Investing in India: A 20/20 Perspective

Panels

Business Process Outsourcing: The Second Wave and Beyond
The rewards and risks of offshore BPO are just beginning to be understood. A growing number of Indians are riding “the second wave of outsourcing”. The first wave hit Indian shores about five years ago and brought with it an estimated 348,000 jobs with call centers and back-office outfits. Over the past year, the outsourcing industry has expanded to include a variety of professions including doctors, engineers, accountants, and architects. Unlike the first wave which was more about entering data and answering phone calls, these jobs involve skill and expertise. This panel will explore the evolution of BPO in lieu of the second wave of outsourcing.

Bharat Desai, Ritesh Idnani, Suresh Nichani, Tiger Tyagarajan, Sandeep Tyagi
Medini Singh

Corporate Success Strategies
This panel will draw upon the experiences of some of India’s corporate leaders from a variety of industries, to foster discussion about developing and defining successful long-term strategies in corporate India. Our vision for the panel is that it will foster a lively discussion about our panelists’ experiences while expanding in the post economic reform era. We expect the panelists to provide the audience with an insightful first-hand account of the major themes in India’s corporate agenda, how successful corporate strategies are implemented, what they believe the major future developments are likely to be, how Indian firms will need to adapt to changing global economic trends and the impact of competition from developed and emerging economies on Indian businesses. We expect panelists to describe their unique leadership approach, and help us understand what they did to achieve success.

Dinyar Devitre, David Good, Rajesh Hukku, Sandeep Kaujalgi
Amarnath V. Bhide

India’s Capital Markets: On the Threshold of Explosive Growth
With over 20 million shareholders, India has the third largest investor base after the USA and Japan. Over 9,000 companies are listed on 23 stock exchanges across the country, representing a total market capitalization of approximately $500 billion. With over $53.0 billion having been raised through the IPO market in 2004 and 2005, over 50% of which came from foreign institutional investors, India’s equity markets have returned 34% and 41% respectively in each of the preceding two years. Capital controls have been eased, equity pricing liberalized and a regulatory authority (Securities & Exchange Board of India) has been empowered to bring India’s money markets closer to those in the developed world. Panel members will speak about their views on the future of the Indian equity and debt markets, the ability of foreign investors to move money in and out of Indian securities markets, what policy makers and regulators can do to ensure the further development of India’s capital markets, how growth of capital markets can be more relevant to the overall development of the economy, the development of commercial debt markets in India, whether the robust growth of the last couple of years is sustainable, and so on.

Arun Bansal, Shiva Ganapathy, Joydeep Mukherji, Ron Shah, Thoranath Sukumaran,
David O. Beim

Overcoming Roadblocks: Economic, Legal & Political issues to Investing in India
India’s first four decades of independence were marked by import substitution and protectionism, state control of the economy, foreign exchange controls and distrust of the private sector and multinational corporations. Liberalization in 1991 paved the way for India to re-enter the global economy. Today, India’s stock markets are booming, trade is flourishing and foreign investors are keen on investing in India. This Panel discussion seeks to identify and analyze how the governmental, legal, and beauracratic infrastructure in India directly influences the investment and deal processes in India, in terms of both the obstacles and opportunities presented. Speakers from government, law, and businesses will discuss the current policy making framework and potential collaboration between government and business going forward. How is macroeconomic policy shaping the Indian competitive playing field? What more can the government do in encouraging foreign investment? How can foreign investors navigate the hangover of bureaucracy and red-tape left over from a protectionist era?

Rajiv Khanna, Sreedhar Menon, K.S. Rao, Sanjeev Sanyal, Michael Schneider

Private Equity Investing in India
Foreign buyout firms are arriving in India in hordes, snapping up experienced local staff and setting up shops in Mumbai, Bangalore, and New Delhi at a rapid pace. So far this year there have been 32 deals worth $420 million. And the year has already seen $1.2 billion in divestments, or exits, as they are known in the private equity business. While the traditional route for private equity firms is to buy a controlling stake in struggling, mature corporations and then try to turn them around, in an emerging economy such as India these firms act more like venture capitalists. Panel discussions will encompass how venture capitalists help promising companies in industries ranging from tech to textiles, doing everything from injecting more capital for expansion to holding the hand of management and providing strategic guidance. The private equity panel will discuss the opportunities and challenges presented by investing in India.

Mintoo Bhandari, Seth Freeman, Anil Kumar, Mahesh Saladi, Ajay Sharma
Paul E. Tierney

Social Enterprise: Empowering the Disadvantaged
Multiple organizations and individuals are using a variety of innovative approaches that are transforming the socio-economic fabric of India. This panel will seek to explore the social problems that plague India, debate over the current response, areas of success and challenges faced by the non-governmental sector. Speakers will address the possible ways in which individuals and businesses can make a difference, and be effective in driving social change.

Abraham George, Anjali Kumar, Sonal Shah
Sreenath Sreenivasan

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