President Donald Trump is set to meet a group of Global business leaders, including Indian, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos on Wednesday, placing the spotlight on US policy priorities at the annual gathering of political and corporate leaders.
The Indian executives expected at the reception include Natarajan Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Sons; Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman of Bharti Enterprises; Srini Pallia, CEO of Wipro; Salil S. Parekh, CEO of Infosys; Anish Shah, Group Chief Executive of the Mahindra Group; Sanjiv Bajaj, Chairman and Managing Director of Bajaj Finserv; and Hari S. Bhartia, Founder and Co-Chairman of the Jubilant Bhartia Group.
Their presence reflects India’s growing corporate footprint at Davos, which this year has drawn over 3,000 delegates from more than 130 countries.
The meeting comes at a time when Indian exporters have been facing a 50% tariff imposed by the United States under the Trump administration for more than four months, adding pressure on trade and export-oriented businesses.
It also coincides with changes announced by the US Department of Homeland Security to the H-1B visa programme. The department has replaced the long-standing random lottery system with a weighted selection process that prioritises higher-skilled and higher-paid foreign workers. Under the new framework, employers filing petitions at higher wage levels are expected to have improved chances of selection.
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The revised visa policy is expected to have implications for India’s information technology sector. Software services exporters such as Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys and Wipro, which have historically benefited from the H-1B programme, may need to recalibrate hiring strategies, particularly for mid-level and entry-level roles. Higher visa fees, including an additional $100,000 charge, are expected to add to cost pressures for outsourcing firms.
