The City of
Greater Geelong has hosted its first Geelong India Business Roundtable,
bringing together key state, national and international stakeholders to
stimulate opportunities for business and investment.
The City-led
event brought together the Consul General of India in Melbourne, Dr Sushil
Kumar, representatives from the Australia India Business Council, the Australia
India Chamber of Commerce, and local businesses such as Care Essentials and
Enterprise Monkey.
Key government
and education stakeholders were also present, such as Invest Victoria, Global
Victoria, Regional Development Victoria, Deakin University, The Gordon, Geelong
Manufacturing Council, Advanced Fibre Cluster, the Office of Richard Marles MP,
Committee for Geelong, Geelong Chamber of Commerce, and the City of Wyndham.
Greater Geelong
Mayor Stretch Kontelj OAM
I had high
expectations for this event going in, but the first Geelong India Business
Roundtable has absolutely exceeded them.
To have so
many key representatives from both the Geelong and Indian economies in the one
place to explore opportunities is a significant win for our City.
What is
absolutely clear from the event is that there is so much opportunity for
economic growth and new jobs for our City which is just waiting to be explored.
The mood in
the room was extremely positive and collaborative, and people are already
asking about when the next event will be held.
As the fastest
growing region in Australia and Victoria’s second largest city, migrants make
up a significant portion of Geelong’s growing population, with Geelong being
home to more than 5,000 residents born in India.
Dr Kumar spoke
about the opportunities presented by India's growing economy – from green
energy to fintech – noting his support for ongoing dialogue with the City,
while guest speaker Abhay Sinha, Managing Director at Care Essentials and
winner of 2023 Exporter of the Year at the Australian Export Awards, discussed
the extensive entrepreneurial potential that exists when the two economies work
together.
The roundtable
provided a platform for guests to explore opportunities for future growth and
investment with India, especially Geelong’s rapidly increasing Indian-born
population and India’s projected status as the world's third-largest economy by
the end of the decade.
Progress is already
being made to seek Sister City opportunities within India, while the City also
hopes to work with Creative Victoria and Visit Victoria to explore Bollywood
and tourism opportunities for Geelong, in addition to critical economic
development initiatives.
The roundtable also
served as the first step in plans for an upcoming Geelong–India International
Business Forum, which will bring together businesses from across India and
Greater Geelong to foster joint ventures, establish new trade pathways and
investments and deepen links.