IT Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) recently sent the largest foreign business delegation to the 25th edition of the NASSCOM India Leadership Forum to Mumbai last 17-19 February 2016, sending a signal and willingness to work closely with the Indian IT/BPM industry according to the Department of Trade and Industry’s Philippine Trade and Investment Center – New Delhi.

IBPAP newly-elected President Ike Amigo led the 24-member delegation including IBPAP Board of Trustees and top industry business executives Catherine Salceda-Ileto, Benedict Hernandez, and David Leechiu at the annual event considered to be one of the world’s most important IT and business process events.

The Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC) in New Delhi, commercial section of the Embassy of the Philippines in India and South Asia and the official representation of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), provided full support to the large Philippine delegation and arranged strategic leadership meetings between officials of the IBPAP and NASSCOM. The meeting between NASSCOM and IBPAP discussed stronger and strategic engagements between the two largest IT and Business Process associations of the world, stronger collaboration and how both associations can jointly address new and growing challenges faced by the industry today.

Philippine Commercial Counsellor Michael Alfred Ignacio, who heads the Philippine Trade and Investment Center in New Delhi said, “We arranged this leadership meeting between the Philippines’ and India’s industry associations as it is important that both IBPAP and NASSCOM work together to discuss and further common interests in order to address new and emerging global challenges faced by the industry as a whole and to sustain the industry’s sustainability in today’s economic landscape.” DTI-PTIC New Delhi also arranged the IBPAP leadership’s meeting with the President of the United Kingdom’s Global Sourcing Association, formerly the National Outsourcing Association, which awarded the Philippines its most coveted Offshoring Destination of the Year Award three times in the past. “Given the changing climate in the world today, it is important to explore and re-engage other markets for the Philippine IT and business process industry as a whole, taking stock of our strengths and advantages, as well as the demands of the changing global markets,” said IBPAP President Ike Amigo.

The NASSCOM India Leadership Forum 2017, now on its 25th year, discussed today’s industry trends and challenges, such as the looming impact of intelligent automation and artificial intelligence, the growing importance of intelligent data and analytics, trends in innovation and their impact on the global industry’s trajectory. The event was highlighted by keynotes of several global thought leaders such as India’s richest industrialist, Mukesh Ambani, CEO of Reliance Industries Limited and Ginni Rometti, Chairwoman, President and CEO of IBM. PTIC New Delhi also supported last year’s delegation to the NASSCOM event with a 12-member delegation, with similar meetings with NASSCOM officials and business-to-business meetings with several Indian Conglomerates.