Great time for India, many forces creating tailwinds for country: Bain & Company's Manny Maceda

Talking about India's future and the evolution of its workforce, Macheda said that he is hopeful for India and that its population dividend can give it a real competitive advantage.

Speaking at the Indian Business Leader Awards Jury discussion on CNBC-TV18, Manny Maceda the CEO of Bain Global spoke at length about the possibilities that exist for India in the post-pandemic world, the pillars  driving growth and the way businesses have changed due to recent geo-political changes.

Talking about deglobalization and the geopolitical factors that are coming into play either when economic decisions or commercial decisions are made and how they are weighing on what's happening within the boardroom today, the Bain CEO remarked that, 'participating in India as a global company might actually be a risk management strategy'.

Talking about the way geo-political conflicts have impacted business decisions, Maceda spoke about various unprecedented events such as the Russia-Ukraine war and the instability in the Middle East.

"We didn't predict two years ago that Russia would invade Ukraine and that this war would still not be resolved, we didn't necessarily predict that the alignment of certain countries especially the US and China for many years would come under tension. Not that long ago we were expecting a path in the Middle East perhaps to peace with Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and Israel even normalizing relations and a month later, it's very different. So all of these are potentially global risks that change how companies make their decisions," Maceda said.

Talking about India as a market in the midst of widespread conflict, Maceda added that if India handles itself right and government and businesses create opportunities, investing in India might be a risk management strategy for global companies.

"Participating in India as a global company might actually be a risk management strategy," Maceda said.

Talking about what has worked for India in the post pandemic era and the major themes driving growth, the CEO said that it is a great time for India as it can capitalise on opportunities in digital transformation and decarbonisation as the world de-globalizes.

"I think this is such a great time for India if you look outside globally, so many forces in the world are creating tailwinds for this country. The world that had been building for a truly global seamless economy is now deglobalizing to some extent. We have to build different kinds of supply chains, we have to think about which countries are allies and that creates opportunities for India as the world continues to decarbonize and try to build a transition towards greener energy," Maceda said.

Talking about India's future and the evolution of its workforce, Macheda said that he is hopeful for India and that its population dividend can give it a real competitive advantage.

"I'm hopeful for your nation, I've watched the evolution of the workforce in many different countries around the world and sometimes it hasn't worked out so hot. The fact that you still have a population dividend that is willing to have aspirations, do reasonable amount of hard work to achieve that and a generation that hopefully is also looking to have values that are consistent with trying to save the earth, getting the balance of all of that right, that'll be a real source of competitive advantage for India and the world because others haven't gotten this right," Maceda said.