American business leaders lineup to meet Prime Minister Modi, see great opportunities in India

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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi began his first full day in Washington, D.C. Sept. 23, 2021, with a string of one-on-one meetings with leaders of Fortune 500 companies. Modi stressed India as a great investment destination and discussed areas of interest that would lift India’s economy and society further. The biggest endorsement for Modi’s leadership came from Indian-American Shantanu Narayan, head of Adobe, who said India was his company’s ‘secret weapon’ and described himself as a “great supporter and fan” of Modi.

The President and CEO of Qualcomm, a U.S. multinational that produces semiconductors, software and services, Christiano R. Amon, was the first in line to meet Modi. The Prime Minister’s Office described it as “a productive interaction” where Modi “highlighted the vast opportunities India offers.” On his part Amon, “expressed keenness to work with India in areas such as 5G and other @_digitalIndia efforts.” Amon, speaking the media, said, “It is a grewat meeting … we are so proud of our partnership with India.”

Indian-American Shantanu Narayen, chair, president and CEP of Adobe, came next.

“Discussions focused on leveraging technology to provide smart education to youngsters and enhance research,” PMOIndia tweeted. Modi and Narayan also discussed “the vibrant start-up sector in India, powered by Indian youth.”

On exiting the meeting, Narayan told media, “PM Modi believes that technology is the way to help things move forward.” Describing himself as a fan of Modi, Narayan said Adobe’s experience with India had been “outstanding.”

“It’s (India) actually been our secret weapon. … It has been a home run,” said Narayan about his company’s experience, adding, “We will continue to invest heavily in India.”

In his meeting with Mark Widmar, CEO of First Solar, “PM Modi elaborated on India’s efforts to harness solar energy, including the ‘One world, One sun and One grid’ initiative and investment opportunities in the sector,” PMOIndia tweeted.

Widmar also described his meeting with Modi as ‘outstanding’ and added he was optimistic about closer business relations with India, especially in manufacturing.

Vivek Lall of General Atomics Global Corporation discussed India’s progress in the field of drone technology with the Prime Minister, and expressed confidence in policy reforms being initiated by New Delhi.

Modi also met Stephen Schwarzman, CEO of Blackstone, in which the two discussed investment opportunities, including those arising out of India’s National Infrastructure Pipeline and National Monetisation Pipeline.