Toronto November 15, 2021: Canada India Foundation hosted a reception for the NASSCOM delegation, consisting of over 40 of India’s talented IT leaders, who are on an 11-day tour of Canada. NASSCOM is India’s premier IT industry association with over 3000 members. The 40+ strong delegation to Canada represented among them a wide gamut of IT and BPM services, across Software Development, Technology Outsourcing and Consultancy, AI-enabled automation, CRM, data science, cloud migration, data analytics, cyber security, and game and app development.
Welcoming the delegation to Canada, the Chair of CIF, Satish Thakkar, said: “We consider this a privilege to be able to host you — you represent an industry that clearly has earned the respect and admiration of the world.”
He outlined the journey of India’s IT sector in the past two decades to reach the heights it has achieved. He noted, “As you continue on your tour of the rest of Canada, you will find that our industry and governments provide a very welcoming environment for businesses that want to set up operations in Canada. This is also an ideal launchpad to expand your sphere of activity to other jurisdictions in both the North American and South American continents.”
Thakkar also made a strong pitch for joint efforts between like-minded organizations like CIF and NASSCOM to pursue goals that would benefit the businesses and people in both countries. He stated: “This is an opportunity for all of us to get on board to realize each other’s goals. CIF is a trusted name familiar to a large number of businesses and political leaders here in Canada. We can act as a strong bridge that connects and helps create synergies between NASSCOM members and their Canadian partners. Beyond this evening, I would like to see a mutually advantageous relationship develop between NASSCOM and CIF, making use of our core strengths to facilitate even greater opportunities for India’s IT sector.”
Lauding the efforts of CIF in the Canada India bilateral, India’s Consul General in Canada, Ms. Apoorva Srivastava, explained the great advances that India is making toward a fully digital economy. “And it is enabled by three factors — a billion-plus phone connection, a billion-plus bank accounts and a billion-plus UI (Aadhar cards) that ensures financial inclusivity as well as the integrity of the government systems.”
She noted that any business begins first with a relationship and urged the delegates to take advantage of the expertise and knowledge in-built in organizations like the CIF to learn, not just about the markets, but even “questions you may have of a more personal nature, like your children’s education.”
Hon. Nina Tangri, Ontario’s Associate Minister of Small Business and Red Tape Reduction, while welcoming the delegation to the province, recalled an earlier trip to India with Minister of Economic Development and Trade, Hon. Vic Fedeli, which resulted in “a lot of investment for us in Ontario.”
“The Covid-19 pandemic has presented the world with challenges that know no boundaries. In good times, we know how important are trade and cooperation. But it is during the bad times, in our greatest moments of need, we truly appreciate how critical and impactful our international relations can be.” Noting the efforts made by individuals, organizations like CIF, and the government to reach out to India with much-needed supplies during its brutal third wave, Tangri stated: “International cooperation is the path to beat the Covid-19 pandemic and to secure our economic recovery. Ontario will always be there standing shoulder to shoulder with our international partners. As the world recovers, our government urges you to leverage our highly skilled workforce, competitive business environment and access to markets.”
Mr. Shivendra Singh, Vice President & Head — Global Trade Development, NASSCOM, and head of the delegation, accepted that Canada has always been a good destination for NASSCOM members, and assured the gathering that they remain passionate about the relationship despite the weather!
“The tech industry in India was only around $50 million beginning of the ’90s and today it is a $200 billion industry, 8% of India’s total GDP. I believe the India Canada technology partnership is at a tipping point. Over the past two years, since we signed an MoU with Ontario, there has been a huge spike in interest. So, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that in the past two years, our first in-person meeting is being held right here in Canada. This is a testimony to the strength of our partnership.” He also stressed that the delegation is here to explore possible business opportunities and partnerships with Canadian entities alone.
The CIF reception for the NASSCOM delegation was sponsored by Colliers International, a Canada-based diversified professional services and investment management company with more than 400 offices in 68 countries including a strong presence in India. Peter Garrigan, Managing Director, Colliers, invited the delegates to take advantage of their expertise that goes beyond just real estate to encompass critical areas like construction management, asset management, the capital. “We have all these in-house, we are not just a real estate brokerage house. We really try to understand the challenges of our developers, clients, landlords, tenants, and investors. We offer a full place of services.” His colleague at Collier's, Dhrumil Mehta, added, “including market intelligence and competition mapping.”
CIF Treasurer, Girish Kekre thanked the delegates and the sponsor, volunteers, the Holiday Day Inn staff, and management for making it a productive event to advance the Canada India relationship. He also thanked the media outlets that have continuously supported the efforts of CIF.
Ms. Vase Sarmah played the role of Master of Ceremony.
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