Foreign Trade Knowledge Summit

The rapidly evolving economic and international market scenario unfolds enormous career opportunities for youth in foreign trade policy, logistics, supply chain management, forex risk management and EXIM documentation. Keeping this in mind, WTC Mumbai’s World Trade Institute organised a one-day Foreign Trade Knowledge Summit to create awareness about the emerging career opportunities in foreign trade.

Dr. Srinivasan R Iyengar, Director, Jamnalal Bajaj, Institute of Management Studies kickstarted the discussion at the Summit by delivering the keynote address. He shared effective marketing lessons to transform Indian products into global brands. He said, “India is a volume player, and it is leading in 17 economic sectors ranging from agriculture, pharmaceuticals, aviation, automobile etc.”

The Summit generated lively discussions among academic experts and industry professionals on topics such as role of trade education in realizing India’s vision of USD 5 trillion economy, emerging businesses in foreign trade and international marketing trends.

The event was addressed by Dr. Shobana Vasudevan, Principal, R A Podar College of Commerce & Economics; Dr Neha Jagtiani, Principal, R D National College and other experts from academia and industry.

Ms. Smita Deshmukh, Head-Center of Excellence, WTC Mumbai outlined the roadmap of World Trade Institute to cater to the emerging demand for skilled professionals in foreign trade. She informed about the future plan of the institute in collaborating with leading colleges, Universities and Business schools for imparting industry-relevant skills in various aspects of foreign trade.

Ms. Deshmukh informed that the Institute has launched a NAAC approved Foundation Course on Import-Export Business to get students to learn the fundamentals before seeking admission to the long and short-term courses.

Earlier in her welcome remarks, Ms Rupa Naik, Executive Director, World Trade Center Mumbai pointed out that India aims to enhance its total exports to USD 2 trillion by 2030, which presents huge opportunity for aspiring exporters, trade consultants, logistics & supply chain professionals and other experts in the field of foreign trade.

She remarked, “India hardly has 3% share in world export of goods and services, which reflects untapped export potential. This is going to be the decade of India as the country is set to be the hub of the global supply chain. Students can consider making a career in foreign trade to explore the emerging business opportunities in exports, imports, logistics, shipment, foreign exchange management, export documentation and trade finance, to name a few.”

The event received an overwhelming response from 200 students across 31 educational institutions in Mumbai and adjacent towns. It also served as an effective platform for ideation and sharing of knowledge between industry and academic leaders on the critical skills required for professionals in foreign trade.

In Photo (From left to right): Mr. Krunal Goda; Mr. Sumeet Mehta, Finance expert, Author and Journalist; Ms. Rupa Naik, Executive Director, WTC Mumbai; Dr. Srinivasan,Director & Professor, JBIMS University of Mumbai; Dr. Shobana Vasudevan, Principal, R A Podar College of Commerce & Economics; Dr. Neha Jagtiani, Principal, R D and S H National College; Ms. Smita Deshmukh, Head- Center of Excellence, WTC Mumbai; Aman Chawla, Founder and CEO Finsarthi; Mr. Satish Sangameswaran, Managing Director, DAA Consulting.