CII - Confederation of Indian Industry : India to have strong presence at Davos / WEF theme focuses on “The Reshaping of the World: Consequences for Society, Politics and Business” / Kris Gopalakrishnan among Co-Chairs

India to have strong presence at Davos / WEF theme focuses on "The Reshaping of the World: Consequences for Society, Politics and Business" / Kris Gopalakrishnan among Co-Chairs

Jan 20, 2014

Over 125 leaders from India will participate in the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, from 22-25 January, 2014. The Indian contingent comprises high-ranking Government Officials, CEOs of major Indian companies, Media and Civil Society representatives.

The overarching theme of the meeting is "The Reshaping of the World: Consequences for Society, Politics and Business". 

This year's Annual Meeting is being held as the world reaches a critical juncture. Short-term economic crises have given way to an increased need for further structural reforms in emerging and developed markets.

India is no exception to the rapid economic changes being witnessed in the world. India is shaking off its sluggishness and is witnessing a rebound in growth. According to the World Bank's Global Economic Prospects 2014, the Indian Economy is expected to witness a growth of 6.2 per cent in 2014-15 and then to 6.6% in the following year.

At the summit, the Indian delegation will highlight the efforts taken by the government to turn the economy around. It will focus on the investor-friendly measures that have been taken such as easing restrictions on foreign investment, resolution of bottlenecks in project clearance and taking steps towards fiscal consolidation.

Kris Gopalakrishnan, President, CII and Vice Chairman, Infosys Ltd. will co-chair the Summit along with Aliko Dangote, President and Chief Executive Officer, Dangote Group, Nigeria, Jiang Jianqing, Chairman of the Board, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, People's Republic of China, Joseph Jimenez, Chief Executive Officer, Novartis, Switzerland, Christophe de Margerie, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Total, France, Marissa Mayer, Chief Executive Officer, Yahoo, USA and Judith Rodin, President, Rockefeller Foundation, USA.

The Indian contingent is part of the over 2500 participant-strong community that will include 40 heads of state or government, key finance, foreign, trade and energy ministers, along with religious, media and cultural leaders, social entrepreneurs and heads of non-governmental organizations from 100 countries.

Australian Prime Minister and G20 Chair, Tony Abbott, Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, the Prime Minister of UK, David Cameron, Italian Prime Minister, Enrico Letta, Mexican President, Enrique Peña Nieto, South Korean President, Park Geun-Hye and Brazilian President, Dilma Rousseff will address the participants at the Annual Meeting.

Mr. Anand Sharma, Minister of Commerce and Industry, Mr. P Chidambaram, Finance Minister, Mr. Kamal Nath, Minister of Urban Development and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Mr. Praful Patel, Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, Dr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, Mr. Jyotiraditya Scindia, Minister of State for Power and Mr. Prithviraj Chavan, Chief Minister of Maharashtra are among the dignitaries who are expected to participate at the Annual Meeting.

CII and Indian companies would be organizing several events on the sidelines of the Annual Meeting. While CII will organize its traditional annual "India Reception" and breakfast sessions in partnership with Indian companies, many Indian companies like Wipro and Bajaj Auto will organize receptions and Bollywood music evenings in Davos. One of the highlights during the Davos meet will be a Round Table on Investment featuring the Commerce and Industry Minister, Mr. Anand Sharma.

The list of Indian Industry leaders participating at the Annual Meeting include Mr. Kris Gopalakrishnan, Mr. Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, Confederation of Indian Industry, Mr Shiv Nadar, Chairman and Chief Strategy Officer, HCL Technologies Ltd, Mr Pawan Munjal, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Hero Group, Mr Sunil K. Munjal, Joint Managing Director, Hero MotoCorp Limited., Mr Hari S. Bhartia, Co-Chairman and Founder, Jubilant Bhartia Group, Ms Arundhati Bhattacharya, Chairperson, State Bank of India, Mr N Chandrasekaran, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Tata Consultancy Services Ltd., Mr Adi B. Godrej, Chairman, The Godrej Group, Mr Baba N. Kalyani, Chairman and Managing Director, Bharat Forge Ltd. Mr Uday S. Kotak, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd., Dr Vijay Mallya, Group Chairman, The UB Group, Mr Cyrus P. Mistry, Chairman, Tata Sons Ltd., Mr Malvinder Mohan Singh, Executive Chairman, Fortis Healthcare Ltd., amongst a galaxy of others.