Peter Beckingham

Former governor in Turks and Caicos Islands

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18th July 2013

by Peter Beckingham

Former governor in Turks and Caicos Islands

This post was published when the author was in a previous role

Farewell to Mumbai (Part 2): Doing better than we think

Some UK visitors to India, and British newspaper headlines, seem to consider that business here should be ours by “divine right”, as if it is Britain’s for the taking. We have, the argument goes, a special relationship with India – language, law, cricket, immigrants – which means that we must have an advantage on the commercial playing field. […]

12th July 2013

by Peter Beckingham

Former governor in Turks and Caicos Islands

This post was published when the author was in a previous role

Farewell to Mumbai (Part 1): Millionaires moving forward

The strongest impression on most overseas visitors to Mumbai are the contrasts: between the lavish apartment buildings and the slums around the airport, between the exotic stores selling $2000 saris and the street food vendors outside offering 10 rupee snacks, between the packed trains arriving in the mainline stations and the air-conditioned luxury cars cruising the streets. […]

23rd May 2013

by Peter Beckingham

Former governor in Turks and Caicos Islands

This post was published when the author was in a previous role

Breaking into the India market – courageous decisions paying off

Some countries don’t share much of a sense of humour, but for whatever reasons that cannot be said of India and the UK. So when the British High Commissioner, James Bevan, referred to a line from “Yes Minister” in a speech he could be confident that his Indian, as well, as British audience would catch […]

23rd April 2013

by Peter Beckingham

Former governor in Turks and Caicos Islands

This post was published when the author was in a previous role

The heart of India’s largest business – brimming with wide streets and parks

A number of the Tata Group’s top executives have said that you can’t understand their Group until you have visited Jamshedpur. I confess at first I had little idea where the place was, but after a warm invitation from Messrs Muthuraman and Nerurkar, Vice Chairman and Managing Director respectively of Tata Steel, I soon found out […]

15th March 2013

by Peter Beckingham

Former governor in Turks and Caicos Islands

This post was published when the author was in a previous role

Gas fields, gels and gin – mixing it with the PM’s visit

The Prime Minister’s visit to India in February set a number of firsts: the first by a British PM to Mumbai for 20 years, the first by a PM to Amritsar, and the first to India (or anywhere) to be joined by over 120 businesspeople. The size of the business group set us in Mumbai […]

21st February 2013

by Peter Beckingham

Former governor in Turks and Caicos Islands

This post was published when the author was in a previous role

Mumbai: The PM has landed

Visits by the Prime Minister don’t come round too often to most FCO Posts, unless you happen to be in Brussels or Washington. Although I have met some “ex-PMs” in recent postings in Manila and Sydney, it’s more years than I care to remember when I was last involved in a visit by a current […]

23rd January 2013

by Peter Beckingham

Former governor in Turks and Caicos Islands

This post was published when the author was in a previous role

Vibrant Gujarat – attracting business from India and beyond

The State of Gujarat, an hour’s flight north of Mumbai, can claim many important contributions to India. It was the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, another key leader of the independence movement and India’s first Home Minister, and Jamsetji Tata, the founder of the massive eponymous conglomerate, hails from Navsari in Gujarat. Gujarat […]

7th December 2012

by Peter Beckingham

Former governor in Turks and Caicos Islands

This post was published when the author was in a previous role

The return of Boris to Bollyland: 48 hours of business

Many people in London, and other parts of the UK, think they know a good deal about the Mayor of the capital, Boris Johnson: judging from the number of British tourists who greeted him in hotels or on the streets of Mumbai he must also be one of our most widely recognised politicians. Less well […]

9th November 2012

by Peter Beckingham

Former governor in Turks and Caicos Islands

This post was published when the author was in a previous role

Weekend in Mumbai: Part 2: Soccer skills and info tech wizards

As the dramas of the T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka unfurled last month, and the England Test series here begins next week, no-one living in India could fail to appreciate the importance of cricket to the nation. T20 Matches against big rival Pakistan, not to mention England and Australia, were watched by millions before […]

15th October 2012

by Peter Beckingham

Former governor in Turks and Caicos Islands

This post was published when the author was in a previous role

The Power of We – Mahatma Gandhi

No-one in India exemplifies ‘The Power of We’ more than Mahatma Gandhi, even over 60 years after his death. He sought to improve the conditions of the poorest and to lead one of the world’s first non-violent mass movements, first in South Africa and then in India. Hundreds of books have been written about his influence on […]

About Peter Beckingham

Peter was the Governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands from 2013 to 2016. Before this, he was British Deputy High Commissioner to India, based in Mumbai, the commercial capital,…

Peter was the Governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands from
2013 to 2016. Before this, he was British Deputy High Commissioner to India, based in Mumbai, the commercial capital, where he had a responsibility for developing UK-India trade and investment. His earlier appointments have
included Consul-General and Director-General of Trade and Investment in
Sydney, and British Ambassador to the Philippines, where he initiated
the UK Government’s involvement in a peace process with the Philippine
Government and Muslim rebel groups.
Peter is married to Jill, a teacher of special needs, and they have
two grown up children. His outside interests include cricket, golf and
running.

Peter Beckingham

Farewell to Mumbai (Part 2): Doing better than we think

Farewell to Mumbai (Part 1): Millionaires moving forward

Breaking into the India market – courageous decisions paying off

The heart of India’s largest business – brimming with wide streets and parks

Gas fields, gels and gin – mixing it with the PM’s visit

Mumbai: The PM has landed

Vibrant Gujarat – attracting business from India and beyond

The return of Boris to Bollyland: 48 hours of business

Weekend in Mumbai: Part 2: Soccer skills and info tech wizards

The Power of We – Mahatma Gandhi

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