NE BUSINESS BUREAU
WASHINGTON DC/NEW DELHI, SEP 29
The US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) on Monday announced its fourth Annual Leadership Summit, titled “Looking Ahead: Strengthening Resilience, Expanding Prosperity,” which will convene virtually on September 29-October 1. The program will include a range of strategic discussions between USISPF’s board members, including Fortune 500 CEOs and senior government officials from both countries.
On Thursday, USISPF will honor Natarajan Chandrasekaran, Executive Chairman of Tata Sons, Punit Renjen, CEO of Deloitte Global, and Rajesh Subramaniam, President, COO and Director, FedEx Corp., with the USISPF Global Leadership Award 2021 for leading the corporate community in their heroic efforts of responding to India’s second wave of Covid-19.
- As part of these contributions, Punit Renjen led Deloitte’s efforts in donating oxygen concentrators to the Indian Red Cross and initiating an innovative program named “Sanjeevani Pariyojana” (the life project) to expand the hospital ward, helping patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 recover at home so hospitals can be freed up to treat the most critically ill.
- FedEx donated three Boeing 777F charter flights of oxygen concentrators, PPE, and other critical supplies to India in May and June 2021. Under Raj’s leadership, the FedEx charters flew into Mumbai and New Delhi. In all, FedEx moved more than 50,000 oxygen concentrators to India in collaboration with non-profit partners and customers.
- Natarajan Chandrasekaran led Tata in procuring medical equipment from other domestic and international sources. Tata Sons procured and distributed 1300 ventilators, 11,250 oxygen concentrators, in addition to many other medical supplies. Overall, Tata Sons committed Rs 1,000 crore (over USD $135 million) expenditure to COVID-19 response and related activities.
Congratulating the awardees, John Chambers, Chairman of the USISPF Board, said, “The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted all of us in so many ways since the start of 2020. When the US experienced the height of the pandemic, India stepped up to help us, sending critical medicines to Americans. It was amazing to then see that help reciprocated during the second wave of COVID in India. Partnership is built on trust, collaboration, and people-to-people connections. This year’s three awardees exemplify qualities of true leadership, as demonstrated by their tremendous individual efforts to help India in their time of need earlier this year.”
In his acceptance speech, Natarajan Chandrasekaran, Executive Chairman of Tata Sons said, “I am honored to accept the USISPF Global Leadership Award 2021 on behalf of my colleagues in the Tata Group working tirelessly on the Covid frontlines. I would also like to compliment my fellow award recipients for their contributions during the pandemic. USISPF has demonstrated remarkable leadership, strengthening the US-India partnership through a pivotal moment for our generation.”
Punit Renjen, CEO of Deloitte said, “I am deeply honored to be recognized by the Forum and to be included among such an esteemed and select group of honorees. Business leaders in the United States and elsewhere are near unanimous in their belief in India’s future and are eager to invest in its people and productive capacities. This can be attributed largely to the Forum and their work amplifying India’s message and communicating its strengths to the business community in the U.S. and beyond.”
Rajesh Subramaniam, President, COO and Director, FedEx Corporation, said, “Uniting with the broader business community to mobilize COVID relief for India was a deeply meaningful experience that will stay with me for the rest of my career. More than anything, this recognition from the USISPF honors the FedEx team members who have worked tirelessly in the U.S., India, and throughout our network to keep the world moving through the pandemic.”
Together, the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum and its members mobilized the US-India Friendship Alliance, to donate 31,026 oxygen concentrators to 28 states and 8 union territories, along with 2 million rapid antigen tests and countless other medical supplies during India’s second wave of Covid-19.
