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| Union Minister Piyush Goyal with Jonathan Gray, President & COO of Blackstone along with Mr. Prakash Melwani, Chairman of Blackstone’s International Private Equity business.(Photo: piyushgoyal.in) |
YMAM Desk
New York, October 07, 2026:
Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal held a series of meetings with senior leaders of leading U.S. companies in New York this week to discuss opportunities for strengthening India–U.S. trade and invite top U.S. companies to explore investment opportunities in India.
Goyal met President & COO of Blackstone Jonathan Gray and Chairman of Blackstone’s International Private Equity business Prakash Melwani. Discussions focused on expanding Blackstone’s investments and partnerships in India across key sectors.
He also met Chairman & CEO of Neuberger Berman George Walker and senior members of its leadership team. Discussions covered opportunities to deepen investment linkages and strengthen engagement in financial and wealth management services.
In his meeting with President & CEO of The Estée Lauder Companies Stéphane de La Faverie, Goyal discussed growth opportunities in India, including increased manufacturing and sourcing, as well as the country’s growing beauty and personal care market.
Goyal met Chairman and CEO of IBM Arvind Krishna, with discussions focusing on further strengthening IBM’s engagement in India and expanding collaboration in AI, cloud infrastructure, quantum computing and other emerging technologies.
During his meeting with President and CEO of MetLife Michel A. Khalaf, discussions focused on the company’s growth opportunities in India and the expanding insurance and financial services sector.
The Minister also met Chairman & CEO of General Atlantic William E. Ford and discussed opportunities to further deepen the company’s investment and business engagement with India.
Goyal further met Non-Executive Chairman of AIA Group Mark Tucker. Discussions focused on AIA’s engagement in India and opportunities in the insurance and financial services sectors, including in the context of India’s vision of ‘Insurance for All by 2047’.
The meetings provided an opportunity to discuss India’s growth prospects and investment opportunities across financial services, manufacturing, energy, technology, AI and other sectors, as well as ways to further strengthen India–U.S. economic and commercial ties.