Australia India Business Council Ltd. Makes History with All-Women Leadership Team

By: WE Staff | Tuesday, 13 September 2022

Jodi McKay, a former leader of the opposition in New South Wales, and Ravneet Pawha, vice president (global alliances) and CEO (South Asia) at Deakin University, will serve as the executive directors of the Australia India Business Council, which was established to promote bilateral relations between India and Australia. The appointment of Ms. McKay and Ms. Pawha as National Chair and National Vice Chair, respectively, of the Australia India Business Council Ltd. (AIBC), comes at a crucial juncture in the history of relations between Australia and India, as the two nations have just agreed on an interim free trade agreement and are currently engaged in negotiations for an Australia India Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement. The respective Prime Ministers of both nations at the time—Bob Hawke and Rajiv Gandhi—created AIBC in 1986.

Ms. McKay, a former Australian politician who served as Strathfield's Labor Party representative from 2015 to 2021, brings a plethora of expertise to the role. She served as the Opposition Leader in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from June 2019 until that time. Ms. Ranveet Pawha has over three decades of experience as an entrepreneur, a pioneer in the field of international education, research, training, and upskilling, and she has played a key role in developing a number of strategic alliances between Australia and India. In 1994, she established the Deakin University office, which was the first international "university office" of a foreign educational institution in India.

Jim Varghese and Sanushka Seomangal, the departing leadership team, were thanked by Ms. McKay and Ms. Pahwa. "Jim and Sanushka have placed AIBC in a strong position to champion the India Australia trade cause. Ravneet and I hope to build on that work for the mutual benefit of our two great nations," said Ms McKay. " Ms. McKay remarked. Irfan Malik, CEO and Managing Director of Innovation Global, and Ashok Mysore, Associate Vice Chair, (Vice President Delivery and Operation, Infosys) will support Jodi and Ravneet in the AIBC national leadership .

About Australia India Business Council 

It is the only prestigious non-profit organisation with the mission to foster and uphold strong relationships with Federal and State government organisations, the diplomatic community, and industry associations in both Australia and India in order to promote trade dialogue between the two countries.