HOUSTON (TIP): Indo American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Houston held its 18th Annual Gala on September 30th, 2017, at Hilton Americas Downtown. The event coincided with the 4th Annual US-India Partnership day. The chamber has been recognizing this partnership since 1999 when India was yet to become the flavor of the future. The theme for this year’s Gala was “Partners in Progress”, which was coined before the havoc caused by Hurricane Harvey, yet very apt to depict how community partnerships have worked in the relief and recovery operations. The chief guest of the evening was India’s Consul General Dr. Anupam Ray.
Chamber’s Executive Director, Jagdip Ahluwalia highlighted this year’s economic development through bilateral ties. The new board was introduced next, led by President-Elect Swapan Dhairyawan. A video depicting the history of the chamber helped the audience appreciate this amazing journey. They were encouraged to go through the Gala magazine to get a full picture of the Chamber’s history, work and accomplishments over the 18 years.
IACCGH current President Allen Richards described the 18th year of the Chamber as the start of “a new direction”. He highlighted the collaboration with other ethnically diverse organizations and the “NexGen” initiative, providing opportunities to the younger demographic. The Gala also had amazing entertainment provided by singers Skylar Beamon, Sparsh Shah and a flash mob.
Bob Patel, CEO and Chairman of Lyondell Basell delivered the keynote. His keynote started off with his inspirational life story. He appreciated the work the Chamber is doing in creating connections, bringing the two countries closer together and advancing knowledge to create opportunity.
IACCGH also recognized the professional and public service achievements of members of the Indo American community. Port Houston Chairman Janiece Longoria received the award for the tremendous impact on the economy, Dr. Marie Goradia received “Impact on Humanity” award for her efforts through Pratham USA; Bal Sareen, CEO of Brask Inc. received the “Entrepreneur of the Year” award and Swapnil Agarwal of Karya Management received the “Young Entrepreneur of the Year” award. President-Elect, Swapan Dhairyawan, delivered the vote of thanks and outlined his plans for the coming year.