The DBS BusinessClass EXIM Connect CXO Roundtable in Coimbatore brought together around 20 business leaders from manufacturing, engineering, automotive, industrial products, chemicals, textiles, and other sectors. Mr. Shyam Sekar S, Founder & CEO of Startup Xperts, moderated the engaging discussion, which explored global trade, exports, supply chains, and the opportunities ahead for Indian businesses.
The conversation went beyond the expected discussions on global trade and focused on a fundamental question: Are Indian companies merely becoming an alternative for global customers, or are they becoming their preferred partner?
The distinction led to insightful conversations around resilience, quality, technology, compliance, productivity, working capital, geopolitical uncertainty, and trust. A key observation from the discussion was that global customers were increasingly looking beyond what companies manufactured and placing greater value on the confidence that businesses could deliver consistently, regardless of external challenges.
The roundtable also highlighted the growing opportunity for India through global supply-chain diversification and the increasing attention towards its manufacturing and engineering capabilities. The discussions emphasised that the next phase of India’s growth would require businesses to scale without compromising quality, compete beyond cost, absorb uncertainty, meet global standards, innovate faster, manage capital intelligently, and become strategic partners rather than just suppliers.
The diversity of perspectives made the conversation particularly valuable, with leaders from different industries bringing distinct views on resilience, growth, operations, technology, and finance. The discussions challenged assumptions and encouraged participants to look at global growth from multiple perspectives.
The session reinforced that the true value of a CXO roundtable was not necessarily in everyone arriving at the same answer, but in leaving with better questions and deeper perspectives.
Appreciation was extended to DBS Bank and The Talk for creating the platform and to all the participating CXOs for making the Coimbatore conversation open, energetic, and thought-provoking.
The Coimbatore session marked another significant conversation in the series, reinforcing one increasingly clear message: India does not just need to participate in global trade; it needs to become indispensable to it.