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The conference brought together Indian and American captains of the industry to talk on the infrastructure opportunities in India.In its international avatar, ASAPP MEDIA, as ASPIRE, held a one-day conference on September 17, 2011, in New York, showcasing the infrastructure opportunities in India. The conference boasted of an impressive speaker line up comprising Indian and American captains of industry, who shared their insights and experiences with an avid audience. Packed to capacity on a Saturday, the conference, held at the Indian Consulate, saw delegates delighted with the calibre of the speakers and the sheer range of subjects.A pre-conference cocktail reception drew a full house and saw the likes of Steve Forbes, Chairman, Forbes Group and Senator Larry Pressler gracing the occasion.The buzzing evening set the tone for the conference the next day.Keynote speaker Senator Larry Pressler, recounted his experiences whilst being on the board of Infosys, while also calling Montek Singh Ahluwalia as India’s greatest asset. He summed up his analysis by saying in the race to create infrastructure, the need to restore the ethic of public good, remained paramount. Moreover, four of India’s ‘Most Admired Companies� who made it to the event were awarded by Larry Pressler.(For more on India’s Most Admired Companies, refer to page no. 170)The sessions, which included Urban infrastructure; Policy, Tax and Regulatory issues; Power; PPP and Financing Models in Infrastructure Projects saw a range of speakers with expertise in both markets.Pramod Bajaj, Head of Chancery, represented the consulate, while Luis Miranda, Chairman, IDFC Private Equity, expertly moderated the sessions.The speakers included:Pratap Vijay Padode, Editor-in-Chief, Infrastructure TodaySenator Larry Pressler Diane Farrell, Executive Vice President and Senior Director, Policy Advocacy, US-India Business Council (USIBC)Gautam Bhandari, Managing Director-Infrastructure, Morgan StanleySanjay Joshi, CEO, Lanco InfratechLuis Miranda, Chairman, IDFC Private EquityDwaraknath Narasimhan, International Tax Services, PricewaterhouseCoopersAbhishek Jain, Vice President, The Blackstone GroupSumant Srivastava, Vice President-Marketing, KEC InternationalHarish Mathur, CEO, IL&FS Transportation Networks LtdAvinash S Patwardhan, Vice President & Technology Fellow (Water Business Group) & Sustainability Manager- International Region, CH2M HILLDagmar Fleming, Director, Global Business Development- Eastern Hemisphere Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM)Atul Tandan, Chairman, ASAPP Media Information GroupFalguni Padode, Group Managing Editor, ASAPP Media.With this maiden foray into the US markets, ASAPP Media is ready to enter other uncharted territories.