HCL Group Stays Cautiously Optimistic Amid Global Tariff Uncertainties: Roshni Nadar Malhotra

By: WE staff | Wednesday, 30 April 2025

• HCL Group is cautiously optimistic notwithstanding worldwide economic volatility
• Changes in tariff structures in several countries, including the US, are adding to the uncertainty
• Roshni Nadar Malhotra, HCL Chairperson, presented the outlook of the company amidst these challenges

HCL Group is optimistically guarded against prevailing global uncertainties, especially those linked to changing tariff policies of nations such as the United States, the company's chairperson, Roshni Nadar Malhotra, has said.

"We have customers in various industries that might be impacted by these tariffs, particularly in our largest market—the US. Although we are not directly affected, our customers are finding the optimal way to deal with increasing costs and inflation fueled by tariff fluctuations is through optimization, where tech comes into play," said Roshni. She spoke these words at the inauguration of the ₹25 crore HCL Climaforce Fund.

This new fund, launched in partnership with the India Climate Collaborative (ICC), will finance 20 market-ready for-profit companies and innovations that have achieved Technology Readiness Level 7. The themes of focus are cooling, green building solutions, and freight mobility.

"Besides financial investment, the fund also hopes to foster collaboration between upcoming startups and larger companies that need practical solutions in these sectors. The Climaforce Fund will be operational for five years. We intend to fund more than 20 promising solutions that are deployable in real-world settings. We'll offer partial funding for pilot initiatives and assist these businesses in accessing the right networks, know-how, and resources required to grow," Roshni further added.

As per a company release, the fund will provide support of up to 30 percent of the overall pilot project expenses. It will also help these projects with fundraising, access to markets, and ongoing technology development even after the five-year program ends. Funding applications in the cooling and building industries will open on April 30, while freight mobility projects will be eligible to apply from 2027, she added.