'5 Questions' with Richard McCallum, Senior Advisor, UK India Business Council

"In India, tomorrow always feels brighter than today.” That’s how Richard McCallum, Senior Advisor at the UK India Business Council (UKIBC), describes the country he’s called home for 20 years. In this edition of '5 Questions', he reflects on what it’s been like to grow with India’s optimism and momentum, how technology underpins every UK–India partnership, how UKIBC supports brands entering new markets, why more UK firms should set up GCCs in India, and his hopes for 2047 — UPI working in London, an IIT campus in the UK, and deeper defence ties.

Q1. India has been your home for 20 years. How do you describe it to people back home in Britain?

When describing India to people back in Britain, I tell them that in India, it feels like tomorrow is going to be better than today, and today is better than yesterday. Sadly, that’s not the prevailing mood in the UK. In India, there’s a huge sense of optimism, potential, progress, and momentum right now.

It’s important to convey this back to the UK because too many people have an outdated view of India. For example, people in the UK are often surprised when I tell them what India has achieved with its digital public infrastructure is more advanced than the mobile payment systems we are using in the UK. I don’t blame them – even I get surprised by how India is changing. I recently went to Hyderabad for the first time and was blown away by the city’s business district. It felt like I was in Singapore. I love living in India. It’s been my home for the last 20 years, and I have no plans to go back to the UK.

Q2. You’ve said that technology is a thread running through every sector in the UK-India economic partnership. In what ways?

The UK has a very strong, sophisticated, and deep technology ecosystem and heritage. The country has won more Noble Prizes than any other nation except the USA. At the same time, India has a vibrant and thriving tech sector. It's hungry for technology and has scale. I think, these things should combine for mutual benefit. This runs through every sector of the relationship - from aerospace and defence to education, telecommunications and agritech.

Q3. What kind of support does the UK India Business Council offer to UK brands expanding into India and vice versa?

The UK India Business Council is a fantastic organization. Since its formation nearly two decades ago, it has supported over 800 companies in their market journeys. The type of support provided depends on the stage a company is at. Some well-established firms may need policy advocacy or government affairs support, while those new to the market might be looking to identify local partners or navigate regulatory compliance.

Q4. What did a typical day look like as Group CEO of the UK India Business Council, and how has that changed now in your independent advisory role?

This is where one’s supposed to say, "there was no typical day…", but thinking back there were lots of fairly typical, well-structured days. Much of it involved receiving updates on commercial targets and individual projects, reviewing service and process improvements, or speaking to clients. With teams in India and the UK, the days were long and a lot of the conversations took place online.

But there was also a huge amount of variety. I could be visiting a factory in Newcastle in the morning, talking about Indian defence procurement, and then find myself meeting a Russell Group university vice-chancellor to discuss student visa advocacy in the afternoon. There was a lot of travel, plenty of public speaking, and many roundtables to chair – that sort of thing.

Now that I’m an independent advisor, my focus is much narrower. I need to deliver on two or three objectives over the next six months and be precise about how I allocate my time to each task. But I’m also working on projects unrelated to UK-India trade – including a book. So, I must balance a few quite diverse workstreams.

It’s too early to say if I’m succeeding or not!

Q5. As India works toward its Viksit Bharat 2047 goals, what do you envision as the defining achievements of the UK‑India partnership by then?

In today’s fast-paced world, it’s hard to predict what the world might look like next year, let alone 22 years from now. So, I’ll speak to some general trends – and a few specifics.

First, I want to make it very clear that these are my personal opinions – I’m not speaking for, or representing, the views or agenda of anyone else or any organization.

– I’d love to see UK companies embrace Indian companies in genuine partnership. Sure, India is a huge market, but focusing only on that misses the bigger picture. UK firms need to see India as part of their talent chain, supply chain, and R&D chain. UK firms should be manufacturing like crazy in India, as part of their global supply chain diversification.

– I’d like to see tens of thousands, not just a few hundred, UK firms embrace the concept of using a GCC (Global Capability Centre) in India, even if it’s on a fractional or pay-as-you-go model. Just look at how Indian ingenuity and talent in places like Bengaluru are transforming the tech at big firms around the world.

– By 2047, I think the UK could cement its role as India’s primary net-zero partner. The UK’s adoption of renewable power is genuinely impressive: in 2024, for example, wind accounted for 32% of the UK's total electricity generation – more than natural gas.

– I want India to see the UK as a genuine partner in its defence sector. The UK has under 4% market share in India, compared to France’s 33% – but with the right models (co-creation, co-development, Make-in-India for the world), the UK and India could help each other in ways that just exist in the imagination right now.

And a few specifics:

– I’d love to see the UK adopt UPI – so I can make payments there as easily as I can in India!

– I’d love to see an IIT open a London campus by 2047! Lots of UK universities are looking at India. How about something headline-grabbing in the other direction?

– And finally, I hope that by 2047 the UK Government will have formally apologised to India for atrocities like the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. No one alive today (or in 2047) bears responsibility for the past – so it should be easy for us to say sorry. An apology is the right thing to do, and I believe I would go a long way in India.