Testimonials


 

Keshub Mahindra, Chairman Emeritus, Mahindra & Mahindra

“My vision for a think tank began in 1950, with a group of like-minded businessmen from the city of Bombay. We said, unless we base our democracy on knowledge, there will be no substance to it. The idea was to feed our leaders with independent information so they can make wise, unbiased decisions. Such initiatives need personalities with will and dedication around whom institutions can be built. That did not fructify; but sixty years later, Gateway House did.”

 


 

Anand G. Mahindra, Vice Chairman & Managing Director, Mahindra & Mahindra

“As the world gets increasingly interconnected, developments in geopolitics and geoeconomics affect our lives in all sorts of unexpected ways. This is true for individuals, politicians, law makers, businessmen and citizens from all walks of life. There is a crying need for these issues to be studied and for civil society to have an awareness and understanding of their impact on our decisions and on our lives. I think the creation of an independent and non-affiliated body like Gateway House will go a long way towards filling this need. I compliment Gateway House for starting this initiative and am delighted to support it.”

 


 

Mohan Pai, Chairman, Manipal Global Education Services

“Gateway House is a much-needed institutional link between foreign policy and business in India. India’s connections globally are expanding rapidly – through its youth, its business and its governmental and multilateral engagements. These three elements must come together to design and drive for India, a coherent and dynamic new economic diplomacy, which benefits the country and cements its role as the economy of the future.

Institutions like Gateway House play a key role in these interventions, intersecting with all three elements and using research to recommend pragmatic policy-making for India’s future. Increasingly India’s future diplomacy should be driven by inputs from business!

I have been associated with Gateway House since it began as a concept note in 2009. It is now an internationally-ranked, respected and creative incubator of ideas for India.”

 


 

Frank G. Wisner, former U.S. Ambassador to India, Egypt, Philippines and Zambia

“Gateway House is an institution which bridges India’s business and official communities and accesses counterparts around the globe. India is just beginning to develop an infrastructure of “think tanks” and Gateway House is the first serious effort to create one which marries India’s policy interest andits business concerns. Success with Gateway House is important to us in the United States, who believe a partnership with India is important to the future of our two countries and world’s peace and prosperity.”

 


 

Vikram Shroff, Director, United Phosphorus Ltd.

“Gateway House is doing a great job. They are a powerful source of global influence and goodwill towards India. Gateway House engages in India’s foreign and economic policy debates, and bridges the gaps in understanding between India and the world as no others can. I am delighted to support Gateway House, an independent foreign policy think tank that is both India-based and India-focused.”

 


 

Bahram Vakil, Senior Partner, AZB & Partners

“As India emerges as an economic power in the post-crisis era, it is critical that we have institutions like Gateway House leading the dialogue in domestic and foreign policy issues. Without a strong foundation in intellectual thinking, we lose our identity.

Sitting at the nexus between business and politics, Gateway House is uniquely positioned to provide critical insight on issues ranging from urbanization, foreign direct investment and federal spending trends. Having an ally that can provide both timely and accurate intelligence is valuable.

Gateway has an exceptional team and intern program that brings fellows at the highest levels of business and government from all over the world to conduct research and analysis. Our domestic focus with an international perspective makes Gateway House special in fulfilling the concept of a ‘global’ India.

Gateway House is always at the forefront of foreign policy research and analysis. As of late, it has become even more involved with looking at domestic policy – which is extremely relevant under the new administration. Additionally, the think tank’s live seminars feature some of the most distinguished thinkers in politics, economics and Indian society.”


 

Ayesha Siddiqa, Scholar & Analyst

“I think Gateway House is doing a great job, and from the perspective of somebody who comes from the North of the Indian sub continent, the Manipal Dialogue was a great opportunity to come and see and to feel the South. From the south Asian perspective, it is very important to actually explore, have this dialogue and visit those areas which are not central to the general political discourse. So this was great fun.”

 


 

Ichiro Abe, Director & Industry Researcher JETRO New Delhi (Japan External Trade Organization) & Special Advisor METI Govt of Japan (Ministry of Economy, Trade & Industry)

“I first heard of Gateway House from my predecessor who was working on industry and policy research, while stationed in Mumbai for 2 years. Gateway House experts are former diplomats and journalists-a distinguishing feature of the organisation. Having a former diplomat at the top is very important and ensures that the analysis is reliable. Journalists are also important intermediaries between the public and bureaucrats, and they also shape the analysis.

My objective is to understand India’s perspective toward diplomacy, which is unknown or not well-understood by foreign countries. Learning what has been going on behind decision-making or statements made at important diplomatic events like SAARC or East Asia Summit was exciting.

Understanding the traditional perspective of Indian diplomacy towards relations with major countries such as China, Pakistan and the U.S. from Gateway House experts is impressive, thanks to their deep and profound analysis supported by experience in the foreign service. Also, the endeavour to introduce economic or business perspectives into diplomatic analysis is stimulating and helpful.

Deep analysis supported by a diversity of experts in security, energy, environment, and economics, as well as experience in the foreign services, is a strong advantage for Gateway House.”

 


 

Sushma Ganguly, former Sector Manager, World Bank

“Incisive analysis of political and other current events, in Asia, and globally.”

 


 

Seema Malhotra, MP Member of Parliament, Labour Party, House of Commons, UK Parliament

“The Strategic Corridors Map by Gateway House very succinctly puts together a huge amount of data about the trade corridor, the travel corridor, the environmental impact – things that are significant for India in terms of its future trade relationships. It is incredibly informative and one that I will be certainly studying and will look to have the same information to help study Britain.”

 


 

Ashishkumar Chauhan, MD & CEO, Bombay Stock Exchange

“BSE has been a member of Gateway House since 2010 and we have found Gateway House to be an independent and unbiased think tank. BSE and Gateway House have collaborated on several occasions on topics relating to the Indian economy and its global ties and we expect to work closely with Gateway House in areas of SME development, skill development and education.

Gateway House has been organising various round table conferences in a wide range of fields including defence, external affairs, finance, SMEs, energy, education, academia, etc. to adopt best practices from the world and to make India-centric strategies wherever applicable. We wish Gateway House all the best in their endeavour to continue to be a premier think tank in India.”

 


 

Luis Miranda, Senior Advisor, Morgan Stanley

“I got involved with Gateway House because it aims to play a key role in representing with the government, the voice of Indian business on foreign policy. This is why Gateway House is based in Mumbai and not Delhi.  The team has pioneered research in key areas like the Seven Sisters’ corridor and economic diplomacy. Across the world, decisions are being taken by various people – politicians, bureaucrats, businessmen, social activists etc. Quite often, these decisions are being made based on sentiment or incomplete data. Think tanks, like Gateway House, help bring expert knowledge to decision-making. The fact that Gateway House was recently the youngest think tank in the annual rankings of global think tanks by the University of Pennsylvania is a strong endorsement of the work being done by the team.”

 


 

Tomas Ferrari, Consul General, Consulate General of Argentina, Mumbai 

“Gateway House plays an important role in policymaking and amongst the business communities not only in Mumbai but also across the country, because they are dedicated to promoting debates on things taking place globally and their consequent impact on India. It is a place to come together to permit and integrate with the academic world; the global, corporate world and the political world.

The professionals at Gateway House time and again champion new ideas; address the most pressing questions of the day and offer effective solutions through regular panel discussions, summits, conferences, online articles; considered quite influential in the entire political, economic and social framework. Be it for the policy maker, individuals in influential positions, corporate houses, reporters or even the avid academician, their efforts have always directed a new line of thought and perception in things that matter.

Our experience as Diplomats and Trade Commissioners, attending various conferences and events organized by Gateway House has often reaffirmed their unwavering commitment to issues spanning geo-political, environmental, economical, national and the international space. It is great to see an active participation and interaction with former diplomats, academicians and young scholars at their various meets. Thus, we consider the Gateway House to be an important platform for positioning Mumbai not only as India’s financial centre but also as an international centre.”

 


 

Mark Pierce, Consul General, Consulate of Australia, Mumbai

“We at the Australian Consulate General have found Gateway House to be an invaluable, indispensable partner for all our activities in western India. Gateway House has earned and richly deserves its national reputation based on the quality of its serious research and analysis, and the excellence of its curious and intelligent staff. Gateway House’s standing also reflects its steadfast commitment to probing, demanding inquiry into problems which matter, and its parallel determination to work out ways to make a difference in proposing solutions to those issues.”

 


 

Richard Bale, Consul General, Consul General of Canada, Mumbai

“I’ve been very impressed with the research and public programs of Gateway House. Inspired by its location in Mumbai, the commercial capital of India, Gateway does an excellent job of bringing business leaders into the discussion on foreign policy. The Consulate has partnered with Gateway to jointly present roundtables on topics ranging from Afghanistan to North American energy.  At their events, you can count on thought-provoking discussions and a diverse set of participants from industry, academia, government and civil society. Gateway also effectively continues the conversation on its social media channels and through its publications.

I’ve also had the pleasure of sharing the stage with Director Neelam Deo and other Gateway staff at events around town. Ambassador Deo’s interventions are consistently insightful.

I look forward to further engagement with Gateway in the future.”

 


 

Zheng Xiyuan, Consul General, Consul General of People’s Republic of China, Mumbai

“Young but well known in the world, the Gateway House has become a rising star in the field of studies on international relations both in India and abroad.

Over the past few years, the think tank has published many far-sighted and strategic reports and articles on issues such as economic diplomacy, social affairs, development, environmental protection, etc. which are very instructive to us as well.

In the future, with increasing exchanges and cooperation between Gateway House and its partners in China, I believe it would absolutely make further contribution to development of bilateral relations between China and India!”

 


 

Soraya Caro, Director, CESICAM, Bogota, Colombia

“Gateway House has become a strategic partner for the Center of Studies on Contemporary India and South Asia (CESICAM), in their commitment to spread knowledge, advance research and bold strategies to deepen ties between India and Colombia as well as between India and Latin America. Together, we build a new approach to our contemporary realities and analysis of all the issues including inclusive development and internationalisation. We look forward to a fruitful relationship between Gateway House and CESICAM in 2015 and beyond.”

 


 

Michael Siebert, Consul General, Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany, Mumbai

“It is a privilege to work with Gateway House. This young and dynamic think tank plays the unique role of bringing together ‘India Inc.’ and geo-strategic thinking. The influential Mumbai business community engages with Gateway House to discuss India’s role and interests in a globalised world.  On a personal note, interacting with Gateway House experts and following their online presence gives me additional insight into India’s strategic thinking. Participating in panel and online discussions allows me, as well as visitors from Germany, to communicate German and European perspectives into the Indian debate and have a rich dialogue. I wish Gateway House all the best in their mission of bridging business and foreign policy in India and abroad.”

 


 

David Akov, Consul General, Consulate General of Israel, Mumbai

“The Consulate General of Israel is working very closely with Gateway House since its inception in 2009. We have found it as a valuable partner in diverse areas related to international and Indian affairs such as security and defense, terrorism, economy and public policy issues. We have high regards for senior experts, research fellows and scholars associated with Gateway House who enrich our understanding of complex affairs and give us an Indian perspective to global geo-strategic issues.

Gateway House is abuzz with activities we often participate in, such as expert talks, roundtables and conferences which result into high quality research publications. It frequently takes up top priority issues and shapes the national discourse on them in an independent, non-partisan and multidisciplinary manner.

India is on the cusp of becoming a global economic and military player. Mumbai, India’s financial and cultural capital, plays an important role in shaping India’s policies. I believe the role of Gateway House as a leading think tank based in Mumbai will grow more and more significant in the coming years.”

 


 

Brenda Leszek, Consul General, Consul General of the Republic of Poland, Mumbai

“Today’s complex public policy environment has created a demand for organisations that can bridge the gaps between research, policy-making, and the public, and also generate innovative ideas and programmes. Gateway House is one such institution– it is a valuable voice in understanding and communicating the processes and challenges of economic and social development in India. Members of the diplomatic community in Mumbai attending Gateway House’s meetings benefit from the educational function of the think tank. The topics covered at the meetings and diversity of experts engaged deserves the highest appreciation.”

 


 

Pule I Malefane, Consul General, Consul General of South Africa, Mumbai

“The South African Consulate General in Mumbai subscribes to Gateway House as a think tank that has added value to its operations and plans in India. Through the cordial relationship that exists between the two entities, we say high profile leaders and organizations sharing their thoughts and views on critical geo-political and economic matters affecting India and South Africa in particular, and the world in general.

Gateway house is a distinctive organization, due to its singular focus on contemporary, foreign policy topics and creative business strategies.

Gateway House has been providing a unique service to the Consulate General of South Africa. Through their meticulous, relevant and forward looking research, they have ensured that they have always been in a position to answer any questions of either economic, political or foreign policy relevance.

Furthermore, Gateway House, through its various constructive and informative meetings and events that concentrated on important topics such as BRICS, has ensured that vital attention had been focused on contemporary issues and have always provided relevant and invaluable recommendations related to the topic and concrete information on business and other opportunities to all interested parties, who seek their counsel.”

 


 

Erdal Sabri Ergen, Consul General, Consul General of Turkey, Mumbai

“I have found Gateway House to be an important window to the geo-strategic issues surrounding India – their activities help us put various global and regional developments into perspective. The Turkish Consulate follows the opinions and analyses published on Gateway House’s website with interest; we share it with our Ministry of Foreign Affairs when it is relevant. We value our collaboration with Gateway House to host joint events and roundtables – the most recent interaction was between a delegation from a think tank connected with Turkey’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Gateway House. We have always received a positive, forthcoming and well-researched response from Gateway House to our questions and suggestions. We also find that they have access to a good audience. We look forward to further collaboration with Gateway House. “