Delhi Event report
IFCCI Exclusive CEO Breakfast Roundtable 2025
The IFCCI CEO Committee convened a closed-door meeting on 24th September 2025 in New Delhi.
The Indo-French Chamber of Commerce & Industry (IFCCI), under the aegis of its CEO Committee, convened an exclusive CEO Breakfast Roundtable in New Delhi on 24th September 2025. The meeting was held in the presence of H.E. Mr. Thierry Mathou, Ambassador of France to India, and Mr. Jerome Chartier, Founder of Les Entretiens and Honorary Member of the French National Assembly.
The Ambassador emphasized the new mantra and vision, further reinforced by the joint declaration of the Year of Innovation 2026 by the President of France and the Prime Minister of India, which stands as a testament to the deep and enduring friendship between France and India. He outlined the key objectives of this initiative and noted the forthcoming visit of the French President in February next year. He expressed strong optimism that this milestone would further deepen the strategic partnership between the two nations.
The session, co-chaired by Mr. Jean Touboul, Chief Executive Officer of Pernod Ricard India, and Ms. Payal S. Kanwar, Director General of IFCCI, was attended by business leaders from leading French companies, namely Air France, Baker Tilly ASA India, CIC, Dassault Aviation, IndSight Growth Partners, Pernod Ricard, Safran India, Schneider Electric, Sopra Steria, Soufflet Malt, Systra, Technique Solaire, and Ultraconfidentiel.
Mr. Chartier, highlighting the remarkable work done under Les Entretiens, emphasized their New York and Abu Dhabi editions, before turning the focus to the forthcoming second edition of Les Entretiens 2026, scheduled to take place in Mumbai. In this context, Mr. Sumeet Anand, Co-Chair of Les Entretiens Mumbai, shared his insights, underscoring the importance of convening key stakeholders to ensure the success of the initiative.
The deliberations provided a platform for CEOs to outline key priorities for advancing the Indo-French business agenda. A strong emphasis was placed on the upcoming AI Summit 2026 and initiatives tied to the Indo-French Year of Innovation, along with the planned launch of the Indo-French Economic Outlook Survey in February 2026, which will highlight the contributions of French enterprises in India and present their perspectives for the future.
The roundtable further underscored the need for enhanced collaboration in areas such as innovation, skill development, job creation, and the consolidation of bilateral ties. Emphasis was also placed on expanding corporate social responsibility initiatives and strengthening social engagement to generate a lasting impact within local communities. A central theme throughout the discussions was the urgency of promoting climate-resilient urban development and embedding sustainability at the core of all sectors.
The meeting concluded with a reaffirmation of the participating business leaders’ commitment to strengthening Indo-French cooperation through innovation, sustainability, and inclusive economic growth.
