On Monday 7th November 2005, Mr Ian Pearson MP, Minister for International Trade & Investment met with representatives of India's largest business under the auspices of 'The India Group' in London to gain an understanding of the experiences India's companies have of investing and doing business in Britain. Mr Sonjoy Chatterjee, Chairman of The India Group and CEO of ICICI Bank (UK) Ltd, said, 'the Minister's openness on all issues was especially appreciated.

"Our members unanimously stated that investing in Britain made good business sense for them, as there exists a good fit between opportunities here and their capabilities.'

The meeting was attended by leading representatives from the following companies: Tata, Apeejay Surrendra, TCS, Infosys, ICICI Bank, Iflex Solutions, International Refractories Ltd, Wockhardt, Usha Martin Group, ITC Infotech, Godrej and Dabur India.

In his response to the Minister, Mr Karan Paul, Chairman of the Apeejay Surrendra group who recently acquired the Typhoo tea brand narrated his experience. He said, 'Our experience with our recent acquisition has been positive due to the quality of professional services companies in Britain and their ability to work with foreign companies like ours. Coupled with backing from India's ICICI Bank which we felt was required as they understood our businesses better, we feel we have combined the best to achieve this outcome.'

Members of The India Group expressed their views on a variety of subjects including: grants & subsidies available to companies, the need to promote entrepreneurship, immigration and mobility, attracting and retaining employees, employment law, increasing costs associated with operating in London, work time directive, media & PR support for the India brand etc.

Mr Pearson in his remarks commented, 'The underlying message I want to communicate is that we are open to business. It is this openness that gives us the competitive advantage and the reason why international companies of all sizes arrive on these shores to find their opportunity. With the gradual opening up of her economy, we see a stronger relationship with India in which partnership and collaboration will be the keys to success for both countries. For this reason, I welcome your invitation to speak directly to representatives of India's private sector and use the opportunity to give my support to your activities.'