Victoria Premier to meet with Indian IT leaders

BANGALORE, INDIA: John Brumby, Premier, State of Victoria, Australia will meet with some of the Indian IT leaders over the next two days in Bangalore to discuss investment and trade opportunities with Victoria, facilitating expansion of global operations for these companies.

Brumby, who is in Bangalore on an official visit, will meet with Azim Premji, chairman of Wipro, one of the largest software companies in India, and with board members of Infosys which recently announced an expansion of its operations in Melbourne.

Brumby said meetings with leading technology firms in Bangalore, including Infosys, Wipro, Firepro and Biocon, were an important part of his government’s strategy to engage with India’s leading technology companies.

Brumby also attended a reception hosted by the peak Indian technology industry bodies - the Association of Biotechnology Led Enterprises (ABLE) and National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM).

A Memorandum of Understanding for promoting ICT and biotechnology partnering with Australian industry bodies was signed in 2004, and a there were a number of collaborative opportunities between India and Australia in world-class clusters of medical, biotech and healthcare research bodies and services.

Brumby said there were job and investment opportunities for projects in building and construction, computer games and animation, eLearning, eSecurity, and financial services and funds management in India and Victoria.

“Our Government’s focus on innovation, biotechnology and information and communications technology, means that Victoria’s two-way relationship with high-tech India can only grow,” Brumby said, adding, “With more than a billion people and an annual growth rate of around nine per cent, it is important to maintain strong investment and trade relationships.

Brumby also held discussions with NS Narendra, chairman and managing director of Firepro Systems, a security systems firm, to discuss the company’s continued growth in Victoria.

The Victoria Premier said forging strong links with Indian high-tech businesses delivers jobs and opportunities for Victorians in the global high-tech economy.