Bharat Dhawan, Managing Partner & Group Governance Council Member MAZARS
Self and Company Introduction
Bharat is the Managing Partner of Mazars in India that is part of the global family of Mazars, a leading international audit, tax and advisory firm.
He is part of the firm’s management board and responsible for driving Mazars’ growth in India. This includes devising strategies and plans to better position and advance enterprises, both for better results in the present as well as toward the establishment of a sustainable future.
He work closely with the firm’s Partners and ensure that the connect with the clients is maintained on a personal level, creating holistic solutions for their sustainable growth. As a part of a truly global team, he ensure Mazars’ commitment to provide clients with unparalleled attention, expertise, and tailor-made services, stemming from Mazars’ diverse talent pool, and place utmost quality, professional due care and diligence in all the work.
Operating as a united partnership, at Mazars we work as one integrated team, leveraging expertise, scale and cultural understanding to deliver exceptional and tailored services in audit and accounting, as well as tax, financial advisory, consulting and legal services. Our people strength consists of 30,000 professionals in Mazars' integrated partnership and 17,000 professionals via the Mazars North America Alliance.
In India, Mazars has an ambitious growth plan and already has a national presence with a strong team of over 1,000 professionals with 6 offices. Our professionals have in-depth experience in sectors like Energy, Telecom, BFSI, Automobiles, Technology, Real Estate, Shipping, Services, Manufacturing and Retail.
What are the business and investment opportunities you see between India and France?
India and France share an unmatched synergy that has strengthened with time. Just recently we celebrated 25 years of the signing of the Strategic Partnership in 1998, which has since emerged as a close and growing bilateral relationship. It fosters close convergence of views on a range of international issues. The areas of defence & security cooperation, space cooperation and civil nuclear cooperation constitute principal pillars of the Strategic Partnership, along with cooperation in areas such as climate change and sustainable development.
There exist vibrant bilateral cultural and educational linkages, alongside growing people-to-people contacts. Indian diaspora has a sizable presence in metropolitan France, alongside the steady expansion of French companies into India.
France has not only backed India’s position on a multitude of global issues but has also become India’s second-largest defence supplier in 2017-22. Meanwhile, India has continually come to closely support France in a range of issues, be it counter-terror policies or its international geopolitical role.
With Mazars’ French roots, coupled with its strong presence in India, I am very much confident and optimistic about this invaluable reciprocity of trust between the two countries that is strong and ever-growing.
Given the severe geopolitical uncertainty we have seen across the world lately, I believe defence will continue to be a core subject that brings the two countries together on a range of strategic deals and agreements. This was a key topic in the 36th round of the Indo-French Strategic Dialogue. Along with this, I see ESG collaboration gaining profound importance in the coming years. The India-France alliance on climate change is pinned upon five critical themes, which is to shape the course of the environment on a global level.
How can businesses tap the huge potential that exists between the two countries for developing business ties and for creating more jobs?
There are more than 1,000 French establishments already present in India, stemming from corporate headquarters, regional centers, R&D centers and manufacturing plants. France is the 11th largest foreign investor in India with a cumulative FDI stock of USD 10,389 million from April 2000 to September 2022. On the other spectrum, there are more than 150 Indian companies operating in France (including sub-subsidiaries), that employ more than 7,000 people.
The opportunity for further two-way expansion here is huge. With friendlier norms and greater ease of doing business – especially with the huge jump in EoDB ranking in India over the past few years – businesses are encouraged to deepen their forward and backward linkages and position their value chain across the two countries. Core avenues for business expansion and employment generation lie in:
- Innovation accelerator hubs
- Talent retention and mobility
- Sustainability services
- Technological transformation
How has IFCCI added value to your organisation in India? Would you recommend other companies to join as a member?
With our roots originating from France in the year 1945, our natural connect with IFCCI is unparalleled. Mazars in India has successfully continued its alliance as one of the dedicated promoters of IFCCI over the past few years and have come together on many platforms.
Our senior management has a direct association with IFCCI through the medium of collaboration in various events (as speakers) and through offering our technical and advocacy expertise. The experience we have had has been really positive, where we have had the opportunity to network with like-minded professionals at various events, meet French firms, share ideas and build strategic connects. We believe this knowledge sharing and multi-level engagement is critical for any business that aims to integrate itself within the global sphere.
The successful, persistent, and committed association of Mazars with IFFCI as the sponsors or knowledge partners of their events has been an enriching experience for us and we look forward to a similar stable partnership in the future as well. We strongly recommend other companies to join in and embark upon a new era of growth together.