Jo Ahmed, Partner at Deloitte in the North West, has been named one of the top 100 most influential people in UK-India Relations in 2019, in a list published by India Inc.
Now in its third edition, the top 100 recognises the contribution of senior UK figures in driving close relationships between India and the UK. For the first time ever, the list featured exclusively women influencers, with Jo one of only two North West leaders to be named.
As head of Deloitte’s Global Employer Services team in the North West, Jo has over 20 years’ experience in global relations, working with a range of clients, from small to medium entrepreneurial businesses just engaging in overseas expansion, to large multinationals.
She is also a Board member of the Manchester India Partnership (MIP), an initiative set up to strengthen trade, investment, cultural and educational links between Manchester and India. Since its inception, MIP has enjoyed continued success, including the announcement of Indian IT-services firm Tech Mahindra’s new ‘HQ of the North’ at MediaCity, and winning ‘Trade and Investment Promotion Agency of the Year’ at the India Inc awards 2019 for the second consecutive year.
This is the latest recognition of Jo’s contribution to the North West’s global links, following her appointment as Honorary Consul of Japan in Manchester in January 2018. In this role, Jo works with the Japanese Government to boost the relationship of Manchester and Japan.
Jo Ahmed commented: “I am extremely honoured to be recognised as one of the most influential people in India-UK relations and look forward to work in partnership with city stakeholders to further enhance those links. There is a longstanding tradition of co-operation and close ties with India and the North West which we continue to celebrate as a region.
“The importance of the relationship with India cannot be understated. The rapid growth of the Indian economy – predicted to be the fifth largest in the world in 2019 – means that consolidating already strong ties is a priority for North West businesses.”
