- Mr. Syed Junaid Altaf, Executive Director, FIL Industries

1. What is the biggest opportunity you see for Indo-French business collaboration in the next 5 years? Please let us know how your company/organisation is preparing for it.

The next five years mark a significant phase in Indo-French collaboration, particularly in scaling innovation across agri-tech, green mobility, digital infrastructure, and climate-smart solutions. The designation of 2026 as the France-India Year of Innovation, reaffirmed by Prime Minister Modi and President Macron in January 2024, reinforces this trajectory. This bilateral commitment, culminating in the AI for Impact Summit hosted by India, underscores a shared vision of co-creating solutions for global challenges through joint innovation.

At FIL Industries, we are aligning our strategy accordingly. Our partnerships with French companies, such as POMA SAS in urban mobility and DALIVAL through FILAVAL, which focuses on horticultural science and agri-innovation, are emblematic of how Indo-French synergies can generate a scalable impact. The recent Indo-French Business Awards 2025 further reflected this momentum, with innovation as the most competitive and celebrated theme.

Guided by the Horizon 2047 Roadmap, we believe India and France are uniquely positioned to build frameworks that blend scientific excellence with ecological responsibility. FIL’s investments in smart agriculture, sustainable infrastructure, and international R&D collaboration are designed to be both regionally rooted and globally relevant, echoing the ethos of a partnership that aspires not just for growth, but for shared progress.

2. In today’s evolving global landscape, how are you building resilience and agility in your leadership strategy?

In an era defined by uncertainty and accelerating change, resilience and agility are no longer traits—they are foundational to leadership. At FIL Industries, we are embracing a strategy of adaptive governance, where decentralised leadership, cross-functional thinking, and scenario-based planning guide our decision-making frameworks. Leadership today requires the ability to anticipate complexity, integrate innovation, and respond with purpose. For us, that means embedding digital foresight, sustainability consciousness, and local intelligence into our organisational DNA.

Our leadership philosophy also draws inspiration from India’s evolving global posture and our international partnerships, particularly with France, where collaboration is focused not just on projects but on long-term value systems. As the AI for Impact Summit and Horizon 2047 initiatives take shape, we are increasingly adopting AI led tools and data-driven models to support strategic agility and future-readiness.

Resilience at FIL also means aligning leadership development with ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) imperatives and stakeholder engagement. We believe organisational agility is derived not from velocity but from relevance—the ability to adapt meaningfully, maintain trust, and evolve with integrity. Whether in climate smart farming, green infrastructure, or consumer supply chains, our leadership strategy is rooted in building institutions that are resilient by design and agile by culture.

3. With sustainability and innovation now essential to business success, could you share some recent initiatives your company has undertaken in these areas?

At FIL Industries, sustainability and innovation are not parallel pursuits—they are fundamentally intertwined. Our strategic focus is on integrating environmentally responsible practices with forward-thinking technology across every segment of our operations. This includes projects such as Skyview by Empyrean and the Dehradun-Mussoorie Ropeway, which are developed in collaboration with POMA SAS France. Once completed, the Dehradun-Mussoorie Ropeway will be the longest ropeway in South Asia and India’s first ropeway for both tourism and urban mobility.

Simultaneously, through FILAVAL, our joint venture with DALIVAL France, we are introducing high-yield, low-chill cultivars and deploying intelligent agri-tech systems to promote climate-resilient horticulture in India’s temperate zones. These initiatives speak to our broader mission—creating circular, efficient, and digitally enabled value chains in agriculture. Our cold-chain infrastructure is now integrating renewable energy systems, while our R&D continues to explore water-efficient farming and bio-inputs. Sustainability, for us, is not just compliance, it’s a commitment; and innovation is not simply invention—it’s purposeful progress that aligns economic outcomes with environmental and societal imperatives.

4. With 2026 being celebrated as the Indo-French Year of Innovation, how do you envision this initiative creating new opportunities for growth and collaboration?

I believe that the Indo-French Year of Innovation will serve as a launchpad for scaling joint solutions in agri-tech, green mobility, digital infrastructure, and climate-smart practices across Indian and French organizations. For FIL Industries, it is an opportunity to deepen our collaborations with our French partners like POMA SAS and DALIVAL, expanding into areas such as AI-led traceability, renewable-powered supply chains, and advanced horticultural science. The Indo-French Year of Innovation 2026 will push India’s agrochemical sector toward reshaping agrochemical demand. While the direct impact on the sector might not be immediate and singular, several avenues suggest potential shifts and developments. Additionally, the French investments and partnerships could introduce innovative products, R&D opportunities, and joint ventures in the Indian market and bring innovations in design, safety, and energy efficiency, positioning gondolas as a scalable, eco-friendly alternative for both urban transit and tourism.

Guided by Horizon 2047, we see this initiative as a platform to co-create globally relevant and locally impactful models of sustainable growth.

5. As a CEO, how do you view India's role in your global growth strategy and what strategic advantages does the country offer your business or the industry you operate in?

India represents more than a growth market—it is an intellectual and operational nucleus for global innovation. With its scale, policy momentum, and demographic strength, India enables businesses like FIL Industries to test, refine, and scale impact-driven models that are both economically viable and socially transformative. Its evolving digital infrastructure, government support for green projects, and expanding global influence—highlighted by its leadership in initiatives like the AI for Impact Summit—make it an indispensable geography in our long-term strategy.

For FIL, India is where global partnerships meet local applications. Our collaborations with French firms such as POMA SAS and DALIVAL reflect this principle. While these alliances bring global expertise in green mobility and agri-tech, India provides the fertile context—literal and figurative—for implementation and expansion.

India’s strategic advantage lies not only in scale or demand, but in its ability to transform global solutions into local systems of resilience and then re-export those ideas to the world.