Two CEOs PM Modi meets today are Indian-Americans: Know about them

Qualcomm has expressed keenness to work with India in areas such as 5G and other Digital India efforts. This was PM Modi's first meeting in the United States.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi began his US engagement on Thursday by meeting five leading American CEOs from five key sectors. Two of them are Indian-Americans – Shantanu Narayen from Adobe and Vivek Lall from General Atomics. The other three are Cristiano E Amon from Qualcomm, Mark Widmar from First Solar, and Stephen A Schwarzman from Blackstone.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has started his day in US meeting with five top American CEOs. (ANI)

The meeting is to discuss economic opportunities in India. PM Modi's engagement began with his one-on-one meeting with the president and CEO of Qualcomm, Cristiano R Amon, who expressed keenness to work with India in areas such as 5G and other Digital India efforts. The meeting and Qualcomm's assurance assumes significance as India is pushing for 5G technology. 

Follow live updates of PM Modi's meeting with America's top 5 CEOs

 

Who is Shantanu Narayen?

Shantanu Narayen is chairman, president and chief executive officer of Adobe. He joined Adobe in 1998 as vice president and general manager of its engineering technology group. He became president and COO in 2005, CEO in 2007 and chairman of the board in 2017. He has a bachelor’s degree in electronics engineering from Osmania University, a master’s degree in computer science from Bowling Green State University and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of California. 

PM Modi's meeting with Narayen reflects the IT and digital priorities of the Indian government. 

Who is Vivek Lall? 

Vivek Lall is a renowned scientist who is presently the Chief Executive of General Atomics Global Corporation based in San Diego, California. General Atomics is one of the world’s largest privately held nuclear and defence companies. In May 2018, he was appointed by the United States government in a key advisory role for a two-year term to the US Cabinet Secretary heading theDepartment of Transportation.

Modi’s meeting with Lall is significant as General Atomics is a pioneer in military drone technologies and the world’s top manufacturer of military drones, which the US shares only with its key allies. For over a decade, Lall has been instrumental in major bilateral defence deals worth around USD18 billion, as India and the US take steps to forge a new relationship in which defence trade is a key pillar.

Here is all you need to know about the rest of the companies CEOs of which are meeting PM Modi now. 

Qualcomm

Qualcomm is a world leader in 3G, 4G, and next-generation wireless technology innovations for more than 30 years and is now pioneering to 5G with a new era of intelligent products.

First Solar

First Solar is a leading global provider of comprehensive photovoltaic (“PV”) solar solutions. The meeting shows India's commitment to the use of solar power to meet its energy needs.

Blackstone

Blackstone is one of the world's leading investment firms investing capital on behalf of pension funds, large institutions and individuals.

(With PTI inputs)