The India Expert

For Western companies, it was conventional wisdom that you located your Asia-Pacific office in either Hong Kong or Singapore. Both cities offer modern amenities for expatriates and both have a cosmopolitan air about them. But the world has changed.

A Chinese survey of 112 companies found that 78% of them prefer to locate their staff on the Chinese mainland. Only 43% thought highly of Singapore and just 39% felt strongly about Hong Kong. While the report does not say, I bet Shanghai is the winner among the China mainland locations. Shanghai aspires in many ways to be the new Hong Kong and during my time there I have always felt quite comfortable and welcome.

Companies used to believe that they could “run” India out of their Asia-Pac headquarters in one of the cities mentioned above. And some choose Dubai. But most have realized that they must  choose an India location to manage the India market.

Posted on April 14th, 2009 by Gunjan

California-based management consultant Gunjan Bagla runs Amritt, a consulting firm helping American companies to succeed in India. He is author of Business in 21st Century India: How to Profit Today from Tomorrow’s Most Exciting Market (Hachette Book Group, July 2008).