Gowling WLG lawyers Neil Abbott, Cyrus Reporter and Travis Evens were pleased to join a recent trade mission to India organized by the City of Hamilton.
Led by Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger, the trip was aimed at promoting foreign direct investment, catalyzing economic activity and raising awareness of the city's many business advantages.
The 20-person delegation comprised representatives from Hamilton's local government, private sector, educational and training institutions — including the Hamilton Economic Development office, McMaster University, Mohawk College and McMaster Innovation Park.
Over the course of their stay, the delegates visited New Delhi, Mumbai, and Ahmedabad, meeting with business and research leaders representing a range of diverse sectors — such as aerospace, life sciences, information technology, goods movement and food and beverages.
"The entire trip was extremely positive," said Evens. "The fact that we were part of a wider delegation was received very favourably and showed the level of support that our firm can provide to companies and institutions if they choose to locate in Hamilton or elsewhere in Canada."
Organizers timed the trip to coincide with other key meetings between leading business and government officials in Canada and India. These included the Indo-Canada Business Forum in New Delhi and the Canada-India Business Council Forum in Mumbai, both of which drew hundreds of people.
As the only international law firm with a presence in Hamilton, Gowling WLG showed it was well- positioned to offer legal services to companies from India that choose to set up there, Evens said. "The contacts we met in India saw that our firm could support their businesses and be available and well-placed to serve as their legal providers if they choose to come here. It was highly beneficial and quite promising for future work."
India has been identified as an emerging economic superpower and a country poised to become one of the next great beneficiaries of global trade in the coming decade. With the world's second-highest population, the country boasts a GDP of some $2.9 trillion.
Gowling WLG's India team has a long and successful track record in advising some of India's largest companies - and most successful high net worth individuals - on their international activities. This track record also extends to assisting businesses from across Europe, the Middle East and North America with their India-related operations.