The New World Order is upon us, and policy-makers and businesses around the world are analysing its impact. India has finally begun to participate in the global economy, and is seeking partnerships with old friends and new. Europe is a considered friend – and Germany sits at the heart of it. Prime Minister Modi, during his visit to the Hannover Messe, has admired Germany’s model of doing business, and its diplomatic and financial management in an interdependent Europe that is buffeted by the winds of change.
As India begins its journey towards becoming a 21st century state, what experiences can it take from Germany where business and defence have forged to create prosperity and peace? And as Europe moves towards a century dominated by an Asian resurgence, what can it understand about the region and its new contexts, viewed through the lens of India?
On 28 May, Gateway House hosted an event on the topic ‘Business & Security: Seeding Prosperity Anew’ with , Dr. Ursula von der Leyen, Minister of Defence, Lt. General K. Surendranath, Former Chief of Staff, Southern Command, Indian Army, and Dr. Santrupt Misra, CEO, Carbon Black Business and Director, Group Human Resources, Aditya Birla Group. The discussion was moderated by Manjeet Kripalani, Co-founder and Executive Director, Gateway House.
To view the notes from the meeting, click here
Ursula von der Leyen, Minister of Defence, Federal Republic of Germany
Ursula von der Leyen is Germany’s 17th Minister of Defence. She was born in Brussels where she attended the European School of Brussels. She studied economics at Göttingen and Münster and then went on to the London School of Economics. She has studied medicine at Hanover Medical School and completed her doctorate in 1991. She has also received her Masters in Public Health. She has worked in the public health sector at Hanover and Stanford. From 2003-2005, she was Minister for Social Affairs, Women, Family Affairs and Health, Lower Saxony. In 2005, she was appointed Federal Minister for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth and in 2009, assigned to the post of the Federal Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, where she served until her appointment as Minister of Defence in 2013. She is married with seven children.
Lt. General K. Surendranath, Former Chief of Staff, Southern Command, Indian Army
Lt. General K. Surendranath recently retired from the Indian Army after 40 years of service. He graduated from the National Defence Academy in 1975. He has represented India in the Iran Mission of the UN. He has set up the defence cooperation cell for the Indian Army and promoted cooperation with a number of regional & European Countries, for which he was awarded a Sena Medal. His thesis on “Lean Management” in the Indian Army and its implementation won him a Vishisht Seva Medal. Among his many other honours are the Bar to Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Param Vishisht Seva Medal for his performance as commander of field formations on the Pakistan and Chinese borders and the Sword of Honour and the Silver medal. He has a MSc in Defence Studies and a Masters degree in Global Security & IR from Cranfield University, UK. He is currently a visiting lecturer at military and educational institutions.
Dr. Santrupt Misra, CEO, Carbon Black Business and Director, Group Human Resources, Aditya Birla Group
Dr. Santrupt Misra is CEO, Carbon Black Business and Director, Group Human Resources for the $42 billion global Indian conglomerate – the Aditya Birla Group. He is Director on the boards of several Aditya Birla Group companies and other professional bodies. Dr. Misra has over 28 years of professional experience in global business, research and organizational development. He holds two postgraduate degrees – in Political Science & in Personnel Management & Industrial Relations. He has two PhDs, from India and UK, in Public Administration and Industrial Relations, respectively.
Manjeet Kripalani, Executive Director, Gateway House
Manjeet Kripalani is the former India Bureau chief of Businessweek magazine. During her extensive career in journalism (BusinessWeek, Worth and Forbes magazines), she has won several awards, including the Gerald Loeb Award, the George Polk Award, Overseas Press Club and Daniel Pearl Awards. Kripalani was the 2006-07 Edward R. Murrow Press Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, New York, which inspired her to found Gateway House. Her political career spans being the deputy press secretary to Steve Forbes during his first run in 1995-96 as Republican candidate for US President, to being press secretary for the Lok Sabha campaign for independent candidate Meera Sanyal in 2008. She holds two bachelor’s degrees from Bombay University in English, History and Law and a master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia University.
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