Industry Chapter​

Australia India Business Council (AIBC) launched the National Infrastructure Industry Chapter at a joint event with the High Commission of India, on 11 March 2021 at the Consulate General of India, Sydney office. Speakers represented both Indian and Australian governments and business.

Anand Singh, Chair-Infrastructure Chapter AIBC – The event highlighted significant potential for the industry from both sides to collaborate. The opportunities for the Indian companies within the digital transformation space in Australia and on the flip side Australian companies to engage with the massive opportunities in India within the entire Infrastructure ecosystem. Collaboration based on a shared sense of destiny and a future that works for all by putting people at the centre of decision making and social wellness was largely on display through the entire session.  

Event was addressed by a distinguished line of speakers from within the three layers of the industry:

• the Government represented by the Indian and Australian High Commission and the Consulate General of India, Sydney.  
• Institutions/Bodies promoting government initiatives such as Invest India, Greater Sydney Commission and Australia India Business Council.
• Business represented by Macquarie Group, AustralianSuper from Australia and Larsen & Toubro, Infosys from India.

Welcome Address: Mr Manish Gupta, Consul General India, Sydney – “Brand India continues to look outward to cooperate, collaborate and expand across wider horizons around the world”. 

Keynote Speech: HE Gitesh Sharma, High Commissioner of India – “We are committed to an expanded trade and investment relationship, which will benefit both economies”.

Mr Bryce Hutchison, Deputy High Commissioner, Australia – “The Australia India relationship is at an all-time high with Prime Minister, Scott Morrison elevating this to a comprehensive strategic partnership. Infrastructure has been identified as one of the priorities for commercial cooperation”. 

Mr Troy Daly, Executive Director, Greater Sydney Commission – “For the first time in NSW the infrastructure, transport and planning agencies worked together to ensure that infrastructure was aligned with urban growth, with transport as the major infrastructure asset”.

Ms Prerna Soni, Senior Assistant Vice President, Invest India – “The national infrastructure pipeline launched in 2020 will have infrastructure projects worth $1.4 trillion, to be completed by 2025. This includes roads, railways, coastal developments, airports, and smart cities”. 

Mr Frank Kwok, Managing Director, MIRA Macquarie Group – “The Indian market is a hard, but a rewarding one and that is why MIRA had made the long-term commitment with more than $2 billion worth of investments. We see ourselves as a part of the community”.

Mr Sailesh Pathak, CEO, Larsen & Toubro (L&T) – “Collaboration with Australia, there are three ways in which we can create mutual cash flow. One is the brain power that you have, so advisories or consulting. The second is products or services or technologies that you have, that we can use and vice versa. And the third is Australian dollars”.

Mr Nik Kemp, Head of Infrastructure, AustralianSuper – “As our fund grows and infrastructure programs grows from 20 to 40 billion over the next four or five years, our investment in India will potentially double”.

Mr Vikas Tatwani, Associate VP, Infosys Cloud & Infrastructure – “There is a compelling case for infrastructure to be smart. For every dollar that the taxpayer invests, the return is approximately $9”.

Vote of Thanks: Ms Sanushka Seomangal, AIBC Vice Chair – “To sum up from what I have taken on today, partnerships, perseverance and a commitment to the course are key to successfully undertaking infrastructure investment in India”.