Opportunities for Prosperity: Advancing Canada and India’s Relationship
Roundtable Luncheon with Gillian Frost, Sandeep Goel, and Kasi Rao
Canada and India have strong bilateral relations that are built upon foundations of trade, investment and immigration. Yet much more can be done to enhance ties between the two countries. Join us on October 29th to hear a panel of experts discuss the challenges in advancing Canada-India relations, and recommendations to bolster shared prosperity.
Gillian Frost, Executive Director, South Asia Division, Global Affairs Canada
Sandeep Goel, President and Chief Executive Officer, ICICI Bank Canada
Panelist Biographies
Gillian Frost, Executive Director, South Asia Division, Global Affairs Canada
Gillian Frost is the Executive Director of the South Asia Division, covering political/trade/development for India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and the Maldives. Previously Gillian was the Head of the Political/Economic Section at the Canadian High Commission in New Delhi, with responsibility for Nepal and Bhutan as well. Other assignments overseas included Afghanistan from 2011 to 2013 as Deputy Head of the Political Section, and Geneva from 2006 to 2009 where Gillian worked on disarmament and arms control issues.
Previous positions in Ottawa have included: Senior Advisor to the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs; Senior Policy Advisor for Canada’s chairmanship of the G20 in 2010; and, policy advisor on regional security issues and Asia-Pacific, including the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.
Gillian received her Honours Bachelor of Arts in Political Science (specialization in international relations) from the University of Toronto and her Master of Arts in Political Science (specialization in international relations) from McMaster University. She also has a degree in piano performance from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto.
Sandeep Goel, President and Chief Executive Officer, ICICI Bank Canada
Sandeep Goel is the President and CEO of ICICI Bank Canada since July 2019. In this role, he is responsible for leading the growth of the bank in the Canadian marketplace.
Previously, Mr. Goel was the Chief Risk Officer for the North American operations of ICICI Bank, overseeing all areas of risk management and regulatory relationships in both the United States and Canada.
Before joining ICICI Bank in North America, Mr. Goel was a core member of the transformational risk team at ICICI Bank UK PLC based in London, United Kingdom. Mr. Goel has also previously held a key position in the bank’s relationship team in New Delhi, India.
Prior to joining ICICI Group, Mr. Goel worked on critical software and hardware automation projects with Indian Railways based in various cities in India.
Mr. Goel graduated from Delhi University with Honours in Engineering and holds an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, India.
Kasi Rao, President and Chief Executive Officer, Canada-India Business Council
Kasi Rao is the President and CEO of the Canada-India Business Council. He also was the Vice-President and Director for the Asia Pacific Foundation's Toronto Office (2013-2017). Kasi Rao is a consultant & advisor based in Toronto providing guidance on India related strategies. In this capacity he advises corporations, universities, think tanks, not-for-profit organizations, and, different levels of government.
In 2005, he led a collaborative initiative relating to the automotive sector, as the founding Executive Director of the Beacon Project at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology. Immediately prior to this he worked for three-and-half years as the Director, Office of the President and CEO at BMO Financial Group. At the University of Toronto, where he worked for seven years, Rao served in a twin pronged role: Director of the Office of the President and Director of Government Relations. He worked for the Province of Ontario in various capacities over a period of five years: Senior Policy Advisor to the Ontario Government in New York, Policy Advisor to the Premier of Ontario, and, Special Assistant in Cabinet Office. He has a B.A from the University of Waterloo and an M.A from the University of Toronto.
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