Expatriate CEOs still feel safe in Mumbai

By siliconindia   |   Wednesday, 03 December 2008, 21:23 IST   |    13 Comments
Printer Print Email Email
Expatriate CEOs still feel safe in Mumbai
Mumbai: Though unnerved by the terror attack in Mumbai, many expatriate CEOs who have made this city their first home, do not think that Mumbai or other parts of India have become unsafe, reported Business Standard. "This is a dreadful attack but not unprecedented. In Bali, for instance, only foreigners were targeted. There have been major terrorist attacks in many cities of the world -Madrid, London, New York. By world standards, Mumbai is a very safe city to travel around, even late at night and for women," said Alan Rosling, Executive Director, Tata Sons. Many expat CEOs have the same feeling. Wolfgang Prock-Shauer, CEO, Jet Airways, says, "I have always felt safe in Mumbai. Unfortunately, today we live in a world where these events happen everywhere. Terror has become a part of our life." Prock-Shauer has been living in India for three years. For KR Kim, vice-chairman and MD of consumer electronics firm Videocon Group, who lives in Delhi and Mumbai with his wife, India is a big country with leaky borders and incidents, small or big, could happen. "Politically, India is a stable country. In Thailand, there have been 19 coups. I have stayed in many countries, including in Latin America," he pointed out, adding, "It was brutal attack but just because of this we cannot say Mumbai or India is becoming dangerous." Not everyone feels as secure. Gary Bennett, the Indian CEO of insurance major Max New York Life, has spent nearly 1,000 nights between the Taj Mahal Hotel and Oberoi-Trident. But he shudders at the thought of bringing his family to Mumbai. "I have been an expat for 14 years, stayed across Asia. Mumbai is part of my life. But I will think twice before bringing my wife and daughter to Mumbai," said Bennet.

siliconindia