The international IofC Centre, Mountain House, Caux has hosted the annual CIB Conferences regularly since 1973. With the increasing involvement of the Indian Businesses and professionals in the programmes, aims and ideas of CIB from the year 2005 it was decided to alternate the venue between Caux, Switzerland and Asia Plateau, India.

Asia Plateau(AP) has been catalytic in bringing conflicting groups together in an atmosphere of serene reflection and open hearted dialogues which have resolved may apparently impossible situations in several parts of the country and beyond in a variety of fields. Industrial unrest those days was a major problem with many strikes and stoppages. Trust between the employers and employees had broken down, there were divisions within the trades unions which were manipulated by politicians for their own advantage and the economy suffered with ever increasing price rise of essential commodities. Development was limping.

Industries like Forbes Marshall found the environment at AP conducive for meetings and dialogues with a cool head. Seeing the effectiveness of Asia Plateau in building bridges and creating trust, industry and business began to send both management and workers to AP for training. Then followed a series of regular programmes designed for industries which over the last 35 years became popular, now known as ‘Effective Living and Leadership’ (ELL). These programmes, getting constantly refined and evolved to match the current scene in business and wider society, are much sought after. More recently targeted ELLs for other areas like educators, management students, families and so on are being held. Need for programmes with a higher content of concern for senior management has led to the development of a series called, ‘Heart of Effective Leadership’ (HEL) which is attracting wide participation.

A company like the Kirloskar Brothers Ltd. at Shirwal some 50 kms from AP has sent all their staff and workers to the ELLs and HELs with dramatic results to the benefit of both the employees in their personal and family life as well as to the company. They report a 300 % increase in production without adding any more machines or men and an all round improvement of environment in the area.

In the light of all these developments, hosting CIB conferences was a natural next step for AP. Since 1975 AP and Caux have been hosting them in alternate years. The conference in 2007 and the present one are being jointly sponsored by Japan and India under the leadership of Hironori Yano, Chairman, IofC (Japan) and Sarosh J. Ghandy, regional Director, CIB. This is in line with India’s increasing involvement with East Asian countries and the growing relationship with Japan.