West Yorkshire welcomes delegation from Indian High Commission

24 March 2022

Senior officials from the Indian High Commission are visiting West Yorkshire on 22-23 March to meet with cultural groups, political leaders, key businesses and stakeholders. 

The visit will build on the already strong economic and cultural links between West Yorkshire and India, further expanding and deepening trade and investment relationships.

The visit has been co-ordinated by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP), to build partnerships, unlock growth opportunities, create new jobs, and drive forward innovation and entrepreneurship. 

Tracy Brabin, the Mayor of West Yorkshire, said:

“I am proud to welcome the delegation from the High Commission of India to West Yorkshire and champion the incredible cultural and creative businesses that are leading the way on inclusive growth and building international partnerships.

“I believe sport, culture, and the creative industries can be a great force for creating and strengthening global relations. I look forward to developing even stronger links with India, so we can support the success of our region, the North, and the UK as a whole.”

Sir Roger Marsh OBE DL, chair of the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and NP11 group of Northern LEPs, said:

“There is a huge opportunity to expand and deepen our relationships with India. Working in partnership with India will help unlock opportunities for business growth in the region, create new jobs, and drive forward innovation and entrepreneurship as we continue to recover from the global pandemic.

“We believe there is also an important role for West Yorkshire to play in the achievement of the UK-India 2030 Roadmap and the success of the Free Trade Agreement negotiations which officially started in January.”

Visiting the region from the Indian High Commission are Consul General, Dr Shashank Vikram, Rohit Vadhwana, First Secretary (Economic, Press & Information), High Commission of India, Amish Tripathi, Director – Nehru Centre, High Commission of India, and Dr. Param Shah, Director, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI). 

During the visit, the delegation will attend a variety of events across the region. 

In addition to discussions with West Yorkshire’s political and business leaders, the visit will include a sports, culture, and creative industries round table at Headingley Stadium, hosted by Chair of Yorkshire Cricket, Lord Patel of Bradford.

The meeting will discuss partnerships and further collaboration around creative arts and music, film and media, and sports, and how they can be a catalyst for building and strengthening global relations. 

The Mayor will host a lunch at the Piece Hall, Halifax, bringing together women business leaders from across West Yorkshire, working in IT, advanced manufacturing and construction, health and life sciences, financial services and the culture, media and creative sectors.

They will discuss how to inspire and engage leaders of the future, supporting female business owners and entrepreneurs, and championing equality, diversity, and inclusion.

The two-day visit will also include a round table bringing together the region’s university Vice-Chancellors and International leads, hosted by Sir Roger Marsh OBE DL.

The round table will explore how West Yorkshire’s internationally significant health and lifesciences sector can work in partnership with key Indian institutions, how West Yorkshire and India can identify and develop opportunities for high-tech research and collaboration, and the rapidly developing space sector. 

The visit will also include an evening reception celebrating West Yorkshire’s Indian business and diaspora community, hosted by Addleshaw Goddard.