Inaugural Annual Conference

The Inaugural Annual Conference of the Indo-German Centre for Business Excellence took place on 11 November 2021 in a hybrid format on Frankfurt School’s campus and online. More than eighty participants joined on campus and another 65 online.

The programme included sessions on a wide range of topics affecting Indo-German business relations, from general discussions on the economic outlook for the two countries to more specific talks about healthcare, digitalisation, entrepreneurship, and venture capital.

Agenda

From 8.45 on Morning reception


9.30–9.50 Welcome Addresses

Prof. Nils Stieglitz, President & Managing Director of Frankfurt School of Finance & Management and Chairman of the Indo-German Centre for Business Excellence | Eric Menges, Managing Director, FrankfurtRheinMain | Dr. Gunjan Bhardwaj, Founder and CEO, Innoplexus and Board Member of the Indo-German Centre for Business Excellence


9.50–10.00 Introduction to the Day

Dr. Matthias Catón, Director of Corporate Development, Frankfurt School of Finance & Management and Deputy Chairman of the Indo-German Centre for Business Excellence | Lakshmi Lalita Mohan, Head and Representative France and Germany, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Board Member of the Indo-German Centre for Business Excellence


10.00–10.20 Keynote Speech: Development and Significance of the Indo-German Economic Relations

Puneet Chhatwal, Managing Director and CEO of The Indian Hotels Company Limited and President of the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce – AHK


10.20–11.00 Panel Discussion: Indo-German Economic Relations in the Global Context

Dr. Andreas Nicolin, Deputy Director-General, Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy of Germany | Rukmini Parthasarathy, Deputy Director, KfW Office New Delhi | Dr. Amit Telang, Consul General of India in Frankfurt | Jan-Hendrik Mohr, Member of the Group Executive Board, CLAAS Group | Moderation: Prof. Roland Koch, Professor of Management Practice in Regulated Environments, Frankfurt School of Finance & Management


11.00–11.30 Conversation: India & Germany: Much in Common?

H.E. Walter J. Lindner, German Ambassador to India in conversation with Frankfurt School students Madhur Chadha, Jaskaran Singh, Nina Tauber, and Sukhman Virk. Moderation: Prof. S. Ramakrishna Velamuri, Professor and Dean, School of Management, Mahindra University


11.30–12.00 Morning Break & Networking


12.00–12.40 Panel Discussion: Business Relations India and Germany

Stefan Halusa, Director General, Indo-German Chamber of Commerce | Klaus Maier, Managing Director, Maier+Vidorno | Kaushik Shaparia, Chief Country Officer, Deutsche Bank India | Georg Graf, Regional Representative, Freudenberg Group | Moderation: Werner Steinmüller, Member of the Advisory Council of OAV German Asia-Pacific Business Association


12.40–13.00 Lunch Keynote Speech: The Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in India: Possible Synergies with Germany

Prof. S. Ramakrishna Velamuri, Professor and Dean, School of Management, Mahindra University


13.00–14.00 Lunch Break & Networking


14.00–14.30 Afternoon Opening Remarks: Innovative Business Models in India and the Role of Venture Capital

Bala Srinivasa, Managing Director, Arkam Ventures


14.30–15.00 Panel Discussion: Indo-German Developments in Healthcare Infrastructure

Deepak Chopra, Business Unit Head Women’s Healthcare, Bayer India | Dr. Christian Garbe, Managing Director, Frankfurt Biotechnology Innovation Center (FIZ) |Dr. Hrishikesh Kulkarni, Senior Vice President Public Affairs & Advocacy, Fresenius Kabi | Indranil Mukherjee, Managing Director, B. Braun Medical India | Moderation: Prof. Afschin Gandjour, Professor of Health Management, Frankfurt School of Finance & Management


15.00–15.30 Tea Time & Networking


15.30–16.30 Panel Discussion: Digitalisation, Connectivity and Digital Trust as Key for Growth

Mohammed Anzy S, Chief Operating Officer, SAP Labs India | Soumitra Bhattacharya, President of Bosch Group in India and Managing Director at Bosch | Sudhir Ethiraj, Global Head of Cybersecurity Office (CSO), TÜV SÜD | Moderation: Dr. Ara H. Abrahamyan, Board Director and Advisor, WEPROFIT


16.30–17.00 Closing Keynote Speech: Indo-German Technology Collaboration at Deutsche Bank  

Bernd Leukert, Head of Technology, Data and Innovation, Board Member, Deutsche Bank


17.00–17.30 Closing Keynote Speech: Indo-German Economic Relations in the Global Context

Prof. Amrita Narlikar, President, German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA)


From 18.00 on Indo-German Buffet Reception at the Executive Lounge

Our sponsors

Frankfurt School of Finance & Management
Maier + Vidorno

Partner organisations

Indo-German Chamber of Commerce
OAV - German Asia-Pacific Business Association