BENGALURU: British companies are employing nearly 30,000 people in Karnataka, said Chandru Iyer, British Deputy High Commissioner to Karnataka and Kerala, at the Global Investors' Meet: Invest Karnataka 2025 on Wednesday.
He was speaking at a session titled 'UK & Karnataka: Partners in Economic Growth' with panellists including Jayakumar Doshi (British Telecom), Murali Subrahmanyam (LSEG), Andrew Cole (Micronclean), James Glavey (Tesco) and Joan Concannon (York University).
The British High Commission partnered with Karnataka for Industries Minister M B Patil’s UK roadshow in November 2024.
Key engagements included discussions with UK’s Minister of Services, Small Business, and Exports Gareth Thomas, and UK universities, Iyer said.
He added that employment by UK companies in Karnataka continues to grow, underscoring Karnataka’s appeal as a talent-rich and strategic hub for UK businesses.
The Grant Thornton CII Britain Meets India (BMI) report 2024 identified 667 British companies that are now actively contributing to India’s economic landscape, up from 635 in 2023.
Karnataka continues to retain its position as the third-largest host of UK companies operating in India, signalling a stable base for future UK investment and expansion in the state, Iyer explained.
The number of high-growth UK companies with recent turnover exceeding Rs 500 million and turnover growth above 10% has risen from 26 to 27 this year, reaffirming Karnataka’s appeal as a key market for high-performing companies and scalable UK investments, he said.