17 senior India business leaders join the Board to steer the organization’s India strategy and further grow engagement

The US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) today announced the formation of its India Executive Leadership Board on the occasion of it's 3rd Annual Leadership Summit that was headlined by an address by Vice President Mike Pence. The Forum, formed in 2017 under the Chairmanship of John Chambers, is the only independent bi-lateral organization that is committed to creating the most powerful strategic partnership between the U.S. and India. The USISPF Board of Directors is represented by over 20 Global Fortune 500 CEOs, joined many former senior officials from both governments and other C-level executives and the Forum’s advisors include eminent leaders like  General David Petraeus, Indra Nooyi, and former founding Vice-Chairman of Niti Aayog, Prof Arvind Panagariya.

Promoting trade is an important part of USISPF’s work, but the organization’s mission reaches far beyond this to ensure business and government come together in innovative ways to create meaningful opportunities that have the power to change the lives of citizens. The Forum actively works on areas such as water, education, immigration, CSR, and culture.

USISPF President & CEO Dr. Mukesh Aghi said, “USISPF’s work on-ground in India, has the most impact in terms of achieving our larger goals, and we are honored to have these leaders at the helm of the Forum leading the charge. They will help lead a robust dialogue on behalf of the Forum with our key stakeholders in India. The companies that these individuals represent and each of these leaders have all made a tremendous contribution to the US-India partnership, and we look forward to growing it further. ”

Board members include: Mahesh Palashikar, President & CEO, GE South Asia; Sunil Mehta, Chairman, Yes Bank; Pallavi Shroff, Managing Partner, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co; Rajiv Memani, Chairman & Regional Managing Partner-India Region, Ernst and Young; Mohandas Pai; Chairman, Manipal Global; Som Satsangi, Managing Director, HPE; Vishal Mahadevia, Managing Director-India, Member-Executive Mgmt Group at Warburg Pincus; Bill Blair, Vice President & Chief Executive, Lockheed Martin-India; Salil Gupte, President-India, Boeing, Porush Singh, Division President-South Asia, Mastercard; Sanjay Gupta, Vice President & Country Head, Google India, N. Venkatram, Managing Partner & CEO, Deloitte India, Shyamal Mukherjee, Chairman- India, PwC, Bill Davis, ExxonMobil Gas (India), CEO & Lead Country Manager, Virat Bhatia, Apple India, Managing Director-Strategy & Policy, Kaku Nakhate, President & Country Head -India, Bank of America, N.A. and Rashi Dhir, Senior Partner, DMD Advocates

On joining the Board, Bill Davis, CEO & Lead Country Manager – South Asia, Exxon Mobil said, “Given the growing scope of US-India opportunities, it’s an honor to join distinguished business leaders on USISPF’s India Executive Leadership Board.”

William L. Blair, Vice President and Chief Executive, Lockheed Martin India said, “For more than three decades, we have been committed to technology development and strategic collaboration with India. Through our two JVs in Hyderabad with Tata, we have been supporting Make in India and Atma Nirbhar Bharat in defence manufacturing for over a decade now. We are very encouraged by the positive trend we’re seeing in U.S.-India bilateral relations, particularly on the defence and security front. I am delighted to join the USISPF leadership board and look forward to the opportunity to further strengthen this relationship between our two countries.”

“The USISPF plays a vital role in strengthening ties between the two oldest democracies in the world. The US and India share a common dream and desire to work for the betterment of our people and our environment. I am delighted to join the USISPF India Executive Leadership Board and look forward to working together with all the eminent members to take this relationship even further with fresh thoughts and ideas. We at Bank of America have been closely associated with the development of banking and financial markets in India and I look forward to working closely together with USISPF to help the Indian economy become the 3rd largest by 2030,” said Kaku Nakhate.

“I am happy to join peers and industry and thought leaders on the USISPF Advisory Board. The growth of U.S. / India relations, especially in areas of security, technology, innovation, and health, is important not just for our two countries but has benefits for the world. We look to advance this relationship in many areas,” added Salil Gupte, President, Boeing India

“USISPF is playing a crucial role in strengthening the U.S.-India bilateral and strategic partnership. With GE’s more than 100 year presence in India, we have been a witness to how this partnership has opened new growth opportunities for businesses as well as helped improve the quality of life of people in both the countries. I’m pleased to have the opportunity to contribute to USISPF efforts by joining the India Board of Directors,” stated Mahesh Palashikar.