Appointment of Australia-India Council Chairman

I welcome the appointment of Ashok Jacob as the Chair of the Australia-India Council (AIC) from 2014 to 2019.

Mr Jacob's impressive business record and extensive contacts in both countries will assist him to progress the vital work of the AIC in strengthening Australia's relationship with India.

Established in 1992, the AIC promotes people-to-people and institutional links between Australia and India – with a focus on education, science and technology, sport, public policy, heritage and arts sectors.

It supports activities that encourage deeper relations and economic ties between the two countries, and that showcase Australian excellence and innovation to influential Indian audiences.

Mr Jacob holds an MBA from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, United States and a Bachelor of Science from St Joseph's College, Bangalore, India.

He is the Chairman and Chief Investment Officer of Ellerston Capital and also a director of Crown Ltd, Consolidated Press Holdings, Visy Australia, Thorney Opportunities Ltd, MRF Ltd (Chennai, India) and the Malayala Manorama Newspaper Group (Kottayam, India).

Mr Jacob was appointed to the position by the Governor-General, His Excellency General the Honourable Sir Peter Cosgrove AK MC (Retd).