The Bengal Chamber of Commerce & Industry organized a Business Delegation to Australia, in association with Australian Trade Commission (Austrade), from 21st July 2018 to 27th July 2018.

The Delegation wasled by Mr. Chandra Shekhar Ghosh, President, The Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Managing Director and CEO, Bandhan Bank Limited and co-led by Mr. Indrajit Sen, President Designate, The Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry & Managing Director, International Combustion (India) Limited.

The delegation visited Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne and also Perth.

The composition of the delegation was as under,

• Mr. Chandra Shekhar Ghosh, President, The Bengal Chamber and Managing Director and CEO, Bandhan Bank Limited (Leader of the Delegation).
• Mr. Indrajit Sen, President Designate The Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry & Managing Director, International Combustion (India) Limited. (Co-Leader of the Delegation).
• Sayantan Sarkar, Director, Cyan Creations.
• Dr.Rupali Basu, Chairman, Women Empowerment Committee, The Bengal Chamber and Director (Non Executive)- IQ City Medical College and Narayana Multi-Specialty Hospital, Durgapur.
• Mr.Simarpreet Singh, Director, JIS Group.
• Dr Malay R Dave, JIS Group.
• Mr. Dhruv Bhalla, Senior Vice President- International Relations, SREI Infrastructure Finance Limited.
• Mr. Satyam Roychowdhury, Chancellor, Sister Nivedita University and Founder and Managing Director, Techno India Group.
• Mr. Subhodip Ghosh, Director General, The Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
• Ms Angana Guha Roy Chowdhury, Deputy Director, The Bengal Chamber of Commerce & Industry.

A: Sydney (21st July to 23rd July 2018)

The Delegation joined in Sydney on 21st July evening. The meetings started from 23rd July 2018, 22nd July 2018 being aWarmUp day with orientation meeting.

The objective of the delegation was B2G and focused B2B.

The Inaugural Meeting was with Mr. Paul Manoharan, Manager, New South Wales Trade & Investment on 23rd July 2018 at NSW T&I Office, Sydney. He shared an overview on business opportunities in Australia, especially in New South Wales, which is the most concentrated economy in Australia. New South Wales is the fastest growing economy with 26 years uninterrupted growth. The lowest employment with 4.6% has been reported. 41% newTech Startups are in New South Wales, which makes New South Walesno. one in the country. AUD 80 Billion will be spent by the Government in Infrastructure. In the next 4 years, the focused sectors being Transport, Health, Education and Water Infrastructure. Infrastructure is the key priority of PPP Models. Significant investments have been made from Middle East, Canada, Korea and Japan. 61% of more than 510 Fintech companies in Australia are in New South Wales. Indian presence in IT is notable. New South Wales is the most popular destination for international students including Indians.

It was followed by focused B2B for the delegates throughout the day.

The significant B2Bs were:

Mr. Dhruv Bhalla and Mr.Sayantan Sarkar had separate meetings.

B: Canberra(24th July 2018)

The delegation visited Canberra on 24th July 2018.

The delegation had meeting with Mr. Paul Myler, Assistant Secretary, South and West Asia Division, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Government of Australia. It was mentioned that there has been increasing consciousness on Australian business community on business opportunities in India. Business culture, Diaspora linkages and Political scenario are being addressed. It is estimated that India would be on top three export market by 2035. Australia does not have investment led relationship with India. It is based more on economic collaborations, strategic partnership and P2P ties being important factors. Skill development in Mining and other sectors was mentioned in this context. Health Tech, Hospital Management and Education were also mentioned.

It was followed by meeting with Ms. Tania Constable, CEO, Minerals Council of Australia. The meeting was attended by Mr. Chandra Shekhar Ghosh, President, The Bengal Chamber and Managing Director and CEO, Bandhan Bank Limited; Mr. Indrajit Sen, President Designate The Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry & Managing Director, International Combustion (India) Limited and Mr.Subhodip Ghosh, Director General, The Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry. During the meeting, it was discussed that Mining comprises of 15% of Australia’s GDP. The primary focus of the Minerals Council of Australia is on Mining equipment , Technology and Services (METS) and there are a number of areas ranging from technology applications in Geo Sciences to processing, extraction and looking at the proliferation of technology are some of the key aspects that the minerals council is stressing on. In the context of cooperation with overseas countries including India, the newly minted “AN INDIA ECONOMIC STRATEGY TO 2035” was referred to in-depth and the aspects of regional connectivity and negotiations on issues like CECA and RCEP were also discussed. The members of the council requested the Bengal Chamber for its views on various aspects of the Indian mining industry and the Chamber provided them with the insight by focusing on not only mining and minerals in India, but also on the dynamics of this sector in West Bengal and the Eastern region. Regulatory issues with respect to overseas investments were also discussed. The meeting concluded with the Chamber suggesting that it would be most opportune for the Minerals Council to visit India and West Bengal and specifically take part in the Bengal Global Business Summit 2019. Perhaps, showcasing of demonstration mines by the Minerals Council could also be a part of a wider domain of collaboration.

Dr. Rupali Basu, Mr. Simarpreet Singh and Dr. Malay R Dave met Australian National University (ANU), college of Health and Medicine. Ms. Angana Guha Roy Chowdhury accompanied them.

The delegation met Dr. A.M. Gondane, High Commissioner of India to Canberra, Australia. High Commissioner assured all support for Indian Businesses in Australia. During the meeting, the discussions were made on Mining equipment , Technology and Services (METS), Education, Skill Development, Innovation, Textile and Fashion (Ethical Fashion, which promotes sustainable production and welfare for environment). High Commissioner advised that collaboration may be explored in different areas understanding the compatibility of business models. He advised to follow legal regulations minutely for doing business in Australia.

The day was concluded by the dinner, hosted by, Bongo Sanskriti Australia Inc at Hyatt HotelCanberra, which was attended by Senator David Smith (Australian Capital Territory) and Mr. Brendan Smyth, Commissioner for International Engagement. Dr. Milan Bhattacharjee, President, Bongo Sanskriti Australia Incwas present. Mr. Chandra Shekhar Ghosh was felicitated.

C: Melbourne and Perth (25th July 2018)

Mr. Indrajit Sen, along with Ms. Angana Guha Roy Chowdhury, went to Perth and rest of the delegation went to Melbourne.

Mr. Indrajit Sen had meetings with:
• Downer Group
• Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science & Innovation, Western Australian Government. Austmine joined the meeting.
• Striker Crushing
In Melbourne, Mr. Chandra Shekhar Ghosh, Mr. Subhodip Ghosh and Dr. Rupali Basu met Mr. Mouli Ganguly, CEO & Australian Principal, AUSINDGRO. He organized Round Table meetings with Australian banking and financial services ecosystem. The discussion included:

→ Trends transforming banking & customer experience:
• Customer experience and Intimacy
• Evolution in products and channel strategies
• Data the game changer and data quality
• AI, insights, gamification, digital

→ Preserving the bank:
• Security- Rod
• Regulation, Risk & Compliance

→ Making the core more effective:
• Evolution in retail products and channels- simplification, cost reduction
• Payments and secure transactions
• Core banking

→ Making banking relevant:
• Learning from micro-finance – basic payments and remittances , micro-loans and farm insurance
• Empowering and educating customers who might be in a debt trap
• Fintech& Innovation- Disruption and new value creation – here and now
• Stories of 3 Fintechs and a tour of YBF facilities.

The meeting was attended by Mr. Rod Tasker, Strategic Management and innovative solution delivery in Banking and Finance industry and Mr. John Salamito, Australian and International FSI corporate leader and Entrepreneur.

D: Melbourne (26th July 2018)

The delegation had meeting with Ms. Irene Tkalcevic, Director, Trade Development, Trade Victoria and Mr. Karls Ellis, Policy Adviser, International Policy, International Coordination Office, State Government of Victoria.

The meeting had a comprehensive overview of the Victorian economy with complete focus on Trade, Education, Health and Professional services. They also facilitate Victorian businesses to connect internationally. There were detailed presentations on exports from Victoria with 8 billion $ exports to South East Asia and 3.6 billion $ exports to Asia Oceania. 32% of all international students come to Victoria and Melbourne is the 3rd best Student friendly City in the world with initiatives like “Study Melbourne” – Student Centres which includes Live Initiatives, Live Internships and Volunteer Experience. Institutes like Monash University and Deakin University are prime examples. Professional Services which includes Financial Services, Mining Equipment Services, Urban Technology formed a large chunk of the Victorian Economy. There was keen interest in Urban Technology and India’s Smart City programme. In this context, “Samriddhi”–the Kalyani City of Analytics project concept was discussed with them by the Chamber secretariat.