With his farewell to Atlanta approaching this summer, India’s second consul general in the city will be reflecting on his three years here at two upcoming events in the next two weeks.
Nagesh Singh, who arrived in 2015 to take over for founding consul general Ajit Kumar, has been a fixture in the community, aiming to raise India’s economic profile in a region where it hasn’t been as appreciated as some other partner nations.
India’s growth as a trading partner for Georgia has been unavoidable in the last few years: It has long been one of the largest source nations for containerized imports, but this year, the state cracked $1 billion in exports to the country, helped along by a Lockheed-Martin deal to supply India with C130 planes made in Marietta.
Indian investors like Jindal Films and others have spent hundreds of millions of dollars setting up Atlanta factories, and Middle Eastern air carriers have set up in Atlanta to serve the diaspora and business communities of the Southeast. India is also becoming an formidable innovator in the financial technology space — a key sector for Georgia — and on other complimentary industries like smart cities and the Internet of Things.
These topics and more will be on tap this Wednesday, May 9, as Mr. Singh becomes just the second repeat guest in the Global Atlanta Consular Conversations series of monthly luncheon interviews. Read the first interview here
The following Wednesday, May 16, he’ll join the World Affairs Council of Atlanta for a reception where he’ll be in discussion with Jeremy Pilmore-Bedford, the outgoing British consul general.
Mr. Pilmore-Bedford (the only other diplomat to be interviewed in the Consular Conversations format twice by Global Atlanta) is leaving Atlanta in June for a posting in Chennai, India, where he’ll be deputy high commissioner, a position roughly equivalent to a consul general. His portfolio will include trade issues, like Atlanta, but also some new things, like processing visas. Read: From South to South: Atlanta’s British Consul General Headed to India in June
Join the Global Atlanta event luncheon here (and read a bio for Mr. Singh) or learn more about the World Affairs Council of Atlanta event at Farewell Atlanta: Last Chat with Consuls General Jeremy Pilmore-Bedford (UK), & Nagesh Singh (India).
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