UK India Business Council expands its operations in India

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SME Times News Bureau | 14 Jul, 2014
UK India Business Council has opened its second business centre in Bangalore, within a year of the launch of its first centre in Gurgaon.

The opening was attended by the UK India Business Council Chair, the Rt Hon Patricia Hewitt, CEO Richard Heald, Ian Felton, British Deputy High Commissioner, and an array of leading business figures.

The creation of the UK India Business Centre in Bangalore is part of UKIBC’s expansion strategy to connect UK companies active in, or wanting to enter, Bangalore and South India to local business keen to work with British companies.

The UK India Business Council will work closely with UK Trade and Investment (UKTI), the British Business Group Bangalore, and with both UK and Indian businesses and institutions. The Centre will support businesses across sectors, but tech-rich sectors are likely to be strong given the complementarity in these areas between the UK and Bangalore.

At 12,600 square feet, the Bangalore Centre will be the UK India Business Council’s largest in India, and there are already signed in clients, including British Airways, the UK trade body Aerospace & Defence Security Systems, CDC and TechHub Bangalore, the community and workspace for tech entrepreneurs, which is using the UKIBC centre to establish its entry into India. The UKIBC has also signed a MoU with TiE Bangalore to leverage the UKIBC's Centre in Bangalore, its membership in India and the UK and TiE’s extensive network, membership and reputation in Bangalore and to promote entrepreneurship between the UK and India.

The UKIBC's Bangalore Centre has the full support of the Deputy High Commission in Bangalore, the UKTI, the British Council in India, and the Bangalore based members of the UKIBC Advisory Council - Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Chair and Managing Director of Biocon Limited and T.V. Mohandas Pai, Chairman of Manipal Global Education and former Member of the Board of Directors of Infosys.

Speaking on the launch, Ian Felton said, "Bangalore is one of the future faces of India - hi tech, cosmopolitan and global in outlook. It is a great place for British - Indian collaboration in science, innovation, trade and cultural relations. I am delighted that the UKIBC has chosen Bangalore for its next business centre. Opening in Bangalore is testimony to the strong leadership in business shown by this state. The UK government welcomes and supports the opening."

Addressing the gathering, Patricia Hewitt, Chair, UKIBC said, "We are delighted today to be opening the second UK India Business Centre in Bangalore. This is a great city, in which many British companies are already thriving, particularly technology-focussed companies. Having Tech Hub within our Centre will help create ever more UK-India tech collaborations. This is an incredibly interesting and positive time to be in India, and UK businesses share the fresh optimism among Indian corporates. With the new government there are high hopes for a truly investment- friendly business environment. We are opening our second Centre in the right place, and at the right time to cater to the rise in interest, especially among UK based SMEs wanting to explore the Indian market."

She further added, "The launch of Bangalore business centre is a step ahead in fulfilling the goal we share with our partners at UKTI and the British Business Groups of increasing bilateral trade and investment between the two countries."

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, member of the UKIBC Advisory Council, said, "The UK has an impressive track record in innovation and research across all sciences, especially Biotechnology and Life Sciences. The eco-system that UK offers through its research institutes, innovative companies and large scientific talent pool, synergises very well with what Indian companies need at this stage. India is moving rapidly up the value chain from being an outsourcing and low-cost destination to a valuable partner through co-development and risk sharing models in cutting edge innovation. I am delighted that UKIBC is opening their next Business Centre in Bangalore. I would encourage this Centre to focus on building partnerships between British and Indian companies across a large number of innovative opportunities that will help to grow the Indian economy."

Speaking on the occasion, Richard Heald, CEO, UKIBC said “Nothing is possible without partners, and we are very lucky to work with the best. Among them are Pacific Interiors, who created the wonderful work spaces, on time and one budget, and Pacific Business Centres, who manage the property and the facilities services on the UK India Business Council's behalf. Our plans for India remain bullish and we will be launching our Mumbai centre later this year, followed by subsequent launches in Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata.

The Centre is part of a global initiative by the UK Government to strengthen British business networks in 40 overseas markets and is designed to transform the quantity and quality of support available to British businesses, especially SMEs, seeking to enter or expand in India. The facilities, which are available to all UK companies, include office space, meeting facilities, hot-desking, event space and a Launchpad service.