New FICCI UK Council Chair Priya Guha Optimistic about India-UK FTA

By: WE Staff | Wednesday, 22 May 2024

UK-based tech professional Priya Guha has been appointed as the new chair of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) UK Council at the High Commission of India in London. She expressed hope for the India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA), which aims to enhance bilateral trade worth around GBP 38.1 billion annually.

British Indian investor, Priya Guha invests in women-led innovation as Venture Partner of Merian Ventures. She emphasized research, innovation, and cultural ties for stronger bilateral partnerships, placing FTA and building foundations laid by her predecessor, Baroness Usha Prashar. Baroness Usha is the first Indian-origin judicial commissioner of the UK and was honored at the event at India House in London for promoting trade and cultural ties between India and the UK, including an FTA memorandum on non-tariff barriers that fed into the policy framework. Meanwhile, Indian High Commissioner Vikram Doraiswami praised the House of Lords peer as the first Indian-origin judicial commissioner of the UK, highlighting the chair as "part of the very fabric" of the UK, during the event.

The newly appointed chair, Priya mentioned "One role of business is to make a concrete contribution to economic growth on both sides and clearly, we have that in the India-UK relationship. But the role of business is so much more - to open our eyes to other things, to build cultural ties, to strengthen relationships, to deepen a very strong bond and take to the new stage of its potential."