Nandan Nilekani in Indo-Japan business leaders forum

NEW DELHI: India may nominate 14 CEOs for India Japan Business Leaders Forum (BLF) which will have its first interaction during Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s visit to India beginning August 21.

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has cleared 10 names including Infosys Technologies co-chairman Nandan M Nilekani, Hero Cycles managing director & CEO of Sunil Kant Munjal, Bharat Forge chairman and MD Baba Kalyani and HDFC chairman Deepak Parekh, sources told SundayET.

The other names include Toyota Kirloskar Motor vice-chairman Vikram Kirloskar, Moser Baer MD Deepak Puri, Pharma major Wockhardt chairman HF Khorakiwala and Sanyo-BPL chairman and CEO Ajit G Nambiar. Mr Nilekani is likely to chair the forum from the Indian side whereas Canon CEO and president Fujio Mitarai could be his counterpart from Japan.

Sources have said that PMO is considering four more names including Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani, Bharti Group chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal and IL&FS chairman Ravi Parthasarathy.

Japan has submitted the names of 14 business leaders to India. The BLF, which will be formed in the same way as the US India CEO Forum, will facilitate trade and investment opportunities between Japan and India. Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata and JP Morgan Chase chairman & CEO William B Harrison are co-chairs of the US India CEO Forum.

Significantly, business interactions between India and Japan are likely to increase manifold after Japan has agreed to partner $90-billion Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor. PM Abe will be accompanied by a 160-member jumbo business delegation.

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