Duncan Lawrie has opened a representative office in Kolkata offering banking and investment management services to private clients resident in India.
Duncan Lawrie, part of the Camellia group of companies, has its origins in Kolkata dating back to the late 19th century when two Scotsmen, Walter Duncan and Alexander Lawrie (pictured), travelled to the region and established merchanting houses which traded with the UK.
Kolkata now houses the head office of Camellia’s tea plantation business in India and Duncan Lawrie will operate from these premises.
Peter Field, Duncan Lawrie chairman, says: “Analysing the global financial industry, India is an obvious choice as regional centre for the distribution of our services; it has recorded continuous, impressive growth rates for the last 15 years, fosters a progressive, adaptable approach to maximising investment opportunity amongst its people and, given our connections in the area, offers the greatest appeal in terms of growth and ease of establishment.
“Wealth in the area, particularly in Kolkata, has been built on hard work and ingenuity; characteristics synonymous with the clients we already support in the UK and another strong motive behind our drive to open a representative office here; we believe our services, which will be managed from our head office in London, will be of value to individuals and families looking to diversify their investment portfolios and spread the risk associated with a younger, more volatile market.”
