Indian-American businessman appointed to President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans

- ADVERTISEMENT -

Prem Parameswaran, global chief financial officer of Eros International PLC, listed on the New York Stock Exchange, and president of Eros International Plc’s North America operations, was sworn in Jan. 27, 2020, as a member of President Donald J. Trump’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (“AAPI”).

Vice President Mike Pence administered the oath of office to members of the Commission at the White House as part of the celebrations for the Chinese Lunar New Year.

In his speech, the Vice President praised Asian Americans for achieving the “American Dream.”

“Asian Americans are prospering like never before and the American economy is booming,” Pence said. “In fact, this community is the fastest growing  … and household income is now 40 percent higher than the national average and rising fast,” he added.

“The American economy is soaring and Asian Americans are driving capital investment and growth and job creation in cities and towns all across the land,” Vice President Pence went on to say, calling it “an incredible record of success.”

Key Administration officials speaking at the event included co-chairs of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders U. S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, a press release from Eros International said. U.S. Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia also gave a speech.

“This is the first time that there were three Cabinet members present for the swearing-in of the Commissioners with the Vice President. This demonstrates President Trump’s commitment to Asian and Indian Americans,” the company press release said.

“As an Indian American from New York and the son of Indian immigrants who came to this country as students in pursuit of the American dream, I am honored by this appointment,” Parameswaran said in a statement included in the press release. “I will undertake this responsibility very seriously and look forward to working with co-Chairman Elaine Chao, Secretary of Transportation, as well as my fellow-members of the President’s Advisory Commission to improve the health, education and economic status of AAPI communities in the United States,” he added.

Eros International PLC acquires, co-produces and distributes Indian films across all available formats such as cinema, television and digital new media. It was the first Indian media company to list on the New York Stock Exchange, noted the press release. Over its 30 years, it has worked to establish a global platform for Indian cinema. The Company has an extensive and growing movie library comprising of over 3,000 films, which include Hindi, Tamil, and other regional language films for home entertainment distribution. The Company also owns OTT platform Eros Now.

Born and brought up in New York, Parameswaran, 50, is a graduate of Columbia College with an MBA from  Columbia Graduate School of Business. He joined Eros in 2015, after more than 23 years of experience in investment banking, advising clients in the global telecommunications, media and technology sector, including on mergers and acquisitions and public, private equity and debt financings, according to his bio on the Eros website.

Prior to joining Eros, he was the Global Head of Media and Telecommunications Investment Banking at Jefferies LLC. Prior to Jefferies, he was the Americas Head of Media & Telecom at Deutsche Bank and also previously worked at both Goldman Sachs and Salomon Brothers.

Parameswaran also serves on the Boards of the Columbia University Alumni Trustee Nominating Committee and the Program for Financial Studies at Columbia Business School.