Duncan Lawrie has opened a representative office in the west Bengalese city of Kolkata.

The launch of a representative office in India harkens back to Duncan Lawrie’s roots, which stem from the entrepreneurship of two Britons – Alexander Lawrie and Walter Duncan – in nineteenth-century British East India.

Both men established merchanting houses in India which traded with the UK and also managed commercial enterprises such as tea estates, which today are still part of the Camellia Group, Duncan Lawrie’s parent company.

Having consolidated operations in the UK after a recent phase of expansion, the exploration of new markets is a natural progression for Duncan Lawrie. Peter Field, Duncan Lawrie chairman, said:

“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."