Grant Thornton kicked off the festive season for UK-based businesses with an interest in the Indian market and vice-versa with its annual Diwali celebration at the historic Long Room at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London this week.
The leading consultancy and financial advisory behind the annual ‘Trackers’ collating two-way investment flows between the UK and India welcomed the brief spell of Indian Summer as the backdrop for the festivities at the “Home of Cricket”.
Anuj Chande OBE, Head of South Asia Business Group at Grant Thornton UK LLP, said: “I'm very fortunate that over 30 years, I've seen Grant Thornton really expand its India presence.
“Diwali is all about the celebration of overcoming good over evil, light prevailing over darkness. The world today is in very precarious position, but we remain optimistic in our hope that when we meet in a year's time, there has been some resolution to the conflicts that exist in both Ukraine and the Middle East. We pray that light overcomes darkness.”
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Chande went on to introduce Grant Thornton’s new London-based Partner and Head of India Global and Global Indians, Akshay Bhalla, whose focus is on building and growing a multi-disciplinary practice focussed on Indian ultra-high net worth individuals (UHNWI), their businesses and family offices with respect to outbound investments.
Bhalla said: “As an industry first, we have launched our India Global Practice, which focuses on India, outbound and Global Indians with desks in London, Munich, Dubai, Singapore, Cyprus, Gift City (Gujarat) and across all offices in India.
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“As we celebrate Diwali in the iconic Long Room, let's carry forward the spirit of both cricket and the festival – the spirit of fair play, mutual respect and illuminating the world with our collective efforts. May this Diwali bring you and your loved ones joy, prosperity and new beginnings and may our partnership continue to flourish, much like the timeless legacy of this great sport and the historic ground that's behind us.”
Gursheen Kaur Sahani, Head of UK-India Business Corridor at Grant Thornton UK, added: "Diwali holds special significance for the UK-India corridor, symbolising new beginnings and growth. “Our Diwali reception celebrates the strength of these connections, as we continue to foster collaboration and innovation between businesses in both countries."