American Chamber of Commerce elects Krish Iyer as new chairperson

Iyer replaces Pratyush Kumar, president, Boeing India, who served as AMCHAM chairperson for two years.

The American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) in India has announced Krish Iyer, President & CEO, Walmart India as chairperson of its National Executive Board. The election was made at the National Executive Board Meeting held recently. Iyer succeeds Pratyush Kumar, president, Boeing India, who served as AMCHAM chairperson from April 2016 to April 2018.

The Board also elected Kaku Nakhate, president & country head (India), Bank of America and Arun Kumar, chairman and CEO, KPMG in India, as vice-chairpersons and Atul Dhawan, partner, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India LLP, as secretary and treasurer. The US Ambassador to India Kenneth I. Juster is the honorary president of AMCHAM India.

Speaking about his new role, Iyer says, “The two big democracies of the world – India and the US share an enduring and strong bond. I look forward to leading AMCHAM as its chairperson at a time when the Indo-US relationship has strengthened, both in terms of policy environment from respective governments and the significant contributions being made by the US businesses in India. There is tremendous focus from the Central and State Governments of India to improve ‘ease of doing business’ which is giving further boost to several industries to grow and flourish. Initiatives such as Make in India, Skilling India, Digital India to realize common goal of bringing long-term benefits to the country has created tremendous potential to create millions of skilled jobs for our young population as well as boost domestic manufacturing and consumption and thereby create shared value in India. I would like to thank my predecessor (Pratyush) Kumar for steering AMCHAM India to greater heights and making it a premier organization that has helped businesses in India and U.S. forge stronger ties.”

Commenting on the new appointments, Ranjana Khanna, director general and CEO, AMCHAM, says in a press statement, “We are delighted to have (Krish) Iyer on board. With over four decades of experience in varied fields such as finance, marketing, retail and general management, Krish brings significant management and leadership expertise to the table. Having him as chairperson will help AMCHAM further enhance its role as a bridge builder between U.S. businesses in India and various stakeholders.”

Iyer has an illustrious career spanning over four decades. He joined Walmart International in 2012. Prior to Walmart, he has been in senior leadership position with, A.S. Watson Group (a leading international health, beauty and lifestyle retailer) and Piramyd Retail Limited (a Piramal Enterprises unit). He is a chartered accountant and an associate member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.