Canadian investor to launch Invest India Conference
TORONTO: Indo-Canadian investment guru Prem Watsa, considered the Canadian equivalent of legendary American investor Warren Buffett, is launching a new initiative this week to bring a sense of urgency to economic ties between India and Canada.
The chairman and CEO of the Toronto-based Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd is the prime mover behind the inaugural Invest India Conference scheduled for September 8. Among those expected to attend are Canada’s foreign minister Chrystia Freeland, Infosys chairman Nandan Nilekani and NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant.
“This occasion will be a seminal moment in the deepening of Canada-India economic relations. Much has been accomplished but far more needs to be done,” Watsa said in his invitation letter for the meet.
He said the conference is “meant to lay the foundation for a forward-looking agenda that promotes the flow of investment both ways-into Canada and India.”
Kasi Rao, C-IBC’s president and CEO told the Hindustan Times: “This is an important moment in the Canada-India economic relationship mainly because while much has been done, we are starting from a low base. Therefore, the impetus for creating further momentum in terms of urgency around this file is what makes this, I think, a seminal event.
Indian high commissioner Vikas Swarup felt the conference “will provide a much needed focus on the business and investment potential between India and Canada.”
Rao said this invitation-only conference will feature “a curated audience of prominent India watchers, as well as people from Bay Street (Toronto’s version of Wall Street) and corporate Canada.”