Adeeb Ahamed, Managing Director, LuLu Financial Holdings
As a nation of diverse thoughts and cultures, India’s growth story mirrors the ambition of its people. The increasing level of public-private cooperation that we are witnessing has helped us be at the forefront of several new-age sectors such as digital technologies, financial inclusion, food management etc., all for the betterment of our people. Our 76th year of independence is a moment of great pride, and I join my fellow Indians in celebrating our beautiful journey with the rest of the world.
Eugene Mayne, CEO, Tristar Group
Our focus has always been and will continue to be on growing shareholder value by delivering pre-eminent customer service, without compromising our core values of honesty, integrity and safety in operations. We have had a very strong first half in 2022 and expect to close this year with record results if we maintain the same tempo in the second half of 2022.
We are currently in dialogue with key stakeholders for an opportune entry into India and are confident that we will have a position on the ground in India in the not too distant future.
Nitin Jain, Director, Affordables
The focus of our business this year is to fight inflation, which has resulted in a rise in operating cost. Being a value-based business concept, it’s a challenge to keep operating costs low while ensuring our customers receive the right products at the right price. Being affordable is the key to our concept and our experience, patience, and decisions have enabled us to keep adding value to our brand.
When it comes to India, our main focus is on exporting from India. Our sourcing office has registered a huge turnovers this year. Thanks to the signing of CEPA between the UAE and India, import duties have started being waived off and this has helped us balance other challenges of inflation and maintain competitive prices of our products. Our target is to triple the business and revenue generated by our India sourcing office this year.
We would like to wish and congratulate all fellow Indians in the UAE on the 76th Independence Day. The relationship between the UAE and India has always been strong. We would like to thank the Rulers of the UAE and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for all their efforts in further strengthening the bond between the two nations.
Abdul Moiz Khan, Co-founder, CEO & Managing Partner, Fursa Consulting
The year 2022 started with many opportunities for our business model. As the lenders are optimistic on lending, we are actively engaged on raising funds for our clients. We are facilitating clients who need to reprofile or restructure their existing debts. Our new vertical — corporate strategy has received overwhelming response.
India is a powerhouse of multidimensional opportunities. We are actively evaluating some interesting business propositions in the field of fintech, AI, and corporate strategy. Har Ghar Tiranga campaign has been launched as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav to encourage people to bring the Indian flag home and hoist it. We will be decorating our home and office to commemorate the Independence Day this year.
Dr Shareef Abdul Khader, Managing Director, ABC CARGO
On August 15, India is straightening its wings to hit yet another milestone in its unrelenting journey to victory. On the 75th anniversary of independence, we commemorate thousands of brave heroes who sacrificed their lives to build the nation we proudly behold. The freedom they once granted us is more than a value to be cherished. It is not just the right to choose your beliefs or speak up uncensored but also the freedom to live life on your terms, enjoy your time, and create your future. ABC Cargo is wishing you all a happy Independence Day.
Rajiv Warrier, CEO, Choithrams
Our focus in retail has been to continue adding to our retail footprint in the UAE, Bahrain and Qatar, and serve our customers in innovative ways. Our latest initiative has been to tie up with Deliveroo exclusively in the UAE to supply to their dark stores. Our focus in distribution has been to add new brands, bring new FMCG products to retailers across all channels of trade and strengthen our online channels. Business has been good this year, supported by new partnerships, and the launch of new brands and initiatives.
When it comes to India, we keep evaluating different investment opportunities and our primary areas of interest in India are related to education and healthcare. We are celebrating India’s Independence Day with the Indian Goodness Festival across select stores, providing our customers great offers on a wide range of Indian products. We have also introduced several new Indian brands such as Baker Dozen, Hem, Organic India, Wingreens, Moui Soui, Kemchho and many more.
Gaurav Anand, Chairman and Managing Director, Bliss Anand
The main focus of our business is on sustainability with growth — both for the organisation and people working to achieve the set goals.
First half of 2022 was quite fruitful in terms of our project-related business. We have acquired contracts from the existing clients and expanded our market with new acquisitions. Overall, we look forward to exciting times ahead in the region.
India and the UAE enjoy strong bonds of friendship which are founded on millennia-old cultural, religious and economic relations. With the recent signing of Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between India and the UAE, we can expect to experience a major boost in trade between the two nations and the wider GCC region. India is currently on the growth path, emerging as the fastest-growing economy in the world, and it is projected to become one of the top three economic powers globally over the next 10-15 years, backed by its robust democracy and strong partnerships.
The best way to celebrate Independence Day is to set your mind free and focus on inclusive growth that is fairly distributed across society, creating opportunities for all.
Dr K. P. Hussain, Chairman and Managing Director, Fathima Healthcare Group
After a challenging few years, the last seven months have seen the willingness to do business and travel return to the UAE. India is also emerging from the pandemic, and the growth surge is evident. The economic recovery in India is comparable or in some ways better than countries in the Western world and East Asia, and forging the right international relations is key in this regard. For India’s 76th Independence Day celebrations we will plan something not just in Kerala, my home state, but also for the international Indian community in the UAE, of which I am part.
Raju Gidwani, Executive Director, Shankar Trading Company
Economies globally faced unprecedented challenges in the past two years due to the pandemic, which affected businesses worldwide. But, this year the business environment has improved significantly. We have been in the FMCG business since 1985 and have for more than two decades been the distributor of well-known Indian brand Haldiram’s in the UAE. Over the years we have included many new brands across diverse categories to our portfolio including Samaara Tea and Mario Confectionery, catering to the unique needs of the Indian community. Recently, we focused on product ranges from Kashmir and successfully launched Rehmat Spices and Diamond Saffron in the UAE. Our home-grown brand, Nature’s Choice features ingredients from India.
On the occasion of India’s Independence Day, we are running various promotional activities in most retail stores in the UAE so that along with Indians, other communities can also participate in our 75th Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations.
We are born in a great nation, and we must always be thankful for it. Wishing you all a very happy Independence Day.
Dhananjay Datar, Chairman & Managing Director, Al Adil Trading
The first seven months of 2022 were extremely good and we have been able to exceed our expectations. We are always focusing on providing the best range of products, at a very cost-effective price without compromising on quality or service.
The Indian arm of our group, Masala King Exports is based in Mumbai, exporting Indian pulses to various nations.
The policies of the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi have played a vital role in the economic recovery of India post pandemic. Numerous measures across diverse areas have been implemented with a clear emphasis on growth and development.
I believe that the growth process has just started and there will be more developments in the future.
As India celebrates its 76th Independence Day, it is a moment of great pride for all of us. I will be taking part in the celebrations organised by the Indian community in Dubai.
Dr Thumbay Moideen, Founder President, Thumbay Group
As India begins its celebrations for the 76th Independence Day, Thumbay Group would like to join the celebration in the UAE by offering free medical and dental check-ups today to the Indian community at its Al Nuaimia hospital. The UAE is home to a huge diaspora of Indians who have, in their own inimitable style, contributed in building a shared future and enhancing the prosperity of both the countries. On the joyous moment of India’s 76th independence Day, Thumbay Group has many initiatives planned to commemorate this occasion, and one of them is raising awareness on preventive health check-ups that help in detecting many diseases at an early stage so that the healthcare fraternity can step up to provide people with immediate help in improving their health. The UAE and India have many reasons to cheer for the future, and one of the most important milestones would be achieving a safer and healthier world together.
Sanjeevv Bhatia, Chairman, SB Group & CEO, Netix Global BV
From the adoption of large-scale work-from-home arrangements to the use of cloud services and videoconferencing, the world is seeing exponential growth in digital services and infrastructure. We are leading the digital transformation of old infrastructure with a modern state-of-the-art IoT platform called Netix Konnect for buildings. After our success in Dubai, we have been busy expanding globally by opening offices in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the Netherlands, Italy and Canada.
We have planned Independence Day celebrations in our offices, where we will wear our national dress and play the national anthem to pay our respect to the nation, while reminding the new generation about the sacrifices made by our freedom fighters to achieve our independence on August 15, 1947. A note on our history will be sent to all our employees globally to keep the spirit of secularism strong. Jai Hind!
Facilitating UAE-India trade
“The UAE-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) is more than just a trade agreement. It not only promotes trade in goods and services, it also covers investments and intellectual property rights,” says Suresh Kumar. Chairman, Indian Business and Professional Council (IBPC) Dubai.
“IBPC will roll out sector specific symposia, invite delegations and identify opportunities in sunrise sectors for our members to invest in India. Reciprocally, we will facilitate entry of Indian companies in the UAE.
Many Indian companies, in pharmaceutical and technology, for instance, will try to establish a presence in the UAE for their last mile production. CEPA has provisions for value-add determination, which will encourage manufacturing for the GCC markets at both ends.
SMEs, start-ups and entrepreneurs will get policy support from both governments and should flourish from these outreach endeavours.”
