For immediate release
Prime Minister, David Cameron has announced the launch of a new,
dynamic and self sustaining network of British and Indian young
leaders, which will be delivered by Common Purpose.
The aim of the initiative is to expand, enrich and energise
relations between India and the UK by investing in the next
generation of leaders, and develop shared approaches to 21st
Century political, economic and social challenges.
Twenty exceptional young talents in each country from diverse
fields including: civil society, government, the civil service,
arts, media, politics and business will be identified to
participate in the initiative following an open application
process. The initiative will commence in autumn 2010.
The Prime Minister made the announcement about the initiative as part
of his India visit with a 100-strong delegation of leaders in
government, and the private and public sectors.
"To my mind globalisation should be about more than the trade of
goods and services; it must be about the trading of experiences and
stories between friends on opposite sides of the world and our
countries can set the example. That's why today we are launching a
new network to bring together the next generation of British and
Indian leaders. There will be politicians - they always seem to
turn up everywhere, yes - but there will be entrepreneurs,
scientists, people in the media and dynamic young people from both
our countries, brought together to find solutions to the challenges
we face. I hope that by the time of the next UK-India summit they
will be coming back to us buzzing with ideas and inspiration which
both government and the private sector can act on," Prime Minister, David
Cameron said.
Whilst in Bangalore, the Prime Minister participated in a Common
Purpose course for emerging leaders at Infosys headquarters exploring issues around
courage and leadership.
"We have discovered just how much young leaders from both
countries have to learn from each other," says Julia Middleton, founder and Chief
Executive Officer of Common Purpose. "The experience, energy and
commitment of leaders in both the young and old democracies is deep
and inspiring."
An independent Advisory Group comprised of leaders from the
public, private and not-for-profit sectors from the UK and India
will indentify a pressing and common issue to both countries. They
will set the challenge for all 40 participants to work together and
develop ideas and potential solutions.
The 40 participants will meet for four days in either India or the
UK to consolidate ideas and determine a plan to combine their
energies and address the issues. They will then form into smaller
groups and use technology to continue to work together over the
course of six months, at which point they will present their ideas
to policy makers in both countries.
Sponsors of the Network to date are: Barclays, Kingfisher
Airlines, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Tilda Riceland and United
Business Media. The venue at Pune, kind courtesy Tata Management
Training Centre.
Common Purpose is working in partnership with the
British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) to deliver this
initiative.
Applications are encouraged from potential participants across all
sectors who have demonstrated leadership; as individuals, at work
or in society. To ensure a rich and diverse group, bursary places
are available for those who would otherwise not be able to afford
to participate.
Contacts
For further information on the application process for the
UK-India Future Leaders network, please contact Adirupa Sengupta on +44 (0)207 608
8150.
For media enquiries, and to arrange interviews and images,
please contact Lyndal Stuart on +44 (0)20 7608 8122 or
+44 (0)795 856 0943.
Sponsors
Barclays
Established more than 300 years ago, Barclays has grown to
offer a range of products and services tailored to meet the
specific needs of its customers all over the world. Today, Barclays
is a major global financial services provider engaged in retail
banking, credit cards, corporate banking, investment banking,
wealth management and investment management services with an
extensive international presence in Europe, the Americas, Africa
and Asia. Barclays operates in over 50 countries and employs more
than 144,000 people. Barclays moves, lends, invests and protects
money for more than 48 million customers and clients
worldwide. As a responsible global citizen, Barclays is
committed to ensuring the sustainability of the communities in
which the business operates, and strives for sustainable
relationships with customers and clients worldwide.
Kingfisher Airlines
Kingfisher Airlines
is India's only five star airline. India's favourite airline
commenced operations with a brand new fleet of aircraft on 9 May
2005. Widely acclaimed as India's most premium private airline, it
now offers over 380 flights daily connecting 71 key business and
leisure destinations in India and abroad. Kingfisher Airlines is
committed to the spirit of innovation and offers its guests the
unparalleled flying experience. It has been conferred the
'Five - Star Airline Status', the most recognized and prestigious
award that honours airline Product and Service Quality Excellence,
by Skytrax, the world's leading, independent travel forum and air
travel information organisation
Kingfisher Airlines has been conferred numerous national
and international awards in the last five years, the latest being
the awards conferred at the world airline awards in Hamburg,
wherein it bagged the best Airline award for India and central
Asia, Staff excellence award and the Best economy seat in the world
award.
PricewaterhouseCoopers
PricewaterhouseCoopers
provides industry-focused assurance, tax and advisory services to
build public trust and enhance value for our clients and their
stakeholders. More than 163,000 people in 151 countries across our
network share their thinking, experience and solutions to develop
fresh perspectives and practical advice.
'PricewaterhouseCoopers' refers to PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (a
limited liability partnership in the United Kingdom) or, as the
context requires, the PricewaterhouseCoopers global network or
other member firms in the network, each of which is a separate and
independent legal entity.
Tilda
Tilda Pure Basmati is the
UK's number one Basmati brand by volume and value. With over 30
years of experience in buying, importing and selling the highest
quality Pure Basmati Rice, it's a name that you can trust. This
year Tilda is celebrating its 40th anniversary.
Tilda supports over 10,000 farmers in India, each of whom it
knows by name, by providing free Pure Basmati seeds, advice on
farming techniques and ultimately ensures they receive a fair price
for their crop at the market.
Tilda remains a family business, employing over 200 people in
the UK, and is proud of its reputation for uncompromising quality
and commitment to sustaining the legendary status of Basmati.
United Business Media
UBM is a leading global media
business which provides events; data, marketing and information
products; print products; and targeting, distribution and
monitoring services to specialist business communities. UBM employs
more than 5,800 staff in more than 30 countries worldwide.
Tata
The venue at Pune, kind courtesy Tata Management Training Centre.
