Ivanka all the way

Hyderabad: The much-awaited Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) took off here on Tuesday amid fanfare with Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurating the three-day mega conclave even as Ivanka Trump, daughter of US President Donald Trump and his advisor, dazzled the venue with her scintillating presence and powerful speech.

As many as 1,500 delegates from 150 countries gathered at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC), the venue of the conference, in Hi-Tech City, the city’s IT hub, here to debate and deliberate on issues and challenges that entrepreneurs face in the developing and developed countries. Delegates from India and abroad started arriving at the venue in the morning itself. By afternoon, the venue presented a veritable picture of diverse cultures, thoughts and beliefs. Representatives from countries like Bhutan came to the venue in traditional dresses while their counterparts from African countries.

For a change, men took backseat at the event as women, for the first in the short history of GES, far outnumbered their male counterparts. As per the organisers’ count, women accounted for 52 per cent of the total delegates, reflecting the global summit’s core theme of ‘Women First, Prosperity for All’. Further, all-women delegations arrived from more than 10 countries including Saudi Arabia and Israel, a leading destination for startups.

As expected, Ivanka, who landed in the city in the early hours of Tuesday with a 350-strong delegation from the US, was cynosure of eyes. Delegates broke into a thunderous applause when she along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao walked into the venue for the inaugural session that lasted for over an hour.

KCR delivered a short speech that lasted for just three minutes, but he made a strong case for why Telangana would always be a best destination for investments.

Ivanka, in her 20-minute long speech, focused on the need for encouraging women entrepreneurs. Audience greeted Ivanka with several rounds of applause when she spoke about T-Hub, Hyderabad being the centre of innovation and about achievements of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The three-day conclave, which would conclude on Thursday, would focus on four key areas of healthcare and life sciences, digital technology and financial technology, energy and infrastructure, media and entertainment. A cultural programme was presented aesthetically depicting the importance of all these four areas.

Post the inaugural, Ivanka Trump and India’s Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman participated in a panel discussion on ‘opening up opportunities for women entrepreneurs in their countries and communities’, which was moderated by John Chambers, Chairman Emeritus, Cisco.

In the evening, the central government hosted a dinner for delegates at the historic Falaknuma Palace. PM Modi, Ivanka Trump, KCR and others were present at the dinner.