US-India Business Council announces new India leadership team

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The US Chamber of Commerce announced a new leadership team to oversee its operations in New Delhi with Alexander Slater to serve as Managing Director of the US-India Business Council (USIBC) and Shreerupa Mitra will serve as the Deputy Managing Director.

The appointments have come into effect from Monday, January 2, 2023. A US Chamber of Commerce release said that Ambika Sharma, USIBC’s current Managing Director, will move to a new role as Principal Advisor to USIBC President Ambassador Atul Keshap.

It said Alexander Slater, a globally recognized expert in law, economics, and business, has served as USIBC’s Deputy Managing Director in New Delhi since December 2019. He has managed the day-to-day operations of its India-based team and led its financial services, tax, and real estate vertical to new heights.

During his tenure, Slater helped facilitate significant gains in USIBC membership, especially in venture capital and private equity, areas central to fueling India’s startup ecosystem and cross-sector growth.

The release said Shreerupa Mitra has served as USIBC’s Senior Advisor in New Delhi since September 2022 and is a deeply respected veteran of policy and government.
“With deep expertise in Government of India and strong connections to business leaders in the energy, defense, and advisory sectors, Shreerupa Mitra will lead USIBC’s activities around India’s G20 presidency in 2023 and support the US Chamber’s leadership in the B20,” it said.

“The US-India Business Council is a trusted and powerful driver of ever closer commercial and strategic cooperation between the world’s two largest democracies,” said Ambassador Atul Keshap, USIBC President.

“We’re ecstatic to have two policy innovators – Alexander Slater and Shreerupa Mitra – serve USIBC’s new India leadership team. Their deep expertise and substantial global networks across the public and private sectors in the United States and India will power our organization to even greater heights and serve our over two-hundred member companies well. I’m also looking forward to continuing to receive wise counsel and strategic advice from Ambika Sharma, who has been a pillar of our organization during her distinguished tenure as Managing Director during a time of significant growth.”

Slater said as the next Managing Director of USIBC, he is grateful for the opportunity to continue the organization’s 48-year mission of strengthening trade and investment ties between India and the United States.

“During this volatile period for geopolitics and geoeconomics, I am focused on making sure we provide our members and both governments the best advice on how to capitalize on these conditions to enhance the commercial activity that underpins the bilateral relationship,” he said.

“Having lived in India the last three years, it holds a most special place in my heart. When I first came here 20 years ago, I never imagined that I would marry into an Indian family, and that our son would be born here. I am truly honored to have the opportunity to help our member companies expand and advance the burgeoning strategic partnership between two countries I love so much.”

Shreerupa Mitra said the US- India bilateral cooperation, including trade, is broad-based and multi-sectoral.

“Although current geopolitical challenges will significantly impact global growth prospects, this can be a particularly fertile circumstance for India and the US to enhance trade relations and iron-out roadblocks. I feel particularly grateful to lead a team that the Government of India considers a critical stakeholder in this space,” Mitra said.

Ambika Sharma said she is thrilled to be assuming a new position at USIBC.
Nisha Biswal, Senior Vice President for International Strategy and Global Initiatives at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said Ambika, Alexander, and Shreerupa have been “colleagues and friends of mine for years”.

“Both at USIBC and beyond, I’ve relied heavily on their wisdom, creativity, and hard work to tackle tough challenges. They have been tireless advocates for the U.S.-India relationship and made significant contributions to its continuing strength and vitality. With this transition, USIBC goes from strength-to-strength in support of our members.”

The release said the US Chamber of Commerce is the world’s largest business organization representing companies of all sizes across every sector of the economy.
Formed at the behest of the US and Indian governments in 1975, USIBC has represented top global companies operating across the United States, India, and the Indo-Pacific for the past 48 years.