NYC Mayor encourages political participation from business at Indian Consulate event

April 25, 2023

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Mayor Eric Adams hosts a roundtable of Indian CEOs at the Indian Consulate of NY. Manhattan. Tuesday, April 18, 2023. Credit: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office. (Seen in photo: NYC Mayor Eric Adams met with CEOs of major Indian businesses at a roundtable organized Arpil 18, 2023, jointly by the Mayor’s office of International Affairs and the Consulate General of India in New York. Seen in the photo are Mayor Adams, Counsul General Randhir Jaiswal, Deputy Counul General Dr. Varun Jeph, Suresh Muthuswamy of Tata Consultancy Services, Michael McCabe of Tata Sons, Bhavani Parameshwara of Indievat Inc., Chintu Patel of Amneal Pharmaceuticals, Shivprasad Naikoti of Strides Pharma, Prashant Tripathi of State Bank of India NY, Jaya Rajappan of Canara Bank, Hiren Kumar of Empire State Titans, Kushal Choksey of Tattva Truffles, Gaurav Varma of USISFP, Anjan Lahiri of Naikenz, Amit Malik of Bharat Electronics, Tejas Shah of Kiran Jewels, Sandeep Shah of Sandeep Diamond, Franscisco D’Souza of Recognize, NYC Deputy Mayor Meera Joshi, NYC Commissioner Edward Mermelstein, President Andrew Kimball of New York City Economic Development Corporation and Deputy Commissioner of International Affairs Dilip Chauhan.)

Encouraging Indian businesses in New York City to include participating in the political activities in their business plans, NYC Mayor Eric Adams urged them to organize internships within their companies for the young people. “…It is important that we give them the tools to help our kids intern and volunteer. We want to continue to expand and let them know that we are a partner in growing their business together,” Adams said to CEOs of leading businesses from banking, finance, pharmaceuticals, retail, diamond and IT industries. Adams was speaking at a meeting April 18, 2023, organized jointly by the NYC Mayor’s Office of International Affairs and the Consulate General of India in New York.

NYC Mayor Eric Adams and officers met with CEOs of major Indian businesses at a roundtable organized Arpil 18, 2023, jointly by the Mayor’s office of International Affairs and the Consulate General of India in New York. Seen in the photo from left are Deputy Consul General Dr. Varun Jeph, Deputy Mayor Meera Joshi, NYC Mayor Eric Adams, Consul General Randhir Jaiswal, Commissioner Edward Mermelstein and Deputy Commissioner of International Affairs Dilip Chauhan. Credit: Photo Courtesy Consulate General of India, NY.

Much in the line of President Obama’s Workforce development plans, two of Adams’ proposed three area business development plan emphasizes youth development. According to a press release from the Indian Consulate, Adams suggested that it would be good to have the city’s businesses provide training to young students from high schools and colleges, acting as a bridge. He said businesses can provide introduction and training in skills the young would need in future, and which businesses already have.

Pointing out that India was one of the world’s fastest growing economy with an expanding digital public infrastructure, Consul General Randhir Jaiswal asked Indian businesses in New York City to take advantage of the Mayor’s proposed future plans. Jaiswal said the discussions at the roundtable provided an insight into expansion and growth for Indian businesses in New York City and also into ways to strengthen business relations between India and the U.S. in the areas of startups, technology, finance and energy sectors.

NYC Mayor Eric Adams at the roundtable with CEOs of major Indian businesses at a roundtable organized Arpil 18, 2023, jointly by the Mayor’s office of International Affairs and the Consulate General of India in New York.
Credit: Photo Courtesy Consulate General of India, NY.

Adams believes in getting things done as opposed to talking about them, said Dilip Chauhan, Deputy Commissioner for New York City Mayor Office of International Affairs. Speaking about the mayor’s policies, Chauhan pointed out the administration’s focus on increasing economic engagement with the international business community, and listed the incentives it offered to businesses looking to both establish and expand in the five boroughs of the city. Chauhan manages the portfolio of trade, investment and innovation for the Middle East, Asia, Africa, Australia, and New Zealand.

Officials attending the roundtable from the Mayor’s office included Deputy Mayor for Operations Mira Joshi, President and CEO of the New York City Economic Development Corporation Andrew Kimball, New York City Commissioner for International Affairs Edward Mermelstein, Deputy Commissioner for Policy and Strategic Initiatives and Chief of Staff in the NYC Mayor’s Office for International Affairs Aisata Camara, Deputy Chief Counsel in the Mayor’s Office and Chief Counsel for City Hall Rahul Agarwal, Deputy Commissioner for Public Private Partnerships and Economic Development in the International Affairs office Kristen Edgren Kaufman and senior official Rana Abbasova.

The meeting was attended by a large number of representatives from major businesses, chief among whom were North America Chairman of Tata Consultancy Services Suresh Muthuswamy, North American Country Head of Tata Sons Michael McCabe, Executive Director and President of Indievat Inc., an ITC-owned company Bhavani Parameshwara, Amneal Pharmaceuticals New York Branch’s Co-CEO Chintu Patel, Strides Pharma’s Chief Business Officer Shivprasad Naikoti, State Bank of India New York Branch’s CEO Prashant Tripathi, Canara Bank’s CEO Jaya Rajappan, Empire State Titans Founder and Owner Hiren Kumar, Co-founder of Tattva Truffles Kushal Choksey, USISFP representative Gaurav Varma, Naikenz representative Anjan Lahiri , Chief Regional Manager from Bharat Electronics Amit Malik, ICICI Bank Ltd Country Head-USA Akshay Chaturvedi, Kiran Jewels CEO Tejas Shah, Sandeep Diamond representative Sandeep Shah of and Co-Founder of Recognize Franscisco D’Souza.