It seems the 7th edition of Vibrant Gujarat is gradually transforming into a global platform for business networking as more than 250 Fortune 500 companies are set to represent the flagship biennial of Government of Gujarat.
Top brass of these Fortune 500 companies have confirmed their participation at a CEOs’ conclave in presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said an official source, adding that the conclave will be one of the important part of Vibrant Gujarat 2015. Who’s who of corporate world including Osamu Suzuki, chairman of Suzuki Motor Corporation, Stephen Schwarzman, chairman and CEO of Blackstone Group, Sam Walsh, CEO of UK-based Rio Tinto Group and Ajay Banga of MasterCard, are some of the top executives who have already confirmed their participation in the summit.
Apart from these tycoons, Kazuaki Kama, chairman of Japan’s IHI Corporation, Ahmad Chatila, CEO of Sun Edison, David Schoch, president of Ford Motors in Asia Pacific region, Vittoria Colao, CEO of Vodafone group, David Farr, CEO of Emerson Electric, Jaspal Bindra of Standard Chartered, Mike Yeager, chairman of Cairn India, and Jochi Tsou of China Steel Corporation will also be present.
Sources in iNDEXTb — a Government of Gujarat organisation — instrumental for Vibrant Gujarat-2015 said that CEOs of 50 global corporates and nearly 35 political dignitaries including United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and US Secretary of State John Kerry confirmed their participation at the event scheduled from January 11 to 13 at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar. Moreover, senior officials of World Bank, International Finance Corporation, and other leading financial institutions have also confirmed their attendance at Vibrant Gujarat.
As many as eight nations have come forward as partner countries, including Australia, Canada, China, Japan, Netherlands, Singapore, South Africa and the USA for the prestigious biennial event. These nations will host their country seminars at Mahatma Mandir in which large number of foreign delegates are expected to participate.
Prime Ministers of four nations including Helle Thorning-Schmidt (Denmark), Mark Rutte (Netherlands), lee Hsien loong (Singapore) and Tony Abbott (Australia) confirmed their participation, said the iNDEXTb official, adding, “Premiers of New South Wales and Queensland provinces in Australia, three Ministers from Canada, a Minister each from Singapore, Australia and the UK will also be there.”
Vibrant Gujarat-2015 to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has many firsts in its credit. Unlike previous six editions, this time there will not be announcements of MOUs and figures of proposed investments. Even focus of the event has also been shifted from attracting investments in the State to promote the summit as global business networking platform. A clear cut attempt is visible to project Vibrant Gujarat as an India centric event rather than a traditional platform to promote Gujarat alone as an investment destination.