Washington - The Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM), the nation's official export credit agency, has announced the addition of new members, including several Indian-Americans, to its four advisory subcommittees. These subcommittees - Council on Climate, Council on China Competition, Council on Advancing Women in Business, and Council on Small Business - play a crucial role in advising EXIM on its initiatives as the agency endeavors to advance key priorities of the Biden-Harris administration.
Pavneet Singh, the CEO of Infobalize, has been appointed as a member of the 17-member Council on China Competition. Singh currently serves as an independent consultant, offering advice on various subjects like emerging technology, national security, supply chain resilience, public finance, and geopolitics to public and private entities, as well as US government agencies. He has previously held roles in the National Security Council (NSC) and National Economic Council (NEC) during the Obama administration. As part of this council, Singh and other members will provide guidance on promoting US leadership in relation to China and supporting American growth and employment through competitive export finance.
Four Indian-Americans have been selected to the 19-member Council on Environment, including Nava Akkineni, VP of Developing Business sectors at Nextracker; Karl Mehta, chairman of Quad Financial Backers Organization; Shubha Nagarajan, Managing Director, Global Capital Advisory, North America, GE Energy Financial Services; and Meghan Pasricha, Managing Director of Riverstone Holdings. As members of this council, they will assist the agency in identifying gaps in private-sector financing opportunities and fulfilling Congress's mandate for EXIM to promote and support environmentally beneficial, renewable-energy, energy-efficiency, and energy-storage exports from the US.
Daniel Rajaiah, Director of Global Strategy and Operations for Mastercard, has been appointed to the Council on Small Business, which consists of 18 individuals. In 2020, Rajaiah was honored with the Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Award for his contributions to promoting foreign investment opportunities through the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum.
EXIM plays a significant role in contributing to the economic growth of the US by supporting numerous jobs in export-oriented businesses and their supply chains across the country. Since around 1992, EXIM has generated more than $9 billion for the US Treasury, contributing to the repayment of US debt.