Council History

The India-Saudi Business Council, “the Council,” was established as a non-profit organization in 2012 as a spin-off of the Indian-Saudi Arabian Joint Economic Commission, a technical assistance initiative between the Saudi Ministry of Finance and National Economy and the Indian Ministry of Finance, which was co-chaired by former Saudi Minister of Finance and National Economy and Indian Minister of Finance.

For 10 years of continuous operation, the Council has contributed to hundreds of millions of dollars in cross-border trade and investment in the forms of contracts, memoranda of understanding, and letters of intent. The bottom line deliverable of the Council in Saudi Arabia is access – access to information and to senior decision makers in both the government and private sector.

The Council also plays an advocacy role by working with the Indian and Saudi public and private sectors on issues affecting trade and investment. In this regard, over the years the Council has organized and convened formal discussions between senior executives of Saudi and Indian companies and government officials from the Saudi Ministries Foreign Affairs, Commerce, and Health and the Ministry of Commerce. The opinions and commentary from these gatherings have informed both governments through policy papers and recommendations from business.