The ‘Tech & Innovation’ virtual trade mission to Australia

Date : 23rd-26th of February 2021

Location : Virtual Session

Topic : Market/collaboration opportunities within the Australian and Indian tech ecosystem through curated roundtables with industry experts, business and to explore new opportunities for business partnerships and investment through B2B/B2G meetings and Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) between India and Australia.

Inaugurated By : The Hon Dan Tehan MP, Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Government of Australia

Keynote Address : The Hon. Stuart Ayres MP, New South Wales, Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney

Dignitaries : Mr. Deepak Padaki, former Vice President, IACC, H.E. Gitesh Sarma IFS, former Indian High Commissioner to Australia and Mr. Bryce Hutchesson, former Australian Deputy High Commissioner to India, Mr. Manish Gupta, Consul General, Consulate General of India in Sydney, Thiru M.C. Sapmath, former Minister for Industries, Government of Tamil Nadu. Mr. Peter N. Varghese AO, Chancellor, University of Queensland and Author, India Economic Strategy (IES) to 2035 and Ambassador Anil Wadhwa, Author, Australia Economic Strategy (AES), Mr. Bhavik Damodar, Office Managing Partner –Mumbai and Partner – Deal Advisory, KPMG, Mr. Suresh Raman, Board/EC member and VP & Regional Head, Tata Consultancy Services, the two Co-Chairs, Mr. Deepak Padaki (Former) and Mr. Suresh Raman, Mr. Michael Costa Deputy Consul General (Former) Australian Consulate General, Chennai, representatives from the Bengaluru and Western India Chapters, KPMG, the Knowledge Partner and the Secretariat team

The ‘Tech & Innovation’ virtual trade mission to Australia that was held from 23-26 February 2021 was a firstof-its kind event for the Chamber, with support from partners, Government and industry. The Chamber had led 20 trade missions to Australia in the past; due to Covid19, this 21st trade mission was facilitated virtually. The objective of the virtual trade mission was to help develop a hands-on understanding of market/collaboration opportunities within the Australian and Indian tech ecosystem through curated roundtables with industry experts, business and academia and for delegates to explore new opportunities for business partnerships and understand the investment landscape through targeted B2B/B2G meetings. It also provided an opportunity to hear from senior government leadership on the IT landscape in India/Australia and on the priorities in the background of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) between India and Australia. Mumbai and Partner – Deal Advisory, KPMG, shared his views on next steps and opportunities for further collaboration. Mr.  Suresh Raman, Board/EC member and VP & Regional Head, Tata Consultancy Services gave the Vote of thanks. The Opening and Closing sessions were moderated by the Chamber’s CEO Ms. Petula Thomas, who led on conceptualising and managing this event, with strong support from the two Co-Chairs, Mr. Deepak Padaki (Former) and Mr. Suresh Raman, the Working Group for this initiative (including Mr. Michael Costa Deputy Consul General, Australian Consulate General, Chennai), representatives from the Bengaluru and Western India Chapters, KPMG, the Knowledge Partner and the Secretariat team. This initiative included 17 sessions, 82 speakers (41 from India and 41 from Australia), 35 delegates for B2B/ B2G meetings (22 from India and 13 from Australia), 11 Sponsors/Partners and 10 Supporting partners including the Australian Government in India and the Indian High Commission in Australia. This trade mission’s extensive 4-week online marketing campaign from the Chamber, Sponsors and Supporting partners, covering various channels ensured it reached out to a highly targeted audience. There were 99 posts on LinkedIn which had around 40,400 impressions and 1,374 follower activity. The sessions were streamed live on Airmeet (event platform) and the Chamber’s YouTube channel that had approx. 2,500+ views and 919 reactions