Haveri: In a ground-breaking initiative that combined the love of sports with the world of business, Krefeld, a charming city nestled in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, played host to the inaugural Indo-German Business Summit recently. The event was a testament to the power of sports in forging international connections, as it brought together key stakeholders from India and Germany to explore mutual economic opportunities. Raveendra Kulkarni, president, Federation of Indian Industry (FII), German chapter who hails from Haveri, initiated the summit, uniting Indian and German stakeholders to explore economic opportunities via sports. This innovative collaboration stemmed from a conversation in 2021 between Angel Alava Pons, Krefeld Business, and Ranjan R Jinka, vice president at the Federation of Indian Industry (FII), Germany chapter. Ranjan proposed using cricket as a focal point, leveraging Krefeld’s cricket ground, touted to be the largest in Germany. The day took an exciting turn as Dr Anuradha Doddaballapur, captain of the Women’s National cricket team, and Venkatraman Ganesan, captain of the Men’s National cricket team, hosted a friendly cricket match, providing participants with a unique experience.“The Indo-German Business Summit in Krefeld showcased the potential of blending sports and business to foster international collaborations, leaving a lasting impression and setting a promising precedent for future Indo-German ventures,” Kulkarni added.
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