About UK India Business Council
UKIBC is the lead organisation supporting the UK government to increase bilateral trade and investment between UK and India.
Partnership in Action
UKIBC Mission
The UK India Business Council (UKIBC) is the lead organisation supporting the British Government in the promotion of bilateral trade, business and investment between the two countries.
UKIBC plays an influential role in creating and sustaining an environment in which free-trade and investment flourishes. A key objective in this regard is the highlighting, and dismantling, of bureaucratic and regulatory barriers to entry.
Through the facilitation of partnerships, and with the support of an extensive network of influential corporate and individual members, UKIBC provides the resource, knowledge and infrastructure support vital for UK companies to make the most of emerging opportunities in India.
Origins
UKIBC can trace its roots back to 1993, and the formation of the Indo-British Partnership. In the wake of India liberalising its economy, the IBP paved the way for many UK companies to enter the Indian market. By 2005 the global economy and the Indian market had changed considerably, and out of the bilateral body IBP, came the Indo-British Partnership Network (IBPN), a UK based body to promote the aims of the IBP and help deliver on its objectives. The IBPN offered membership to all British and Indian companies, entrepreneurs and individuals, regardless of size and industry, who were interested in trade between the UK and India, and membership soon passed the 700 mark.
Shortly after the IBPN was formed, the British and Indian governments launched the India-UK Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) in New Delhi. By now trade between Britain and India had grown significantly and JETCO capitalised on this, creating even more opportunities that the IBPN was able to steer its members towards.
In 2006 the IBPN was recognised by the House of Commons Trade and Industry Select Committee which recommended that it be positioned as the ‘de facto’ chamber of commerce for UK and India. In October 2006, Lord Karan Bilimoria, the IBPN’s Chairman (and UK Co-Chair of the IBP) hosted a UK-India Prime Ministerial summit firmly placing business on the agenda.
In January 2007 Gordon Brown announced that the Government would significantly boost the annual funding to £1 million with a strategic partnership implemented through UK Trade and Investment.
IBPN evolved into the UK India Business Council in September 2007. Today, It has over 150 members, an experienced management team backed by a dynamic executive board and supported by an influential advisory board.
About membership
For more information please contact our Business Services Department or call us on 020 7592 3046.
Please visit the UKIBC website to find more about us.
