreenBuildingCouncil,thenpresenteddetails on the LEED certification. She explained furtheraboutArc–astate-of-the-artdigitalplatformthatwillallowanyproject—whetherasinglebuilding,acommunityoranentirecity—tomeasureimprovementsandbenchmarkagainstitselfandprojectsaroundit.ThisnewtechnologyfacilitatesLEEDcertification,measuresperformance,andbenchmarksgreenbuildingprojects.

Mr.Marnik Vermeulen, Director, Real Estate Strategy &Operations – South-Asia, IBM,moderated the session.This was followed by a vibrant interactive session andallthepanellistsagreedthatitwasnecessarytogettherealestatedevelopersinvolvedinthediscussionsothatfuture buildings incorporate energy-efficient strategies.Consultantsalsoneedtobeeducatedontheseenergy-efficientstrategies.

U.S. Immigration Session – Trumped! The Changing Face of Business Immigration in the Age of Trump

The American Chamber of Commerce in India’sKarnatakaChapter,inassociationwithScarboroughLawL.L.C., hosted a breakfast session entitled ‘Trumped!TheChangingFaceofBusinessImmigrationintheAgeof Trump’ on 26th July in Bangalore. The session wasconducted by Ms. Stephanie Scarborough, a leadingimmigrationattorneywithmorethan10years’experienceinU.S.andCanadaimmigration.ThefocusofthesessionwasonhowimmigrationhaschangedintheTrumperaandwhattoexpectinthecomingmonths.

Thediscussioncenteredaround recent trends in H-1Band L-1 adjudication patterns, immigration compliancefor employers and streamlining a company’s internalimmigrationprocesstoreducecostsandfacilitateH-1Band L1 transfers and employment immigration issueswithcurrentU.S. immigrationpolicies.Themeetingwasattended by senior professionals heading the HR andimmigrationdepartmentsoftopU.S.companies.

Meeting with the Mr. Darpan Jain, Commissioner for Industrial Development and Director of Industries and Commerce, Government of Karnataka

TheAmericanChamberofCommerce,KarnatakaChapter,conducted a breakfast session with the Commissionerfor Industrial Development and Director of IndustriesandCommerce,GovernmentofKarnataka,Mr.DarpanJain,onAugust4thattheJ.W.MarriottinBangalore.Mr.Darpan Jain took over as Industries Commissioner in

February2017.TheChairmanofAMCHAM’sKarnatakaChapter andManagingDirector ofSaggezza India,Mr.IqbalSait,welcomedMr.Jaintothemeeting.HespokeofthelongassociationAMCHAMhadwiththeGovernmentofKarnataka.Mr.DarpanJainsaidhewashappytobeaddressingtheAMCHAMmembers.Hesaidthathewas

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alsoinchargeoftheDirectorateofUrbanLandTransport(DULT)andwouldwelcomeanyquestionsinthatregard.He talked about how providing good infrastructurefor industries was vital for industrial development andthereforeindustrialparksarebeingestablishedwhichhavewaterandpowerconnectivity.Mostofthesearesector-specificparks.Therewasalsoa focusontheChennai-Bangalorecorridor,andotherpartsofKarnatakabeingdelveloped such asMysore, Hubli, Dharwad, Belgaumand Mangalore. He gave details about the new SkillDevelopment Department which was keen on creatingemploymentinlinewiththerequirementsoftheindustry.He talked about leveragingKarnataka’s innovation andstart-up ecosystem. He briefed the members on the

incentivesandconcessions–taxandnon-tax–tosettingup industries in backward areas.He then spoke aboutsocialinclusionofthedisadvantagedsectionsofsocietyandwomen.He informed themembers on the interestsubsidybeinggiventowomenentrepreneursandthreewomenparksbeingestablished.Intheend,hetouchedonthemostimportantaspectofeaseofdoingbusiness– how to ensure that we reduce the interface betweenregulatory authorities and government agencies andhoweverythinghasasingle-windowclearance,withtheIndustriesDepartmentasthesinglenodalpoint.Forthishewishedtointeractwithchambersandassociationstoget their suggestionson how tomakeKarnatakamoreinvestorfriendly.

AMCHAMmembers at a meeting with Mr. Darpan Jain, Commissioner for Industrial Development and Director of Industries andCommerce,GovernmentofKarnatakainBangalore

There was a vibrant interactive session with AMCHAMmembers which lasted more than an hour. Topmanagement of U.S. companies such as IBM, UTC,Nike,Synopsys,Syniverse,PwC,HP,Intel,Deloitte,GrantThornton,etc.werepresentatthemeeting.Themeeting

closed with the Commissioner welcomingmembers tomeethimeverythreemonthsasachamberandtobringforththeirissuesandhewouldtrytosolvethemasbesthecould.HealsoinvitedmemberstogivetheIndustriesDepartmentsuggestionsonpolicyandothermatters.

Breakfast Meeting with Mr. James M. Fluker, Commercial Consul & Principal Commercial Officer – South India, U.S. Consulate General, Chennai

AMCHAM’sKarnatakaChapterhostedabreakfastmeetingwithMr.JamesM.Fluker,CommercialConsul&PrincipalCommercialOfficer–SouthIndia,U.S.ConsulateGeneral,Chennai,attheJ.W.MarriottonAugust30th,2017.Presentat the meeting were heads of major U.S. companiesoperatinginBangalore, includingMs.DebaratiSen,3M,

Mr. Ravi Gautham, Northern Trust, Mr. Ravi Krishnan,Goldman Sachs, Mr. Krishantha Rajapaksha, WalmartGlobalSourcing,Mr.KironShah,VelankaniSoftware,Mr.Samson David, DXC Technology, Mr. Sreedhar Prasad,KPMG,Mr.R.Sridhar,Allergan,Mr.SunilPai,Anixter,andMr.VenkatShastry,Heidrick&Struggles.

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Mr. Paresh Shah, Vice Chairman – KarnatakaChapter, AMCHAM and General Manager, SyniverseTechnologies,welcomedMr.Flukerandgavehimabriefabout AMCHAM Karnataka’s long association with theU.S.CommercialServices.Mr.FlukerthenspokeabouthiscareerintheCommercialServicesandhisplansforSouth India. There was an insightful discussion about

thebusiness environment inKarnataka and challengesAmerican companies face operating in Bangalore,especially related to infrastructureandpricing issues inthepharmasector.Mr.Flukersaid theconsulatewouldlike to work closely with AMCHAM to resolve some oftheseissues.

MembersofAMCHAM'sKarnatakaChapterwithMr.JamesM.Fluker,CommercialConsul&PrincipalCommercialOfficer–SouthIndia,U.S.ConsulateGeneral,ChennaiinBangalore

www.baesystems.com

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There has never been a better time to Make in India.

© All rights reserved.Photograph reproduced with the permission of DND/CAF 2016

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CHENNAI

AMCHAM’s Tamil Nadu Chapter hosted a breakfastmeeting on smart business infrastructure in the digitalageonJune23rd,2017atHotelWestinVelachery.Mr.R.Ramkumar,Chairman–TamilNaduChapter,AMCHAM,chairedthemeeting.ThefeaturedguestspeakerwasMr.Bithal Bhardwaj, Chief Information Security Officer, GEAfricaandSouthAsia.Whilewelcomingmemberstothebreakfastmeeting in June,Mr. Ramkumar emphasizedthat with connected networking being the order of thedayandthegovernmentworkingtowardsadigitalIndia,awarenessoncybersecurityhascometo the forefront.Hesaidthattherearetwokindsofcompanies–onethatknowsthatithasbeencompromisedandtheotherwhichdoesnot.

Mr.BithalBhardwajmadeashortpresentationandsaidthat hewould be focusing on the industrial and digitalsecurityrisks,whichaccordingtohim,aretheforemostrisksthatbusinessleadersshouldbeawareof.Hesaidconcerns that the securityof thephysical infrastructureareoverblown,it’snotparticularlyencouraging,althoughthere are signs that awareness of the issue is rising.Mr. Bithal said that in operations technology (OT) themanufacturing process control systems, which areused in utilities, healthcare, transportation, oil andgas,chemical production, among other industries, usesystemswhichareincreasinglylinkedtocomputersandnetworksandthereforeparticularlyvulnerable.Asimpleinnocuousdevicelikeapendrivebroughtinbyapersonintentonsabotaging theentireprocesscontrolnetworkcaninsertthependriveintotheUSBportofacomputerinthecontrolsystemandwreakhavoc.

Mr. Bithal gave new age definitions for terms used intoday’sconnectedworld:

• Manufacturingplants–theyarethecashgeneratorsandarenowconnectedovertheinternet

• Data– iseverywhereandmoremeaningful,canbeusedforavarietyofneeds

• Cloud–trustisexercisedmorethanever

• Technology–fastevolvingwithincreasingmobilityallleadingtoagreatercyberrisk

• Cyber physical – malicious attacks on machines,canbreakintocontrolsviatheinternettoopensluicegateswhentheyshouldnotbeopened

• NewagecompanieslikeAmazon,Facebook,Uber,Googleetccanmakesenseofthevoluminousdatatheygatherfromtheircustomers

Warningbellsincaseofcyberattacksinclude:

• Nationstates–compromisingcriticalinfrastructureatafractionofthecost

• Insiderthreat–startupboom,earlycareerlaunches,surveillanceandeasyavailabilityofbroadcasttools

• Hacktivism – extreme nationalism and anti-establishmentsentimentacrosstheglobe

• Cyber-crime–growthfueledbydigitalcurrency

• Ransomware–Wannacry,a$100billionindustry

There needs to be a paradigm shift in the role ofcyber security personnel where the focus is to protectmanufacturing facilities and other company ownedassets. This is important because cyber physical isbecomingmore rampantoftenviolentand the intentionistostealdataandthenmonetizeitorfreezedataontheharddiskandthenmonetizeit.

Thekeytakeawaysfromthemeetingwere:

• OT control systems are being connected to theinternetormobiledevices,exposingthemtorisktheywereneverdesignedtoprotectagainst.

• Autilityworkermaysetupawirelessaccesspointatatransformertoconnecttothecompanynetwork,forexample.Thiscouldhappeninthecaseofadamwherethesluicegatescanbeopenedremotelyorinthecaseofawaterutility,sewagecanbemixedintothedrinkingwaterpipelines.

• Withouttherightsecurityinplace,suchasencryptionleavesthispieceofgridinfrastructureorutilitysystemexposed.

Breakfast Meeting: Smart Business Infrastructure – Cyber Security in the Digital Age

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• Industrial companies are also showing morewillingness to disclose cyber attacks than a fewyears ago, which is generally considered good forraisingawarenessofcybercrime.Thereality isthatpeopleareawarethereisriskinthat(controlsystem)spaceanditisnotnecessarytospendalotoftimeconvincingpeopleaboutrisksinvolved.

• Amaliciousattackinaprocesscontrolledindustrialestablishment is the top “threat vector”ofconcern.Theothersareinternalthreats,externalthreatsfromhacking activists or nation states, and phishingscams.

• Theequipmentthatareofmostconcernfromattacksare computers and network gear that connect tocontrollersofindustrialsystems.

• Physical security on the periphery alone will notreduce the risks and an industry which uses OTcontrol systems should have layered controls, anarchitecture where security and monitoring areembedded into all levels of a network, rather thanonlytheperimeter.Keepingthesystemsupdatedwillalsoimprovesecurity.

In support of our shared goal to promote an open,interoperable, secure, and reliable internet that fostersinnovationandservesasatoolofeconomicandsocialdevelopment, AMCHAM members need to increasecooperationintheareasofcybersecurity,cyberdefense,internationalsecurityincyberspace,beproactiveonlawenforcementresponsestocybercrimeandtostrengthenour collaboration on cyber issues in relevant nationaland international fora. In Chennai, AMCHAMmembersare encouraged to share best practices amongst theInformationSecurityOfficersofmembercompanies.

Mr.R.Ramkumar,Chairman-TamilNaduChapter,AMCHAMandMr.BithalBharadwaj,CISO -GEaddressingmembersduringthemeetingoncybersecurityinthedigitalage

ParticipantsattheJunebreakfastmeetingtitled'CyberSecurityintheDigitalAge'

Breakfast Meeting: Smart Business Infrastructure – ‘Education, Employment and Employability: India’s Challenges and Opportunities’

AMCHAM’s Tamil Nadu Chapter held a meeting on‘Education, Employment and Employability: India’sChallengesandOpportunities’onThursday,July20,2017atHotelWestinVelacheryinChennai.Mr.R.Ramkumar,

Chairman – Tamil Nadu Chapter, AMCHAM chairedthe meeting and Mr. Manish Sabharwal, Chairman,TeamLeaseServicesIndiaLtd.,wastheguestspeaker.

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of Education, GoI, and the various committees of thestate and central government, and the experience ofimplementingthefirstvocationaluniversityinGujaratonthe PPPmodel, gives him an opportunity to delve intotheissueandofferhisformulaforasuccessfulpolicyoneducationinIndia.

With the caveat that large countries will always bedisadvantaged inallsuchrankings, it isclear that Indiahas long had a big unfinished agenda around humancapital. It is helpful to highlight that labour surplus andyoung countries like India have very different humancapitalissuesthanrichcountrieswhicharerapidlyageing(thesaleofadultdiapersrecentlycrossedbabydiapersinJapan).PovertyisaboutproductivityandwithinamonthoflandingintheU.S.forhisMBA,hewasaskinghimselfwhyAmericans,whoarenotsmarterthanIndians,werericher?Andproductivity isabout the3E’sofeducation,employment and employability. The government isorganizedverticallybutagovernmentreportremindsusthatthisproblemishorizontal.

Mr. Manish Sabharwal said India doesn’t have anemployment problem; we have wage problem. Ourofficial unemployment rateof 4.2per cent is not fudgeandalmostanybodywhowantstofindajobcanfindajob–justnotatthewagestheyneedorwant.Thesearetwo different problems because the wage premium isa reflectionof total factorproductivitynot just individualproductivityandskills.Hesaid,“Wemadeamistake in1991bynotreformingfactormarketslikelandandlabourand consequently, we have too many enterprises thatarenotproductiveandthereforedon’tpaytheskillwagepremium(if you rankmanufacturingcompaniesbysizethere is a 22-time differential in productivity betweencompaniesat the90thand10thpercentile).”Headdedthat, India has begun the journey of improving factormarkets, transforming enterprises and decentralisingpowertostates;mostkidswhohavetherightskillsinthenextdecadewillnothaveaprobleminfindingjobs.

Theworldofworkhaschanged;employmenthasshiftedfrom being a lifetime contract to a taxicab relationshipand it is impossible topredictwhere jobswillbe in thefuture (research suggests that 50%of the jobs createdin the U.S. in every decade since the 1960s did notexist in thedecadebefore). This hashuge implications

Responding to the concerns of members with respectto human assets in the operations of their businesses,theTamilNaduChapterExecutiveCommitteedecidedtoinviteMr.ManishSabharwalastheguestspeakerfortheJulybreakfastmeeting toaddressmembersona topicthat is top priority for all industry leaders – education,employmentandemployability.

Mr.Sabharwal,ChairmanofIndia’slargestprivatesectoremployer,hailsfromKashmir.Borntoparents,whowerecivilservants,hisinterestinpublicpolicyrootsbacktohischildhoodbasedonhisunderstanding that it isnot theeconomybut the society as an important element.HisillustriousacademicbackgroundattheMayoCollegeinAjmer,andhishighereducationattheSriramCollege,NewDelhi,speaksofhisgroundingintheIndianemploymentissues.HismanagementdegreefromWhartonhasgivenhim thebasis forhisentrepreneurial journey,where,hefounded theViewGroup,andmanaged toget2billionUSDfundingforhisnewcompanyintheUSA.Hereturnedto India thereafter and sees himself as a crusader forlabour reforms in India.Since its inception in2002, theHR consulting company he co-founded, TeamLease,hasplacedmorethanhalfamillionpeople in jobs.Thegrowthhasnotonlybeen linearbutalsoexponential inrevenue and growth. The company has 2,500 crorestoday andmight increase up to 10,000 croreswithin afewyears,accordingtohim,byunderstandingthepublicpolicyandprovidinggoodemployment.ButhefeltbadthattheIndianeducationsystemwasmessedup.Peoplein themetro cities can speak ‘good English’ therefore,hiredatahighersalarycompared to themigrants fromdifferentstateslikeUPandBiharhesaid.Thesearetheimplicationsofpolicydecisions,whichallowedEnglishtobetaughtinonestate,butnotinanother,headded.

Mr.Manishstatedthatpovertyisthebiggestprobleminthiscountry.Theproblemisnotonlywithpovertybutalsowiththepeoplewhohaveobscurevisionabouttheissuessurroundingit.Hesaidthatwecandemolishthepovertywithemploymentanditisimperativetounderstandpublicpolicy. He said 2 things are important – choosing theparentsandtheeducational institution.Ultimately, the3E’s–education,employment,andemployabilitystandattheheartoftheeducationpolicyinIndia.Hisappointmentasamemberof theprestigiousCentralAdvisoryBoard

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foreducationbecausearapidlychangingworldmeansstrongfoundationsmaybemoreimportantthanspecificskills.WearealreadynoticingthatClass10hasbecomethenewClass8;wethinkthatsoonClass12willbethenewClass10.Inthenewworldofworkthemostimportantvocational skills are reading, writing, English andarithmetic; insteadofvocationalizingschoolsweshouldfixthem.TheRighttoEducationActneedstobecometheRighttoLearningActandweneedtocreateflexibilityinregulatorystructuresformodularization,apprenticeships,and multi-modal delivery to facilitate lifelong learning.WB Yeats applies evenmore in themodern economy;‘educationisnotthefillingofabucketbutthelightingofafire.’

India’swomen labour forceat 23% is just aboveSaudiArabia and down 40% in the last twenty years. Mr.Sabharwal surmises that it came down becausemanymoreof themare ineducationandmanyof themweretired of wage-exploitation in farm jobs. He added thatthejobopportunityratehasnotgoneupbecauseofthelackofrobustruralnon-farmformaljobcreation.Thereisnodifferencebetween thereformagenda foraMinistryofWomen’s Employment or aMinistry of Employment;urbanization(Indiahasonlyhave50citieswithmorethanamillionpeoplevsChina’s385cities),formalization(India’s6.3croreenterprisesonlytranslateto17,500companieswith a paid up capital of Rs. 10 crore), industrialization(only11%ofIndiaworksinmanufacturingand50%workson farms). Improving this needs reducing regulatorycholesterolincompliance,taxsystem,labourlaws,creditmarkets,andmuchmore.

MakingacomparisonwiththemegafactoriesofFoxconnthat employ in total about a million workers makingiPhonesinChina,heobservedthatIndianlabourlawsandscleroticregulationshavemadeus“abunchofcorporatedwarfswith only 14,500 companieswhich have a paidupcapitalofRs.10crore.”Thebiggestproblem is thatIndia’sunorganisedsectorcreatesmostjobsandthatthe“productivitydifferencebetween largecorporationsandsmallfirmsis22times.”TheprobleminIndia,hesaid,isnotunemploymentbecausepeopleneedtoworktofeedthemselves,butwidespreadunder-employment.

The crux of Mr. Manish Sabharwal’s talk can besummarizedhere:

• India needs amore robust people supply chain tokeeptheemploymentratehigh

• Get‘jobstothepeople’ratherthan‘peopletojobs’bycreatingjobswheretheunemployedreside

• MakeinIndiaforIndia,notwithanexportfocus

• Reformlabourlawswhicharetoocomplexatpresent

• Reduceregulatorycholesterol

• Movejobsfromfarmtonon-farm

• Jobs have tomove from the informal sector to theformalsector

• Enforcetheapprenticeshipprogram

• Continue with policies aimed at creating a largermiddle class rather than pursue policies aimed ateradicatingpoverty–achangeofmindsetrequired

• Most of India’s problemsare a ‘plumbingproblem’andeasytofix,unliketheclimatechangeproblem

• Notionofeducationischanging,‘fillingabucket’vs‘lightingafire’

• Whererubbermeetstheroadiswherepolicyhappens

• Formalization is important in every sphere ofeconomicactivity

• Indiagrowsbynightwhenthegovernmentsleeps

• Urgentneedtoreformthecivilservicestobemoreintunewithtoday’sIndia

• Most enterprises in India are dwarfs with stuntedgrowth

• The4geographiesthatarevitaltoIndia’sgrowthandin urgent need of reform are: sectoral geography;enterprise geography; education geography;legislativeGeography

The event ended with an interactive session andnetworkingcontinuedoverbreakfast.

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TamilNaduChiefMinister,Mr.EddapadiK.PalaniswamiwithNationalExecutiveBoardmembersandTamilNaduExecutiveCommitteemembers

TocoincidewiththeNEBmeetinginChennai,theTamilNaduRegionorganizedameetingwiththeChiefMinisterof the state at the government secretariat. SeveralmembersoftheNationalExecutiveBoardledbyMr.ArunKumar, Vice Chairman, AMCHAM and Chairman and

Meeting with the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Mr. Edappadi K. Palaniswami

CEO,KPMGinIndia,calledontheChiefMinister.ConsulGeneral Robert Burgess andMr. Robert Kemp, ActingMinisterCounselorEEST,U.S.EmbassywerepartoftheAMCHAMdelegation.

TheTamilNadugovernmentwasrepresentedbyMr.MCSampath,Minister for Industry,Ms.GirijaVaidyanathan,Chief Secretary, Mr. Atulya Misra, Principal Secretary,IndustriesDepartment,Mr.M.S.Shanmugam,AdditionalSecretary, IndustriesDepartment,Ms.ShilpaPrabhakarSatish,ExecutiveViceChairperson,TamilNaduIndustrialGuidance Bureau, Ms. R. Vasuki, Managing Director,SIPCOT, Mr. B. Elangovan, Managing Director, TIDELPark andMr. T K Ramachandran, Principal Secretary,InformationTechnologyDepartment.

TheChiefMinisterwelcomedthedelegationandspokeofthemanypolicyinitiativesbeingtakentomakethestateanattractiveinvestmentdestination.Healsoaddedthatthe statewas establishing a state of the art aerospace

park at Sriperumbudur with all facilities suited for plugandplayoperations.Mr.AtulyaMisra,PrincipalSecretaryIndustries Department, said that the state has goodfacilitiesforthefoodprocessing,heavyengineeringandconstructionequipmentsectorsaswell.

Mr. R. Ramkumar, Chairman – Tamil Nadu Chapter,AMCHAM responded that the presence of severalAmerican companies in the state is testimony to thefavourable business environment and that Americancompanieshavecreatedlakhsofnewjobopportunitiesbothdirectandindirect.HealsomentionedthatAmericancompanieswillpartnerwiththestateintheforthcomingGlobalInvestorMeet.

Meeting with Mr. MC Sampath, Minister for Industry, Government of Tamil Nadu and Senior Government Secretaries

Membersof theAMCHAMNEB,ConsulGeneralRobertBurgess,Mr.RobertKemp,U.S.EmbassyalongwithMs.RanjanaKhanna,DirectorGeneralCEO,AMCHAMandMs.MadhviKataria,DeputyDirectorGeneralofAMCHAM,hadameetingwiththeMinisterforIndustry,Mr.MCSampathandseveralsecretariesofthegovernmentofTamilNadu

on18thAugust.Inhisopeningremarks,Mr.AtulyaMisra,IndustriesSecretary,welcomedtheAMCHAMdelegationandappreciatedthefactthatFordIndiawasatrendsetterbyestablishingacarmanufacturingplantnearChennai,whichledtoseveralMNC’smakingChennaitheirbasefortheautomobileandautocomponentsector.

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Mr.ArunKumar,ViceChairman,AMCHAMandChairman&CEO,KPMGinIndia,presentinganAMCHAMcommemorativebooktoMr.M.C.Sampath,MinisterforIndustries,GovernmentofTamilNadu

ThiswasfollowedbyapresentationmadebyMs.ShilpaP.Satish,ExecutiveViceChairpersonoftheTNIndustrialGuidance Bureau. The presentation detailed the yetto be announced “Business Facilitation Act” and themanystrengthsof thestatewhichmake itanattractiveinvestmentdestination.DuringthepresentationMs.Shilpamentioned thatTamilNaduranks third in thecountry ininvestment decisions with over 50% of the populationliving inurbanareaswith thestatehavingacontinuoussupply of talentwhich is added to the pool each year.Ms.ShilpaaddedthatthesinglewindowsysteminTamilNaduIndustriesGuidanceandExportPromotionBureauhas been strengthened and now provides for onlineapprovals to investors. She said that the state has alargelandbankinseveralplacesidentifiedforindustrialdevelopmentandisreadilyavailable.

Mr.B.Elangovan,theofficialresponsiblefordevelopmentoftheaerospaceparkmadeapresentationdetailingthevariousfacetsoftheparkandsaidthattheparkwouldbereadyandavailableforoccupationinthenext18months.

In response, the AMCHAM delegation said thatAmerican companies are happy to stay invested in thestateespeciallynowthatthepowersituationhasturnedfavourable. Mr. Ram kumar, Chairman – Tamil NaduChapter, AMCHAM, commented that the state has theuniquedistinctionwheremanufacturingcompanieshaveco-located their R&D, design andbusinessprocessingunits in the state to drive innovation. He further saidthat the state could consider inducting professionalsfrom industry into theacademiccouncilsofuniversitiesto strengthen the education system and raise the baras faras thestudentsgraduating fromthesecentresofexcellence.Mr. Ramkumar highlighted the fact that thegovernmentneeds tocurb the fringeelementswhoarecreeping into theotherwisepeaceful labour situation inthestate.

Themeeting concluded withMr. AtulyaMisra thankingAmericancompaniesformakingTamilNadutheirhomeforbusinessandsaidthatastatedelegationistravellingtotheUnitedStatestomeetwithU.S.companiestoinvestintheaerospacepark.

Networking Evening and Talk Show

TheTamilNaduChapterhostedanetworkingeveningformembersof theNEB,members in theChennai region,

prospectivemembers and the newly arrived officers attheU.S.ConsulateinChennai.

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GuestsnetworkingwithNEBmembersatanAMCHAMevententitled'MadrasanditsAmericanConnection'inChennai

(LtoR)Mr.PareshShah,NationalExecutiveBoardMember,AMCHAMandSeniorVicePresident&GeneralManager-India,SyniverseTechnologiesServices,Mr.JamesM.Fluker,CommercialConsul&PrincipalCommercialOfficer–SouthIndia, U.S. Consulate General, Chennai and Mr. MaheshKrishnamurti, Chairman - Western Region, AMCHAM andManagingDirector,ResourcesGlobalProfessionalsIndia

Consul General Robert Burgess, U.S. Consulate General,Chennai

Mr.ArunKumar,ViceChairman,AMCHAMandChairman&CEO,KPMGinIndia

Ms.RanjanaKhanna,DirectorGeneralCEO,AMCHAMIndia,addressingtheguestsandthankingpartnersforsupportingthenetworkingevent

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EventsAMCHAM


Mr. R. Ramkumar, Chairman – Tamil Nadu Chapter,AMCHAM,welcomedalltheguestsandsaidthatthiswasindeedagreatopportunitytomeetandgreetespeciallyat a timewhen the city ofChennai thatwasMadras is

AMCHAM'sNationalExecutiveBoardmemberswiththeTamilNaduChapterExecutiveCommitteeinChennai

celebratingitsfoundingonAugust22,1639,fromwhencethemoderncityofMadrasgrewandlaidthefoundationsoftheBritishEmpire.

ExtendingawarmwelcometomembersoftheNationalExecutive Board, members from Chennai, prospectivemembers andConsulGeneralRobertBurgessandhisteamofnewlyarrivedofficers,Mr.Ramkumar said thatit is estimated that TamilNadu has over 100Americancompanies—big,mediumandsmall—inindustriesasdiverseasautomanufacturing,heavymachinery,financialservices,consultingandadvisory,informationtechnologyand BPM, electronics and hardware manufacturing,auto components, pharmaceutical, medical devices,chemicals,animalnutrition,amongothers.Hesaid thatthat thesecompanieshavebrought inacumulativeFDIofover$4-5billioninthepastdecade,directlyemployingapproximately 200,000 professionals, with indirectemploymentofabouthalfamillion.

Mr. Ramkumar added that these companies have hadsignificant positive experience with the ease of doingbusiness in the state, its rich educational infrastructureandtheresultantqualityofperson-power,theworkethicof its people, physical infrastructure, good governmentand quasi-government support and a willingness tochangeforthebetter.Thelasttimewehadanetworkingdinner of thismagnitude the statewas reeling under apowershortageandtoday thestate ispowersurplus—thisindicatesthe“cando”attitudeofthegovernmenttoturn things around and quickly address issues, if any.Mr.Ramkumarsaidthat“whilemarketingtriumphsrealityinmanypartsoftheworld,thisstate,unfortunatelyisquitetheopposite.Iguessit’snotjusttheStatebutcompaniesaswellasleadersintheState.Theylettheirperformancedothetalking.”

Mr.ArunKumar,ViceChairman,AMCHAM Indiaspokeabout his connectionswith the city ofMadras and thedevelopments in the state. Consul General RobertBurgess said that his first business engagement onassumingofficeattheChennaiConsulatewasameetingwith AMCHAM and he was happy to have had anexclusivebriefingsession.He then introducedhis teamattheConsulatewhoarrivedinChennaioverthepastfewweeks.HesaidhelookedforwardtohistenureinChennaiand particularly looked forward to working closely withAMCHAM. Ms. Ranjana Khanna thanked all sponsorswhomadethiseventpossibleandsaidthatweneedtheactiveparticipationofmembersinallevents.

The special event of the eveningwas the talk showbyMr.V.Sriram,historianandstoryteller,whopresentedanaudiovisualon‘MadrasandtheAmericanConnection.’Mr.Srirambeganby recounting theconnection thecityofMadras haswith the YaleUniversity in theU.S. andhowElihuYalewhowasGovernorofMadrashadmadeadonationtotheschoolinConnecticutwhichlatergrewandtookthenameofitsbenefactorandisnowknownasYaleUniversity.SriramalsotracedtheestablishmentoftheAmericanconnectionwithtradingmissions,establishmentofthediplomaticmission,bringingiceblockstoMadras,establishment of American manufacturing with Fordbeing the pioneer and right through to the Hollywoodconnection to the making of commercial cinema inMadras. Itmade for a verymemorableeveningandalltheguestswerequitefascinatedwiththemanyaspectsofMadrasandtheAmericanconnection.Thiswasfollowedbycocktails,dinnerandnetworking,whichbuildslastingbusinessrelationships.

Corporate Members

Additional Members

AMCHAM Welcomes New Members

Mr. James Allen Brandt Jr.Managing Director

Lowes Services India Private Limited

Mr. Anshu BagaiManaging Director

Jeunesse Global India Pvt. Ltd.

National Secretariat

Ms. Shailja KaushalProject Director - ECP

Email : [email protected]

Mr. Debasish Roy Program Director


Ms. Mamta UppalMembership & Events Manager


Mr. Aubrey DanielsRegional Director - Tamil Nadu Region


Ms. Ines MirandaRegional Director - Karnataka Chapter


Ms. Valerie SwopeProgram Coordinator


Ms. Udaya ArunDirector - Aerospace & Defense


Ms. Madhvi KatariaDeputy Director General


Ms. Ranjana KhannaDirector General, CEO


Ms. Amada KidwaiRegional Director - Eastern RegionEmail : [email protected]

Mr. Yeshi DorjeeManager - Administration & PublicationsEmail : [email protected]

Mr. L.N. AgarwalSenior Manager & OSD


Ms. Tanya PaulCommunication Director


Mr. Gaurav MendirattaDirector - Medical Devices


AMCHAM Team

Ms. Surabhi WahalRegional Director - Western RegionEmail : [email protected]

Ms. Ruth Sandya RodriguesRegional Director - Hyderabad Chapter


Established in 1992, the American Chamber of Commerce in India (AMCHAM India) is an association of American business organizations operating in the country.

AMCHAM India has around 500 members, spread across the nation. The Chamber enjoys a close relationship with the U.S. Embassy, which supports its objectives and helps in fulfilling them. The incumbent U.S. Ambassador to India is the Honorary President of AMCHAM.

MissionAMCHAM’s principal objectives are to:

• Promote activities that encourage and stimulate investment by U.S. companies in the country.

• Support the business operations of its members.

• Encourage bilateral trade between India and the U.S.

These primary objectives are fulfilled by:

• Providing a forum for U.S. – based business organizations to discuss and identify common issues, economic and commercial interests in India and /or the U.S.

• Instituting Sectoral Committees which implement the primary objectives in their respective sectors.

• Reviewing policies and procedures in various sectors that affect the members as well as growth of foreign direct investment.

AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IN INDIA Affiliations

AMCHAM is affiliated to the following Chambers :

• Chamber of Commerce of U.S.A in Washington, D.C.

• Asia Pacific Council of American Chambers of Commerce (APCAC)

• AMCHAM’s in other countries.

Regional Chapters

AMCHAM’s National Secretariat is based in New Delhi with six Regional Chapters in Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai.

Published by: American Chamber of Commerce in India Address: PHD House, 4th Floor, 4/2, Siri Institutional Area, August Kranti Marg, New Delhi – 110 016

Printed at Multiplexus (India), C-440, Narela Industrial Park, DSIIDC, Narela, Delhi - 110040 Editor: Tanya Paul, [email protected]

Regional Secretariat

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