Leadership Atlanta Alumni and Guests Travel to India
Leadership Atlanta Alumni, graduates of a local 9-month leadership training program, traveled to India in February for a 14-day cultural immersion experience. 25 of Metro Atlanta's community leaders visited the country's most flourishing cities to meet with top business professionals and discuss India's role as an active business partner for the state of Georgia.
The group's excursion included stays in Mumbai, the country's commercial and entertainment hub; New Delhi, India's capital city; Agra, home of the famed Taj Mahal and Jaipur, an industrial center that exports items such as brass and lacquer work as well as traditional handicrafts.
In Delhi, participants met with executives from TATA, one of the oldest and largest business conglomerates in India, with revenues equivalent to 2.8% of India's GDP. In order to assess the emerging global markets for Atlanta-based companies, participants had the unique opportunity of meeting with Deepak Jolly, Sr. VP Marketing, The Coca-Cola Company and Pirojshaw Sarkari, Country Head, India, UPS. The group also visited a local call center to see the faces behind business processing and knowledge outsourcing.
The state of Georgia also recently announced its plans to devote more resources to cultivating a relationship with the country and will explore opening a state office there in 2007.
"India is becoming as important a trading partner for Atlanta as China," said Judy Tabb, who is leading the group to India with Ani Agnihotri, Leadership Atlanta alumnus and founding president of the six-year old Georgia Indo American Chamber of Commerce.
Participants enjoyed luxurious, themed dinners with entertainment, visits to religious and historical sites, and elephant rides in Jaipur. Alumni had the rare opportunity to pay respect to the Armed Forces of India during the annual Republic Day Parade. This parade is held every year on January 26th to commemorate India's transition to a Republic in 1950.
This diverse group of Leadership Atlanta dignitaries includes representatives from Oracle, Georgia Department of Community Affairs, Regional Atlanta Civic League, Morehouse School of Medicine, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, and many other businesses and civic organizations.
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