Melissa Frakman

For decades, India was often viewed as a vast yet underdeveloped market, while China basked in the spotlight as the darling of emerging markets. Yet, today, India is undergoing a remarkable transformation at an astonishing pace. Its previous identity as a hub for business services outsourcing is rapidly giving way to a new image – that of a country capable of achieving moon landings, pioneering the most advanced real-time payment and identification infrastructure, affordable mobile internet connectivity for a billion people, and hosting the world's second-largest number of startups. Coupled with its historically more open economy than China's, widespread use of English, and positive relations with the US and Europe, this moment in India’s history presents a truly unique opportunity for Western businesses.

From accessing the next billion digitally-empowered consumers to collaborating on the development of cutting-edge technology products, Western organizations are presented with a multitude of opportunities, harnessing both India's economic surge and the global relevance of innovations emerging from the country. However, navigating India's multifaceted and intricately woven landscape is no easy feat.

In her thought-provoking keynote, Melissa Frakman will share unique business insights and actionable strategies drawn from almost two decades working on the ground in India, close to both the business and policy ecosystems. Her message serves as a compelling wake-up call, urging global organizations to recognize India's transformative potential, showing how to engage in strategic partnerships and how to harness the greatest global opportunity of the next decade.