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February 24, 2025

Lamont leads CT delegation on economic development tour in India

HBJ Photo | Joe Cooper Infosys' office in Hartford’s Goodwin Square.
By Andrew Larson

Gov. Ned Lamont and several other state officials are crisscrossing India this week on an economic development tour, meant to boost ties with the South Asian country.

The trip includes meetings with “notable Indian companies” that are considering expansions in North America, according to an announcement from Lamont’s office.

Lamont’s group was set to arrive in India on Sunday and will return Saturday, March 1. They will visit the Indian cities of Chennai, Bangalore and Mumbai.

The delegation includes Economic and Community Development Commissioner Daniel O’Keefe, former PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi, UConn President Radenka Maric, Yale University Vice Provost for Research Michael Crair, Connecticut Innovations CEO Matthew McCooe and leaders from AdvanceCT, the state’s nonprofit business retention arm.

India resident and Infosys CEO Salil Parekh, a board member of AdvanceCT, will host the group. 

Lamont said the delegation will meet with Indian companies in an effort to woo them to Connecticut.

“There are several notable Indian companies that have expressed interest in expanding their operations to North America, and we plan on meeting with them to let them know why Connecticut is an excellent place for them to select as their base of operations,” Lamont said. “We will also meet with executives from several Indian companies that are already operating in our state, such as Infosys and Tata Consultancy Services.”

InfoSys is a multinational company that offers business consulting, information technology and outsourcing services. It has a technology and innovation hub in Hartford.

Tata is another IT company, headquartered in Mumbai, which has multiple offices in Connecticut. 

The Connecticut delegation also will participate in a roundtable discussion on quantum computing.

“Connecticut has been successful at attracting Indian technology companies, especially fintech and insurtech companies that have clients in Hartford and Stamford,” O’Keefe said. “We also have the advantage of an excellent location from which these companies can easily access their clients in the large metro areas of Montreal, Toronto, New York and Boston from a Connecticut-based headquarters location.”

Connecticut has strong socio-economic ties with India, which is the most populous country in the world with about 1.4 billion residents.

According to the announcement, Indians make up the second-largest foreign-born population in the state, and Connecticut has the seventh highest population of Indian residents proportionally in the United States.

In addition, Connecticut has a relatively large population of Indian students studying in the state. About 36.5% of international students in Connecticut are from India, compared to 29.4% nationally, the announcement states.

John Bourdeaux, president and CEO of AdvanceCT, said there are several Connecticut-based companies with operations in India, including Amphenol and Stanley Black & Decker.

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