The Australia India Business Council (AIBC) NSW, in collaboration with the State Bank of India (SBI), recently hosted a roundtable event at the Four Seasons Hotel in Sydney. The event saw the participation of senior executives from SBI, including Niraj Kumar Panda and Jagat Kant Choudhary CAMS, CFCS, and focused on discussing SBI’s role in the expanding trade between Australia and India.
Irfan Malik (MAICD), AIBC Associate Chair and NSW President, opened the session by welcoming the SBI executives, AIBC members, and other guests. The discussions were aimed at exploring opportunities for enhanced collaboration in the growing Australia-India trade landscape.
Ganesh Radhakrishnan, CEO of SBI Australia, presented an overview of the bank’s operations in Australia, emphasizing strategies to attract Australian investment in India. He highlighted SBI’s efforts to expand its services to regional Australian areas as part of their broader engagement strategy.
Dr. Janakiraman Sarvesvaran, Consul General of India in Sydney, provided insights into how SBI could support Australian businesses in areas like banking, trading, and remittances. He explored potential areas where the bank could assist in furthering business relations between both countries.
Tim Thomas, CEO of the Centre for Australia-India Relations, spoke about the growing momentum in Australia-India trade relations. He outlined future prospects in digital trade, the knowledge economy, Agritech, startups, and investment opportunities, noting that the scope for collaboration in these sectors was vast.
Narasimhan Viswanathan, AIBC Make with India Chapter Lead, addressed key industry opportunities and challenges in supply chain management. Additionally, Dianne Tipping, Chair of the Export Council of Australia, and Poornima Menon, AIBC NSW Vice President, focused on regional opportunities and the growing startup sector in Australia.
Warren Wickman, COO of MMC Corporation, along with Anand Singh MBA, GAICD, AIBC Critical Infrastructure Chapter Lead, discussed the challenges and opportunities within the critical minerals sector and bilateral trade compliance.
Jagat Kant Choudhary CAMS, CFCS, General Manager Compliance at SBI, spoke about the rising banking sector in India, revealing that more than 530 million Indians now hold bank accounts. He highlighted the wide range of products SBI offers to support international trade, underscoring the importance of banking in strengthening bilateral trade ties.
To conclude the event, Irfan Malik (MAICD) expressed his gratitude to all attendees. He thanked the distinguished speakers for their valuable contributions, which sparked insightful discussions and provided the audience with valuable perspectives. He also looked forward to the continued collaboration between AIBC and SBI, and to SBI’s growing involvement in Australian businesses in the future.
