Yves Guillaume, President-India, Airbus Group, has a simple advice for foreigners working in India: Be patient as there is huge business. Having spent over 10 years In India, Guillaume is now keen that his son, who is studying engineering and is due to graduate soon, look at a possible internship with an Indian company.

How different has your experience been in India compared with the Asia-Pacific region?

India is a universe in itself. I spent a lot of time in the Middle East and about 10 years in South East Asia. Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam are all different countries, but have less diversity than India.

If you had to implement something from France in India, what will that be?

I do not want to offend your President or Prime Minister (laughs). As you know, the French economy is not the most booming one these days.

I was in Germany the other day and the quality of highways is excellent. It’s also very clean. But it is easier to manage a population of 60-70 or 90 million than managing 1.2 billion.

One of the problems here is the quality of the environment, like the pollution in Delhi.

How difficult or easy have you found it to do business here?

A group like ours deals with the commercial aviation sector. When you deal with IndiGo or even in the past when we were with Captain Gopinath or Mallya the decisions were taken very fast.

When we deal with Indian businessmen, decisions are taken immediately.

When you deal with private companies here, it’s almost the same as dealing in other countries because they have to deal with their boards in the next six months.

What is your advice to foreigners coming to work in your company here?

The number of expats is decreasing because we have more locals. People adapt to India or they do not.

Adapt in what sense?

The relation you can have with India when you arrive is strong. Some people when they arrive are confused about people, organisation, etc.

After six months, they go back. But those who are here usually stay for a long time. It takes time to understand India so it is better that people stay longer.

If a European or American from your company came to you and said I am getting posted in India, what will you tell him?

To be patient, because there is business in India.

There is private sector business, which is very fast and quick. Besides, there is Government business.

Government business in the world takes a lot of time. In India, it takes even more time. It is not only in one sector, but in all sectors of the economy.

What about the work culture? People give you a time and almost always never make it…

But that is true for a lot of countries. You have to adapt and like it. It’s not only for business meetings. When I came, I organised a dinner party. Many people agreed to come. But some forgot to say that on the same evening they had accepted five other dinner party invitations. They came because they liked me. After that, I stopped organising dinners! But India is a much more open society. It is easier to be received.

What is one thing you will change in India?

The Indian way of driving could be improved. Yesterday, I was on the street and a guy decided to take a short cut on the wrong side.

As a result, there was 3-km long jam on the opposite way because this guy decided to go the wrong way.

I like India so I do not want to complain too much. But, I am French, and they always complain so the weather. Then there is the issue of never forming a queue.

This is part of a series on expat CEOs working in India

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