Tipperary leads the way in the Ireland-India business relationship

The Ireland India Business Association (IIBA) is the leading bilateral trade organisation in Ireland dedicated to building lasting networks and partnerships across both countries, focussed on every aspect of India – Ireland business collaboration.

At a recent IIBA business and cultural event to celebrate Diwali, the Indian festival of light, hosted by Pat Moran from PwC at their Dublin office, Kuldeep Joshi, Director and Vice Chairman of the IIBA, took time in his address to make mention of the IIBA’s strong ties with  Tipperary County Council while welcoming Anthony Fitzgerald, Head of Enterprise at the Council.

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With current two way trade between the EU and India estimated at €184 billion, opportunities for Ireland under the imminent new EU-India Trade Agreement could be significant. Currently Ireland accounts for €16 billion of this trade figure.

Leading imports from India are in the areas of pharmaceuticals, chemicals, machinery and textiles while there is strong Irish exports in aviation, medical devices, whiskey/spirits, pharmaceuticals and IT consulting.

Both governments have been working to increase these strong trading ties, most notably in September of this year, with the launch of The Ireland-India Economic Advisory Panel by Simon Harris, Tanaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs.

The trading relationship between Ireland and India is ever strengthening, and as one of two Irish councils (alongside Dublin City Council) with full membership of the IIBA, Tipperary has taken a leading role in working with and supporting the bilateral trade ambitions of the two countries. With a strong Indian corporate presence in the county already, through Amneal Pharmaceuticals in Cashel and Infosys BPO in Clonmel, its strong ties with the IIBA, and a forward-thinking approach to building its contacts in India and other international networks, Tipperary has the real potential to benefit from any increase in trade between the two countries

After the event, The Nationalist caught up with Kuldeep and Anthony to hear more about the relationship between the IIBA and Tipperary County Council and their roles in increasing trading links.
Kuldeep is also Senior Director and Head of Quality at Amneal Pharmaceuticals in Cashel and has lived in the town since he came to Tipperary ten years ago as one of the senior executives leading the establishment of the company when it acquired the old Johnson and Johnson site in 2015.

Kuldeep says; “I first came to Cashel in November 2015 when we bought the site and there were only three or four people. The first few years were about working to set up the site, setting up secure operations, meeting with the regulators, applying for licences, meeting with vendors etc. This was all from scratch. For myself, I was settling down, getting connected with the community, growing my understanding of Ireland and Tipperary.

And then the pandemic came in 2020 so it was 2021 realistically when things started moving
At this point I became a board director at the Federation of Indian Communities which is the national body of Indian communities in Ireland, an umbrella organisation that manages all the different Indian communities in Ireland.

And as I settled, I spotted a gap; that businesses in India did not see Ireland – let alone Tipperary - as a gateway to Europe. People saw the gateways in places such as Amsterdam or Malta from a pharmaceutical point of view, and also tended to think of Germany, the UK etc. But post Brexit we have such value including being the only native English-speaking country in Europe…. we can become a gateway.

So, at the IIBA what we did was set out to create an awareness. We started a working session between India and Ireland which Anthony was involved in along with Enterprise Ireland and the Industrial Development Agency (IDA).
We came up with working sessions to create this awareness; awareness in terms of what is needed to do business in Tipperary and Ireland.

So, this group set out to help Indian businesses with how to do business in Ireland, how to set up a company, what are the different schemes available from the IDA and Enterprise Ireland.
And similarly, and crucially, we ran counterpart events in India …. if a Tipperary or Irish company wants to set up in India, then what is needed?

We brought the two aspects together; Indian companies doing business in Ireland and Tipperary companies doing business in India. There is the need to expand awareness of Ireland in India.
“When it comes to doing business in Europe, not everyone knows about Ireland and the benefit of Ireland, and this is something which the IIBA is really trying to expand in order to increase this awareness in India.”

Anthony echoed this point regarding Tipperary companies looking at potential opportunities in India
“Tipperary businesses, as a first port of call, have the IIBA to help with setting up a company in India; this is what to do, who you should be talking to in the Embassy, who you should be talking to in India to assist and make things more efficient, how to increase the likelihood of success. They can get great value as opposed to trying to do it all by themselves.

“The IIBA is a real knowledge base and increasingly we will see more and more Irish and Tipperary companies working with them. The IIBA work very hard at developing their network and contacts, building the relationship between India and Ireland. They give great insight into what Indian businesses and culture are about.”
I asked Anthony why Tipperary found itself in the position as an early mover in Ireland – India business relations and trade development.

“Tipperary County Council is very internationally minded, continually looking to build links with all countries and their businesses who could set up in the county. The more you can meet with them the more we learn and get better and better at international outreach.

When you are trying to position a county, it is an ongoing thing, you are open to discussions with companies and groups from all around the world. In Clonmel alone we have companies who are originally from India, Belgium, Germany, Yemen and Australia, plus large employers from the United States such as Boston Scientific, Abbott Vascular from Chicago, and MSD, headquartered in New Jersey.

It’s also very important for us to engage with companies wherever they are from at the cultural level. Being involved with the IIBA allows Tipperary to extend business and cultural links and develop Tipperary as an outward looking county willing to have discussions across a wide range of issues and opportunities

Tipperary is leading the way as India and Ireland get closer. Tipperary is in a really good position. We already have two major Indian companies here in Amneal and Infosys BPO. We have to be proactive…we’re always looking at investments that can support the county and its people and our relationship with the IIBA is a great example of that.

Part of our role is to be that outward looking, forward thinking organisation on behalf of the county and its people.
We are well networked. When we build contacts with one country it always leads to contacts with other countries.
I asked Kuldeep about how his thinking on Tipperary and Ireland has progressed during his time at both Amneal and the IIBA.
“At one working session, something came up that really stuck with me; one gentleman said “doing business in India is good but there is a trust issue……. India is so much bigger than Ireland. So, if an Irish business person goes to India, they do not know where to go, what to do, who to speak with and what to target.”

“As a director and Vice Chair of the IIBA, these were two things that occupied my thoughts. I thought that, as a business association, if we could nail those two things down, we could make a much better relationship between India and Ireland from a business and cultural perspective.

“At the IIBA we help to build trust on both sides and provide connectivity - helping Irish businesses to understand India and Indian businesses to understand Ireland

“In 2024 we hosted a significant event with Anthony and Tipperary County Council, where we invited a group of fifteen business leaders from my home province of Rajasthan, representing the Federation of Rajasthan Trade and Industry, to come and visit Ireland. It was a very significant three-day activity. Days one and two were focussed on Tipperary, they had a full tour of the county to understand more about the county’s significant benefits as a business and life location, and on the third day the group visited Waterford to understand more about coastal areas.
“I had noticed in the IIBA that if I talked to an Indian business in India about doing business in Ireland, everyone in their head had Dublin.

“What came out of this was the very strong message that the county of Tipperary has more to give to Indian businesses looking to invest or locate. Ireland is not just Dublin
“We would like to expand such initiatives with other county councils as well, but Tipperary has had a relationship with us for several years and is working to lead the way. The work we have done, and are doing with Tipperary County Council, could almost become a case study, a template of what we can do with other counties for the benefit of both Ireland and India.”

In closing our chat, I asked Kuldeep about his personal thoughts on the future of the Tipperary – India business relationship and his role within it.

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“I have been here ten years now along with my wife and four children, I’m very well settled and connected, it’s my home.
“I am a director of the Tipperary Public Participation Network, a member of the Strategic Policy committee in Tipperary for social inclusion and community development and a Director of the Federation of Indian Communities in Ireland.
“I know so many in the county and I feel, as a proud Cashel man, that I should be doing something connected with my county, something that I can contribute to.

“That drives my enthusiasm and motivation; that down the road I can look back and feel that I did something to help nurture a strong, positive and beneficial connection between Tipperary and India.”