Over 150 business and finance leaders from the UK and India are to attend the first meeting of the new UK-India Sustainable Investing Forum at London’s Guildhall on Thursday 7th November.
The event, convened by the India Professionals Forum, the City of London, and the High Commission of India, will bring together leaders in the field of sustainable investment from the UK and India to work together to advance and scale the sustainable finance market in India.
For India, the Forum provides an opportunity for a rapidly emerging nation to increase the green investment it needs to achieve sustainable growth. For the UK it represents a further opportunity to deepen ties with friends and economic partners outside Europe in a post-Brexit world and an opportunity to help tackle another of the UK’s biggest priorities – the global green agenda.
Speakers at the first Forum will include Lord Mayor of London Peter Estlin; High Commissioner of India Her Excellency Mrs Ruchi Ghanashyam and Lord Ahmad, Minister of State for the Commonwealth, the United Nations and South Asia.
Sir Roger Gifford, Chair of the Green Finance Institute, will deliver a keynote on the City of London as a global centre for sustainable and green finance, focusing on building a global approach and leveraging synergies between global public and private networks. Lord Gadhia, Director of UK Government Investments, will chair a session on sustainable investing standards and practices with a view to engaging global stakeholders.
Lord Mayor of London Peter Estlin said:
“The UK and India are pioneers in green finance and responsible business best practices. We are excited about the launch of the UK-India Sustainable Investing Forum to support the greening of India’s economic growth story and drive forward our partnership for years to come.”
India Professionals Forum President Dr Mohan Kaul said:
“India’s sheer size and rapid growth provides challenges to delivering sustainable economic solutions. Yet despite these challenges, India’s policy makers and industry leaders vie to show leadership in combating climate change and meeting UN Sustainable Developmental Goals in many of their developmental schemes.
Meanwhile, the City of London – at the heart of delivering financial solutions for strong, sustainable and balanced growth – aims to have a comprehensive approach to greening financial systems, and mobilising finance for clean and resilient growth.
By bringing leaders from the UK and London together we hope to open up new opportunities for green investment.”
Other prominent business leaders and investment experts speaking at the Forum include Howard Sherman, Executive Director of MSCI ESG Research; Tatiana Boroditskaya, Director Emerging Market Credit, UBS; Loknath Mishra, Managing Director and CEO, ICICI Bank UK; Srini Sundaram, Founder and CEO, Agvesto; and Manish Malhotra, AVP and Head FinTechs, Infosys.
Among topics to be discussed at the Forum are sustainable investing in India’s emerging environmental, social and governance (ESG) asset class; partnering to achieve sustainable goals; sustainability strategies for Indian trade and infrastructure investment; India’s Clean Ganges Sustainable Infrastructure Programme; and the regulatory, market and fintech developments required to catalyse sustainable investing solutions, unlock market efficiencies and drive scale for the next generation.
The Sustainable Investing Forum is free to attend for members of the Indian Professionals Forum and by invitation only by registering here: https://www.ipforum.net/
For further information, or to attend, please contact: Alan Wheeler alan.wheeler@apollostrategiccomms.com
1. Journalists wishing to attend the launch can register here: https://www.ipforum.net/
2. The Indian Professional Forum (IPF) is a non-profit think tank for diaspora related policy advocacy and a member’s club that promotes networking and professional development for Indian Professionals. Set up with the support of the High Commission of India, members are invited from a cross section of society including academics, artists, scientists, engineers, business and entrepreneurs. IPF provides a collective voice and framework to the contribution they make to the UK economy and strengthen their participation in the mainstream of society as well as help in identifying opportunities to contribute towards the development of their community, India and India-UK relations. IPF will recognise the work of young professionals and encourage members to participate in high level policy advocacy and help in identifying such opportunities. Through its membership IPF aims to focus on creating an interesting, influential and thought provoking think tank that acts as a fount for insightful policy ideas and community leadership. More information at https://www.ipforum.net/
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