Balfour Beatty, Aecom, Atkins and Mott MacDonald accompany David Cameron on trade delegation

India

Leading construction firms arrived in India today as part of a trade delegation to the country, led by the prime minister.

Bosses from firms including Balfour Beatty, Atkins, Mott MacDonald, Arup, Aecom, Benoy, and John McAslan & Partners, are part of the three-day UK Trade & Investment visit, which includes David Cameron and well as other ministers including energy minister Greg Barker.

The 100-company strong delegation will meet Indian government ministers, inward investors and businesses in both Mumbai and Delhi.

Contract wins have been announced to conicide with the trip, including Mott MacDonald being appointed as design engineer for six stations within the £2bn Hyderabad metro project and Benoy being chosen to design a shopping mall just outside Bangalore.

Cameron said:  “I am determined to do everything I can to ensure that Britain succeeds in the global race and to link British business up to the world’s fastest growing economies. As India grows, it needs a partner that can support its ambition – in infrastructure, in energy, in healthcare and more.

“It wants its business to have unrivalled access to European and global markets and its students to get the best education in the world. Britain can do all these things and more. So, we have to get out there, make the case for Britain and open doors for British business.”

The UK government said today that it would support the creation of a new pan-India network of British business centres by 2017, the first pilot in a scheme of 20 overseas business networks, backed by £8m of government funding.

It has also produced a study for business called ‘UK India: A Natural Fit’ that identifies eight key sectors where UK strengths match India’s economic requirements.

Those on the delegation include:

  • Torquil McIntosh, director, Sybarite Architects
  • Keith Howells, managing director, Mott MacDonald
  • Hiro Aso, director, John McAlsan Architects
  • Philip Bouverat, director, JCB
  • Uwe Krueger, chief executive, Atkins
  • Graham Cartledge, chairman, Benoy
  • Ian Tyler, chief executive, Balfour Beatty
  • Terry Hill, chairman, the Arup Trust
  • Jason Prior, chief executive of buildings and places, Aecom
  • John Cridland, director general, CBI

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