23rd January 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
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 […]
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7th December 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
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 […]
Read more on The return of Boris to Bollyland: 48 hours of business | Reply (1)
20th April 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
I made two visits recently to the State of Gujarat in Western India, both of which underline the enormous potential for UK companies in India, and the scale of developments here. At the end of March a team from our trade and investment operation in Mumbai travelled to Surat, the second largest city in Gujarat, […]
Read more on 5m people, an economy growing at 11.5 per cent – Ingredients for a “second tier” city in India | Reply
27th January 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Two senior figures in British politics were in Mumbai in January – Vince Cable and Boris Johnson. Boris Johnson and Peter Beckingham Two senior figures in British politics were in Mumbai in January – Vince Cable, Cabinet Secretary of State for Business, Innovation & Skills, and Boris Johnson, The Mayor of London. They don’t […]
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19th November 2010
Islamabad, Pakistan
This week in Islamabad, the Government of Pakistan and the international community came together for the first meeting of the Pakistan Development Forum in two years. Just over three months since Pakistan’s devastating monsoon floods, it was a chance for the Government of Pakistan and the international community to take stock of the challenges facing […]
Read more on Decision time | Reply
15th October 2010
Islamabad, Pakistan
Today is Blog Action Day, an annual event that unites the world’s bloggers in writing about an important issue that affects us all. This year’s topic is water. This is a crucial matter for poor Pakistan. Tragically, the country has too much water right now as it struggles to recover from unprecedented and devastating floods. […]
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17th August 2010
Islamabad, Pakistan
The devastating floods across Pakistan over the last few weeks are completely heart-breaking. Our sympathies and prayers go out to the families of those who have died, the families who have lost their homes and livelihoods, and the millions and millions of Pakistanis across the country whose lives have been shaken by this awful disaster. […]
Read more on An exceptional disaster demands an exceptional response | Reply
28th June 2010
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
The British Business Group in Pune invited me to their AGM (Annual General Meeting) in mid June. Pune is Maharashtra State’s second largest city and I have heard estimates of a population between four to six million. The national census this year should give the figure. Pune is the major centre for the automotive sector […]
Read more on Pumps, turbines & degrees – from Pune to Warwick & Glasgow | Reply
7th May 2010
Islamabad, Pakistan
Earlier this month, Pakistan’s National Assembly voted 292 to 0 to amend the country’s Constitution, passing more power from the President to the Prime Minister and from the centre to the provincial governments. The Senate followed suit and the amendment has been signed into law. The change restores the Constitution to something closer to the […]
Read more on An historic consensus | Reply
19th April 2010
Islamabad, Pakistan
Many Pakistanis have never heard of the European Union. Still fewer know what it is. But when Prime Minister Gilani met 16 of the European Union’s Ambassadors in Peshawar recently, it was natural for him to do so. The European Union is Pakistan’s largest trading partner (two-way trade was worth €7.5 billion in 2008, approximately […]
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