Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal held a series of bilateral discussions with senior corporate leaders in the United States, focusing on expanding commercial engagements and exploring fresh investment pathways across India. The Minister, on an official US tour scheduled through October 5, used these high-level engagements to highlight expanding industrial capabilities and pitch India as a resilient manufacturing and sourcing hub for global businesses.
Discussions with Retail and Food Giants Target and Mondelez
During his engagements, Goyal met with Grant McGee, Executive Vice President and Chief Legal and Compliance Officer of major American retailer Target. The dialogue centered on leveraging growing domestic manufacturing opportunities under the Make in India initiative, scaling up the retailer's operational footprint, and boosting direct procurement from Indian suppliers for its international retail network.
The Minister also held detailed talks with Amit Banati, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of confectionery and snack multinational Mondelez International. Highlighting the company's long-standing footprint in the country, Goyal said, "हमने भारत में मोंडेलेज की सात दशक पुरानी मौजूदगी और उसके विनिर्माण, खरीद और निवेश का विस्तार करने के मौकों पर चर्चा की।" The deliberations focused on deepening manufacturing capabilities, widening supply chain integrations, and channeling new capital into Indian operations.
Strengthening Sports Ecosystem and Local Sourcing with Nike
Earlier, Goyal engaged in a bilateral session with the senior leadership team of sportswear manufacturer Nike. The meeting included Venkatesh Alagirisamy, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer; Rob Leinwand, Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer; and George Casimiro, Vice President and Chief Government and Public Relations Officer.
Addressing the scope of their engagement, the Minister said, "हमने भारत के साथ नाइकी के लंबे समय के जुड़ाव को आगे बढ़ाने के मौकों पर चर्चा की और विनिर्माण, स्थानीय खरीद तथा व्यापक खेल परिवेश में उसकी मौजूदगी को और बढ़ाने के तरीकों पर विचार किया।" The talks examined ways to deepen domestic assembly, expand local procurement pipelines, and support the evolving sports ecosystem in India.
Broadening Partnerships with Aon, ADM, and Cognition
In the professional services domain, Goyal conferred with Greg Case, CEO of Aon, to explore strategies for scaling the global professional services firm's operations and expanding service delivery centers within India. Expanding on agribusiness prospects, he met Juan Ricardo Luciano, Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of Chicago-based Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), exploring avenues to increase ADM's presence and investments across India's agricultural processing sector.
On the technology front, the Commerce Minister also met Paul Grewal, Chief Legal and Global Affairs Officer at tech firm Cognition, exchanging perspectives on technological collaboration and emerging digital opportunities.
