Payal S. KanwarDirector General, Indo-French Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IFCCI) / CCI France-Inde Recipient of the Knight of the National Order of Merit, Government of France

Payal S. Kanwar took the position of the Director General of the Indo-French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in 2016 after successfully completing 5 years at the chamber as the Regional Director from 2011-2015. With over fifteen years of experience in the field of international business relations, public communication and advocacy, Ms. Kanwar plays a key role in the Indo-French business relations and was awarded the Knight of the National Order of Merit (Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Mérite) by the Government of France in 2022. A gold-medalist and topper in French Honors from the Punjab University, she also has a Masters in Corporate Communications from NEOMA Business School in France. She held senior positions at the Embassy of France in India and BNP Paribas from 2006 to 2011.

Ms. Kanwar has played a pivotal role in the development of the Chamber with the Chamber winning four international awards from 2018 to 2023 by the CCI France International. She has facilitated a number of interactions between French companies and the Central & State Ministries in India and has initiated various dialogues to promote the Govt. of India’s national campaigns such as Make in India, Digital India, Clean India. Her work with the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Govt. of India has largely benefitted French SMEs and large business groups. Under her leadership, IFCCI has grown in stature as a nodal organization for advancing the interests of France and its co-operation with India. In 2023, she participated in the official state visit of the Indian Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi to France.

Apart from this, her contribution has been recognized in the media and she has been a part of media interviews with The Quint, The Business Standard, Indian Express and so on.

She lives in New Delhi and speaks fluent English, French, Hindi and Punjabi. She is a mother of two children.