Global Courant
What do the heads of state of Great Britain, Portugal, Ireland, Guyana, Mauritius and Suriname have in common with the CEOs of the World Bank, Google, Microsoft, IBM and Starbucks?
Kamala Harris is the first American vice president with an Indian family background. Rishi Sunak is the first Prime Minister of Great Britain with the same background.
view morePublished: 25/09/2023 23:09
The answer is a family background from India.
India is the most populous state in the world. Therefore, it should not be very surprising that they also have a large expat population. According to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, 13.5 million Indian citizens live abroad. In addition, there are 18.6 million people who have Indian parents or grandparents.
There are 4.5 million first or second generation Indians in the US alone.
They are a resource that India actively uses to gain political influence.
Earlier this month, Rishi Sunak was in New Delhi for the G20 meeting, where he was received by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Leading politicians with Indian background:
1 in 5Photo: JOHANNA GERON / Reuters / NTB
Political influence
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has ministers Suella Braverman and Claire Coutinho in his government. All three have a family background from India.
During the first debate before the US Republican nomination election, two of the participants were Indian-American. Vivek Ramaswamy and Nicki Hailey hope to take on Joe Biden and his Indian-American Vice President Kamala Harris.
The American organization Indiaspora investigates politicians with an Indian background. In 2021, they found more than 200 ‘Indian’ politicians in 15 different countries.
Here are some business leaders with an Indian background:
1 in 6Photo: Marte Gundersen / Aftenposten
Made in India
In mid-September, top managers of American IT companies were summoned to a hearing in the Senate. Together with Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg from Tesla and Facebook, Satya Nadella from Microsoft met Sundar Pichai from Google/Alphabet and Arvind Krishna from IBM. The three have an Indian background.
When America’s top technology leaders gathered in the US Senate for a hearing on artificial intelligence, attendees included Google’s Sundar Pichai, Microsoft’s Satya Nadella and IBM’s Arvind Krishna.
view moreMany other leaders with an Indian family background could be added to this list, such as:
Laxman Narasimhan who heads Starbucks, Shantanu Narayen of software company Adobe, Leena Nair who heads Chanel, Vinai Venkatesham of Arsenal football club and many others.
In the border area between politics and business we find Ajay Banga. He came from the top position at Mastercard when he became head of the World Bank. In this position he meets the deputy head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Indian Gita Gopinath.
Indian media devote a lot of column space to compatriots who are successful abroad. It helps increase the pride of ordinary Indians in their country. The government hopes that the success stories can help leaders around the world gain a more positive image of the entire country.
Himanshu Gulati has Indian parents.
view moreHard work
– I have thought about this and discussed it with several people, says Himanshu Gulati, when Aftenposten asks how Indians can be so successful.
He is in the Storting for the Progress Party. His parents came to Norway from India in the 1970s. They lived in Sogn og Fjordane when he was born.
– I think this has something to do with culture and the values you bring from home. You put your full dedication, focus and effort into working hard and becoming a master in your field.
He says those who succeed have worked hard to become the best in their field, whether it is medicine, IT, economics or law.
– Only when they reach the top do they become visible.
– Then you have to consider that the Indian diaspora is extremely large. After all, we are talking about the most populous country in the world. Those who succeed and reach the top are people who have worked hard and become well integrated, he says.
When Leena Nair rose to the top of fashion house Chanel, it received a lot of attention in India.
view moreSoft power
Four years ago, Indian diplomat HHS Viswanathant gave a lecture about how immigrants themselves benefit. He said they represent soft power. They can exert influence through personal contact and in ways that are not perceived as unpleasant, political pressure.
– The best example is the nuclear agreement with the United States at the beginning of this century, he said.
“Many influential Indians in the United States have done a fantastic job of lobbying Congressmen and Senators and convincing them of our views on the issue,” he continued, adding that Indians abroad are becoming a very important resource.
The Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted the lecture on its website.
As Norwegian Americans
– It is undoubtedly a strength for India that there are many powerful international business leaders, political leaders and others with knowledge and networks in India, Gulati said in the Norwegian parliament.
– Just as it is a strength for Norway that we have many Norwegian-born American leaders. I still believe that the success of the Indian diaspora is precisely due to the fact that they are super integrated into their respective societies and that, unlike some other groups, their loyalties do not remain confined to their countries of origin.
Diversity competence in practice
In a blog, Indian corporate lawyer Shuva Mandalover reflected on the success of his compatriots around the world. He concluded that Indians are used to dealing with cultural diversity. At the same time, they bring a sense of humility when dealing with others.
It helps them when they have to manage large, complex organizations. He also believes that Indians abroad should work extra hard to show what they are good at.
“And then you have the perfect recipe for success as a leader,” he writes.
More than 200 people of Indian descent hold leading political positions in other countries. India benefits from this.
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