The India Business Forum at London Business School is proud to announce and invite you to its 3rd annual conference titled “Liberalisation & Growth: A Balancing Act”. The forum is brought to you in collaboration with the Commonwealth Business Council.

The India Business Forum, formulated in the year 2002, aims to further the role of India in the global business milieu. With London Business School as a platform, IBF is a confluence of global business leaders, academicians, financiers, entrepreneurs and students to discuss and debate pertinent issues relating to doing business in and with India.

India’s current growth rate is the discussion point for many global economists and investors. During such debates the commentators almost always state that to increase or even sustain such unprecedented growth rates, the government must increase the speed of liberalisation, invest more in infrastructure and reduce bureaucracy.

Whilst these are obvious problems on the surface and acknowledged being acted upon by all within the Government, achieving liberalisation in world’s largest democracy may not be a straight-forward task. India is not a homogenous market - It has a burgeoning middle class enjoying the fruits of a growing economy. But it has an even larger rural class that is somewhat a step-removed from the front line gains. It has an abundance of skilled employees but at the other end of spectrum millions that never make it to the school. And yet the country surges forward in its entrpreneurial drive with the industry making waves globally.

The Forum will highlight these interesting dynamics and put forth arguments that make India true might in the emerging global economic order. Forum Sessions include:

India: Emerging as a global economic giant
Key indicators, challenges, opportunities and the roadmap for sustaining growth

Access to Capital: The necessary ingredient for growth
Liberalisation in India’s capital markets
Private Equity: An attractive proposition

The Nuts & Bolts of doing business in India
Track A - Marketing The 400 million middle class: Accessible or Elusive
Track B - Tax, Legal & HR The real transaction costs and the challenge of managing & retaining skills in fast growing economy

Forum Highlight: Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid
Special Address by C.K. Prahalad on his book (of the same title) analysing the task of poverty reduction.

The world renowned strategy guru and professor states that this breakthrough will be achieved if corporations create innovating products and services targeted at hundreds of millions of people living in Abject poverty. He further claims that by marketing to hundreds of millions, corporations can achieve their targets by a function of volume and not profit margins.

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This year's theme "Liberalisation & Growth: A Balancing Act" is the next in progression from the previous two events titled "India - Identifying the Opportunities" & "Invest India" respectively.