In Goa for the Bizfest, he met with AJIT JOHN and talked about the organization, its presence in India and his vision for the next five years.
HERALD: How different is the BNI from other platforms that seek to bring businessmen together to network?
GRAHAM WEIHMILLER: We are very structured, during the course of our meetings, there are a lot of things happening but at the end the objective is achieved. It is not a casual meeting of people over tea and coffee. Our meetings are conducted at around 7.30 or 7.45 in the morning, where as the others meet in the evening. It is based on the concept of Givers Gain. When someone gives a referral to a member, he or she does not gain anything financially. In the US the BNI started in an urban suburban setting, then went urban and then rural, in India however it started off in urban India and then moved through to the smaller cities. It is now moving into Tier 2 and 3 in the country.
HERALD: What is the BNI take on the ‘Make in India’ program initiated by the government?
GW: We support it because in BNI, there is cooperation between BNI chapters across States and even internationally. I intend to push this even more aggressively with BNI connect whereby members can interact with each other across geographies. We have people who have business in various sectors who could cooperate and benefit from this program.
HERALD: What are your ambitions for BNI India?
GW: There are a lot of opportunities for BNI to expand in the country. At present we have around 10,000 members in the country and the average size of each chapter is this country is so much bigger. The largest chapter in the world with 108 is in Bengaluru. BNI will now expand into the Tier 2, 3 and 4 cities of the country. This country will be very important in the larger BNI network in the years to come.
