Jim Bligh, Director Corporate Affairs, Tata Consultancy Services has been appointed as the new Chairperson to take over leadership of the CII India Business Forum (IBF) in the UK for 2019.
Dr David Landsman was preceded by Mr. Prashant Jhawar, Chairman, Usha Martin as the Chair of CII UK IBF. After two years of supporting CII-IBF UK as Chairperson, Dr David Landsman, Executive Director, Tata Ltd will be handing over to Mr Jim Bligh, effective as of 6th December 2018.
On his appointment as the new Chairperson, CII-IBF UK, Mr Bligh said, “I am delighted to be taking on this important role, especially given the challenge ahead around Brexit uncertainty. The UK and India’s relationship is of critical economic and historical significance and I’m delighted to take on this role to champion our two nations’ special bond. Indian businesses invest billions in the UK economy, helping secure jobs and growth, while India represents a huge economic market for British firms. Despite the political uncertainty around Brexit, the CII and India Business Forum will play a key role in seizing opportunities for both nations.”
Mr Bligh is Director of Corporate Affairs for the UK and Ireland at Tata Consultancy Services, where he is responsible for public affairs and policy; stakeholder, academic, industry analyst and government relations; and the TCS award-winning event series the Spark Salon.
Mr Bligh is a Visiting Fellow at the Oxford Internet Institute at the University of Oxford. At the Institute, Jim is supporting work on artificial intelligence and the future of work, global supervision of the internet, and the ethical and practical implications for business of the fourth industrial revolution.
He joined TCS in 2015 from the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), where he was head of policy for employment, skills, pensions, trade and public services reform. He has previously worked as head of corporate affairs at ManpowerGroup, the global recruitment business. Jim has degrees in English from Durham, where he was President of the Union, and Medieval and Renaissance Literature from Cambridge.
He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a member of the executive committee of the Industry and Parliament Trust, and a member of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) London Council.
The CII UK India Business Forum is an exclusive group of corporate members, primarily Indian companies with existing or planned operations in the United Kingdom. The CII UK IBF provides an avenue for senior representatives of UK or Europe-wide operations of Indian companies based in various regions across the UK to come together and represent India Inc.
They key objectives for CII UK IBF are: Build “Brand India”, serve as a networking as well as knowledge-sharing platform for all Indian companies who are members of the IBF of the respective country, identify regulatory issues impeding Indian companies from doing business effectively and make representations on their behalf to policy makers and position this platform to address collective issues of Indian Industries and contribute to enhancing trade, investment and economic cooperation between India and the Forum’s country.
On the announcement Dr David Landsman said, “It has been an honour to serve for two years as the Chairperson for CII-IBF UK, representing Indian companies in the UK and developing contacts across Europe. I’ve enjoyed working with our members both on strengthening business contacts and engaging stakeholders on our policy priorities. There will be many exciting new opportunities in the coming years and I wish Jim every success in helping Indian business to make the most of them. I look forward to continuing to support CII from the sidelines.”
The Patron of the CII UK IBF is the High Commissioner of India. The new High Commissioner of India HE Mrs Ruchi Ghanashyam who announced the New Chair of the CII UK IBF on 6 December. While thanking Dr David Landsman for his role in strengthening the UK India economic relations both in his role as the CII UK IBF Chair as well as the Executive Director of Tata Ltd. She welcomed Mr James Bligh as the new Chair and congratulated him on the appointment saying, “I look forward to working closely with the CII and the Indian businesses in the UK extending my support wherever is necessary”.
Addressing the CII UK’s India Business Forum she spoke about the balance in the economic relationship and the two countries. She underlined the contribution of India Inc to UK’s economy and their apetite to enter UK regardless of uncertainty surrounding Brexit.
