'Beginning to see green shoots of private capex'

After leading private equity (PE) firm KKR in India for a decade, SANJAY NAYAR has taken over as president of the Associated Chambers of Commerce & Industry of India (Assocham) to steer the industry body at a crucial time.

- SANJAY NAYAR

Nayar, who is also the founder of Sorin Investment Fund, spoke to Dev Chatterjee in a video interview from Europe about Assocham's priorities, pickup in private capex, and the startup ecosystem. Edited excerpts:

You are taking over as Assocham president at a very crucial time as geopolitical tensions globally are rising and interest rates are up... What's the road ahead?

 While I kept very busy during my tenure with KKR, I always wanted to spend my time contributing towards the nation's development.

Today, I am well placed to spend time in facilitating the industry-government vision of India's growth, leveraging my four decades of experience in the financial and capital markets. Going forward, aligning with the government's priorities will be the top priority for us.

Micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) have to be further facilitated with ease of doing business so that their growth propels the country. I am keen to work with the stakeholders to understand what to do with private savings as overseas savings are flowing in, but local savings are being crowded out.