Pitches India as an open-minded destination for investment
IFM Correspondent
September 30, 2014: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on is visit to the US, met CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, including Google, PepsiCo and IBM. He had a breakfast meeting with 11 CEOs, followed by one-on-one meetings with six CEOs, including those of Goldman Sachs, GE and Boeing.
The meetings are aimed at promoting India as a top investment hub in Asia because of its high-tech capabilities and high IT talent pool.
During his meeting, Modi cited the Supreme Court’s judgment and said he wants to convert “it (the judgment) into an opportunity to move forward and clean up the past”. He wanted companies to come and invest in India, especially in sectors like infrastructure.
“India is open-minded. We want change. Change that is not 1 sided. Am discussing with citizens, industrialists & investors,” the spokesman of the Ministry of External Affairs Syed Akbaruddin tweeted, quoting Modi from the meeting
Most corporates described the meeting as “great”. “The meeting was excellent. He is a great Prime Minister and he answers questions brilliantly. We are thrilled to be working with him,” said Indra Nooyi, CEO, Pepsi Co.
Goldman Sachs chief Llyod Blankfein described Modi as a “charismatic leader” and said his company is keen to participate in India’s growth story.
Reflecting similar sentiments, US conglomerate General Electric’s CEO Jeff Immelt described India as a great place to invest in and said it is looking to make more investments there. “He has a good head set for business. Hopefully he will continue to drive the reform process,” he said.
Earlier story: Modi makes a mark at Madison Square Garden