The United States recently hosted the second in-person meeting of the U.S.-India CEO Forum, co-chaired by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and India's Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal. This forum serves as a platform for leaders from both nations' business communities to collaborate on strengthening commercial ties and expanding trade and investment between India and the United States.

During the meeting, representatives from both governments, along with CEO Forum members, reiterated their commitment to enhancing bilateral commerce and trade. They emphasized driving inclusive economic growth, fostering innovation, and maintaining a resilient partnership between the two countries.

Secretary Raimondo and Minister Goyal expressed gratitude to James Taiclet, President and CEO of Lockheed Martin, and N. Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Sons, for their leadership as Private Sector Co-Chairs from 2023 to 2024. They acknowledged the valuable recommendations made by Forum members over the past two years.

The meeting also highlighted accomplishments such as the launch of the Network for Innovation and Harnessing Investments and Trade for Inclusive Growth (NIHIT) Platform. This publicly accessible platform facilitates online knowledge sharing among U.S. and Indian startups and small businesses. NIHIT has organized four workshops focused on capacity building in cybersecurity, digital technologies, and AI, attended by over 1,000 participants.

Forum members include representatives from 22 U.S. companies and 25 Indian companies. Recent announcements underscore their commitment to advancing U.S.-India commercial engagement. Notably, Otis Worldwide has initiated an expansion of its manufacturing facility in Bengaluru, India. This expansion aims to double escalator production capacity to support metro projects as well as residential, commercial, and infrastructure development throughout India.