A. Selvadurai Hallman Sees Australia, New Zealand and India as a Powerful Triangle for an Uncertain World
Singapore business leader A. Selvadurai Hallman says Australia, New Zealand and India can form a powerful triangle of stability, resources, talent and growth as global uncertainty reshapes trade, investment and migration.
OPINION & VOICES
Singapore-based international business leader A. Selvadurai Hallman believes Australia, New Zealand and India can become one of the world’s most consequential economic partnerships at a time when families, investors and companies are searching for stability, trusted institutions and long-term opportunity.
Drawing on more than 50 years of international business experience, Mr Hallman has worked across Europe, Singapore and India and built extensive connections with Australian business and community networks. As the leader of Hallman Group, he has focused on connecting European technology, Singapore capital, Indian talent and Australian resources, positioning himself as a longstanding advocate for practical cross-border partnerships.
Mr Hallman argues that the world’s overlapping challenges, including conflict in Europe, tensions in the Middle East, United States-China decoupling, supply-chain disruption, inflation and climate pressures, have made certainty more valuable than ever. In his view, Australia and New Zealand offer the security, resources and institutional strength needed for long-term planning, while India offers the scale, talent and entrepreneurial energy needed for future growth.
Australia, he said, is exceptionally well placed for the decades ahead. With a population of about 27 million people across a continent-sized landmass, the country holds strategic reserves of lithium, cobalt, nickel and rare earths, materials essential to electric vehicles, batteries, semiconductors and the global energy transition. Mr Hallman also highlighted Australia’s position as a major net food exporter, its world-class universities and its reputation for legal certainty, transparent institutions and political stability.
For Indian entrepreneurs, Singapore family offices and international investors, Mr Hallman said Australia offers a secure second home, a dependable investment base and a platform for multigenerational wealth planning. While acknowledging that Australia is not a low-cost market, he argued that safety, stability and quality of life now carry a decisive premium in an uncertain world.
New Zealand, according to Mr Hallman, should not be underestimated because of its size. He described the country as a quiet powerhouse, praising its consistently high rankings for peace, low corruption and institutional trust. He said New Zealand’s strengths in dairy, horticulture, agri-tech and food production make it a valuable partner for India as the country works to raise farm productivity and expand food processing.
Mr Hallman also pointed to New Zealand’s renewable-energy leadership, with most of its electricity generated from hydro, geothermal and wind sources. He described the country as a living laboratory for sustainability and a natural partner for India’s green transition. For high-net-worth families in India and Singapore, he said New Zealand offers clean air, quality education, lifestyle benefits and a safe harbour during global instability.
India, Mr Hallman said, has undergone one of the most significant economic transformations of the modern era. Having known the country since the 1970s, he contrasted today’s India with the restrictive Licence Raj era and highlighted the reforms that have reshaped its business environment.
He praised the Goods and Services Tax for creating a more unified national market, reducing logistical barriers and improving the movement of goods across states. He also highlighted Make in India and Production Linked Incentive schemes in electronics, semiconductors, solar energy, automobiles and pharmaceuticals as evidence of India’s determination to become a global manufacturing hub.
Mr Hallman described India’s digital public infrastructure, including UPI, Aadhaar and ONDC, as world-leading. He said the ability to transfer money within seconds and at little or no cost demonstrates India’s capacity for scalable, low-cost innovation. He also cited the country’s expanding infrastructure, growing startup ecosystem, more than 100 unicorns and achievements in space technology and vaccine production as signs of a country ready to partner globally.
In Mr Hallman’s assessment, India offers Australia and New Zealand three compelling advantages. It provides access to a market of about 1.45 billion people and a rapidly expanding economy. It provides a deep pool of engineers, doctors, IT professionals and other skilled talent. And it provides frugal innovation, allowing complex solutions to be developed at a fraction of the cost seen in many advanced economies.
The relationship, he said, is deeply complementary. Australia and New Zealand can supply India with critical minerals, agricultural technology, clean-energy expertise, education and safe food products. India can offer Australia and New Zealand a vast consumer market, information technology services, affordable pharmaceuticals, manufacturing capacity and young English-speaking talent.
Mr Hallman sees Singapore as the essential bridge in this triangle. He said Singapore’s English common-law system, double tax treaties, financial markets, arbitration services and world-class connectivity make it a natural platform for businesses operating across Australia, New Zealand and India.
He noted that Indian companies often use Singapore as a headquarters for investment into Australia, while Australian superannuation funds can use Singapore as a route into India. Through Hallman Group, Mr Hallman has sought to bring together European technology, Singapore capital, Indian talent and Australian resources, reinforcing Singapore’s role as a trusted connector between markets.
His message to families and businesses is straightforward. Families should consider Australia and New Zealand as safe places to live, educate their children and preserve long-term stability. Businesses should see India as a growth engine and a partner for manufacturing, technology and innovation. Those seeking to connect the two should look to Singapore for the legal certainty, capital and networks needed to convert opportunity into lasting partnerships.
Having lived through the Cold War, the 1997 Asian financial crisis, the 2008 global financial crisis and COVID-19, Mr Hallman said his most important lesson is that people and capital ultimately move toward trust, rule of law and long-term thinking. Australia, New Zealand and India, he argued, are three democracies with the potential to offer exactly that.
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