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Hon’ble Justice Dipak Misra
Hon’ble Justice Dipak Misra, former Chief Justice of India, was enrolled as an advocate on February 14, 1977, and practiced in Constitutional, Civil, Criminal, Revenue, Service, and Sales Tax matters at the Orissa High Court and the Service Tribunal. He was appointed as an Additional Judge of the Orissa High Court on January 17, 1996, and was later transferred to the Madhya Pradesh High Court on March 3, 1997, where he became a permanent Judge on December 19, 1997.
He assumed the position of Chief Justice of the Patna High Court on December 23, 2009, and later took charge as the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court on May 24, 2010. He was elevated as a Judge of the Supreme Court of India on October 10, 2011. He served as the Chief Justice of India from August 28, 2017, until his retirement on October 2, 2018.
He delivered several landmark judgments that shaped Indian jurisprudence. His notable rulings include the upholding of the death penalty for the convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya rape case, the decriminalization of Section 377 of the IPC, and the striking down of Section 497 of the IPC, decriminalizing adultery.
He is also recognized for his progressive stance on gender equality, freedom of speech, and his firm approach to issues like mob lynching, honor killings, and the Ayodhya dispute. His contributions to Indian law and his commitment to upholding justice have left an indelible mark on the country's legal landscape.
Hon’ble Justice A. K. Sikri
Justice A K Sikri is a Judge of the Supreme Court of India. He has an excellent academic record. Justice Sikri conducted cases of all types with specialization in Arbitration and Commercial matters, Constitutional cases and Labour – Service Matters. He was Counsel for numerous Public Sector Undertakings, Banks & Financial Institutions, Educational Institutions, and various Private Sector Corporations. Justice Sikri was also part-time lecturer in Campus Law Centre, Delhi University (1984-89); Vice-President, Delhi High Court Bar Association in 1994-95; Member of the Governing Body of various colleges from time to time; Designated as Senior Advocate by Delhi High Court on September 30, 1997; and Appointed as Judge of Delhi High Court on July 7, 1999. As a Judge, Justice Sikri has dealt with all kinds of jurisdictions. He has sat on the Commercial Bench, IPR Bench, and Insolvency Bench for a number of years and gave many landmark judgments.
Justice Sikri was chosen as one of the 50 most influential persons in Intellectual Property in the world by a leading prestigious international organization for the year 2007 in recognition to his contribution to the growth of Intellectual Property Laws through his judgments.
Justice Sikri became the Acting Chief Justice of Delhi High Court on October 10, 2011 and was elevated as the Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court on September 23, 2012. Justice Sikri was elevated as Judge of the Supreme Court of India on April 12, 2013.
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Hon’ble R. Venkataramani
R. Venkataramani has represented several State Governments, Universities, Central and State Public Sector Undertakings in Supreme Court and High Courts. He has been a Special Senior Counsel for various departments of Government of India in Supreme Court and High Courts between 2004–2010 and also been acting as Counsel for the Supreme Court in matters pertaining to the service conditions of employees of the Court.
His professional engagements and areas of interest has been actively involved in academic activities, since 1988 commencing from his association with the National Law School of India University, Bangalore and is engaged with several law schools in their academic activities. Concerned with reforms in legal education, law research and socially relevant institutional developments, Mr. Venkataramani is a member academic council of Visva Bharati, (Shantiniketan) member board of studies of school of law Bennett University, Adjunct faculty in several Law Schools including Jindal Global University.
He is interested in promoting comparative law studies and in exploring new areas of legal theory and jurisprudence, such as law and science, technology and public policy, and international law and its impact on domestic law. He is also keen to contribute towards inclusive growth, diversity element in institutions of law and justice and to use law as an instrument of peace and goodwill.
He was enrolled in July, 1977 in the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu, joined the chambers of Mr. P.P. Rao, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court in 1979 and set up independent practice in Supreme Court in1982, designated as Senior Advocate by the Supreme Court of India in the year 1997 and appointed as a Member of the Law Commission of India in 2010 and again for a further term in 2013.
His other professional engagements was a Member of the Sub-Committee on Directive Principles of State Policy, constituted by the Commission reviewing the working of the Constitution under the Chairmanship of Justice M. N. Venkatachaliah.
Co-opted member of the Expert Group constituted by the Ministry of Minority Affairs under the chairmanship of Late Prof. N. R. Madhava Menon to examine and determine the structure and functions of an Equal Opportunity Commission he has also served as Member of the Ethics Committee of the Indian Council for Medical Research, Member of the Supreme Court Legal Aid Committee for many years, Co. chair of the Asian Jural Conclave being organized by Menon Institute of Legal Advocacy and Training and Lloyds Law School, a honorary capacity as the Administrator Cum Receiver of Amrapali Real Estate Projects under orders of the Supreme Court. He was also Member cum office bearer of several Lawyers’ Associations, National and International, Life Member of Indian Society of International Law, Resource person of the Society for its Annual Summer Courses and actively participating in the Projects of the Society.
Hon’ble Justice Manmohan
Hon’ble Justice Manmohan, Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, enrolled as an advocate with the Bar Council of Delhi in 1987. He practiced primarily in the Supreme Court of India and the High Court of Delhi, specializing in Civil, Criminal, Constitutional, Taxation, Arbitration, Trademark, and Service litigation. He also served as a Senior Panel Advocate for the Government of India in both the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court of India.
Designated as a Senior Advocate by the Delhi High Court on January 18, 2003, he handled various significant cases in his private practice, involving high-profile matters related to corporate disputes, taxation issues, and property encroachments. He has delivered several significant judgments, particularly concerning the rights of economically weaker sections, children's rights to education, and issues of human trafficking.
He has a strong interest in extra-judicial activities and has actively participated in and addressed various national and international seminars and conferences. His judgments on dynamic injunctions, computation of damages in trademark matters, and legal recognition of children's rights to use their mother’s surname in official documents are considered pioneering precedents.
Hon’ble Justice Dipak Misra
Hon’ble Justice Dipak Misra, former Chief Justice of India, was enrolled as an advocate on February 14, 1977, and practiced in Constitutional, Civil, Criminal, Revenue, Service, and Sales Tax matters at the Orissa High Court and the Service Tribunal. He was appointed as an Additional Judge of the Orissa High Court on January 17, 1996, and was later transferred to the Madhya Pradesh High Court on March 3, 1997, where he became a permanent Judge on December 19, 1997.
He assumed the position of Chief Justice of the Patna High Court on December 23, 2009, and later took charge as the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court on May 24, 2010. He was elevated as a Judge of the Supreme Court of India on October 10, 2011. He served as the Chief Justice of India from August 28, 2017, until his retirement on October 2, 2018.
He delivered several landmark judgments that shaped Indian jurisprudence. His notable rulings include the upholding of the death penalty for the convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya rape case, the decriminalization of Section 377 of the IPC, and the striking down of Section 497 of the IPC, decriminalizing adultery.
He is also recognized for his progressive stance on gender equality, freedom of speech, and his firm approach to issues like mob lynching, honor killings, and the Ayodhya dispute. His contributions to Indian law and his commitment to upholding justice have left an indelible mark on the country's legal landscape.
Janak Dwarkadas
Janak D. Dwarkadas hails from a family of lawyers. His grand-uncle Tricumdas Dwarkadas, was the Founder-Partner of Kanga & Company, one of the oldest and most reputed firms of Solicitors in Bombay. His uncle, the late Damodar D. Damodar, retired as a Senior Partner of Kanga & Co. His father, the late Dilip Dwarkadas, was also an Advocate and one of the leading Counsels in the field of Income Tax.
Mr Dwarkadas specializes in Corporate Law, Intellectual Property Rights and Commercial Litigation including Securities Law and the newly-enacted Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code. Recently Mr. Dwarkadas successfully defended the statutory right of shareholders to requisition an Extraordinary General Meeting before the Division Bench of the Bombay High Court.
In a landmark decision delivered on March 22, 2022 in the matter of Invesco Vs. Zee Entertainment Enterprise Ltd. the Division Bench of the Bombay High Court after examining the provisions of the Companies Act 2013, held that the Board of Directors cannot sit in judgement of a notice requestioning an EOGM on the ground that the resolutions as proposed, if passed would be illegal or legally ineffective. He has represented clients in various High Courts as well as in the Supreme Court of India.
Mr Dwarkadas takes a very keen interest in public interest litigations (PILs), particularly those relating to the environment and public safety. He has appeared on behalf of the petitioners in PILs pertaining to: challenging the de-notification of a portion of Aarey Milk Colony from a “No Development Zone” to build the Metro 3 Car Shed; challenging permissions granted by the Tree Authority under the Municipal Corporation Act to cut/transplant 2,600 trees for the setting up of the Metro 3 Car Shed located in Aarey Milk Colony and challenging the permissions/clearances granted by the State and Central Authorities for construction of a coastal road in South Mumbai and the consequential cutting of trees and reduction in size of a public garden at Breach Candy to accommodate an access/exit ramp to/from the coastal road. The construction of the coastal road has been challenged on account of lack of environmental clearances as well as clearances under the Wildlife Protection Act for the preservation and protection of marine life.
Mr. Dwarkadas has also appeared in PIL petitions pertaining to: conservation of forests and preservation of natural heritage of hill stations like Mahabaleshwar / Panchgani; setting up of the Amby Valley Private City/Hill Station project by the Sahara Group at Ambavane and Lonavala; setting up of a gigantic off-the-coast port at Dahanu which has been declared one of the most ecologically fragile areas in India; removal of encroachments from the Sanjay Gandhi National Park which contains five lakes that supply drinking water to the city of Mumbai and cleaning up of the Mithi river to prevent recurrence of flooding in the city which occurred due to record rainfall on July 26, 2005.
Ravindra Kadam
Ravindra Kadam was one of the youngest and longest serving Advocates General for the State of Maharashtra. He served the State in this capacity from 2005 to 2012. He has frequently appeared before other High Courts, the Supreme Court of India, the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal and the Securities Appellate Tribunal.
Perhaps Mr. Kadam’s most defining quality is his knowledge of and expertise in almost all fields of law – covering commercial suits, constitutional challenges, arbitrations, insolvency and bankruptcy matters, real estate and infrastructure projects, intellectual property rights, and criminal matters. .His areas of practice cover the entire spectrum and a plethora of subjects. He is considered to be an authority in IPR and the IBC. He is revered as one of the most sought after and preeminent senior counsel in the Bombay High Court.
In addition to appearing in landmark constitutional cases before the Supreme Court of India, Mr. Kadam represented the Securities and Exchange Board of India in the proceedings against Price Waterhouse& Co. with respect to the Satyam scam before the Securities Appellate Tribunal. He was one of the lead counsels appearing for TATA Sons in the Cyrus Mistry-TATA matter before the NCLT, Mumbai Bench. He has also represented regulatory bodies like the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India and the Reserve Bank of India and public sector undertakings in various matters before the Bombay High Court.
Mr. Kadam is equally renowned for acting in cases relating to environmental and social issues including (i) the Mill Lands Case; (ii) preservation of Mangroves in Mumbai; (iii) development of Hill-Top Zone in Pune; (iv) ban on dance bars; and (v) prevention of dowry deaths. He represented the government in the suo moto criminal proceedings taken by the Hon’ble Bombay High Court against Alistair Pereira, who was convicted for killing 7 people and injuring 8 while driving under the influence of alcohol.
Mr. Kadam frequently appears in arbitration proceedings before various High Courts. He has advised clients on comprehensive strategies relating to both Indian and foreign seated arbitrations.
Sidharth Luthra
Sidharth Luthra is a Senior Advocate at the Supreme Court of India. In July 2012, he was appointed as the Additional Solicitor General of India at the Supreme Court and represented the union and various state governments in matters relating to fundamental rights, electoral reforms, criminal law and policy issues. He resigned from this position in May 2014. Luthra specialises in criminal law, white-collar crimes and cyber frauds. He studied law at the University of Delhi where he completed his LLB in 1990 and then did an MPhil in Criminology from the University of Cambridge in 1991. He was conferred an Honorary Doctorate of Law by Amity University, Noida, India, in 2015. Luthra represented former Union Minister of Finance, Late Shri Arun Jaitley in the criminal defamation lawsuit filed by him against the Chief Minister of Delhi, Mr ArvindKejriwal. Luthra is also a member of the Delhi State Legal Services Authority and the Vice-President of the Indian Criminal Justice Society. He also sits on the advisory board of two Indian legal journals, the Delhi Law Times and the Delhi Reported Judgements. Luthra dedicates nearly 30 to 40 percent of his cases to pro bono. Apart from litigation, Luthra also teaches law in India and abroad. He is a visiting professor at Northumbria University at Newcastle, United Kingdom and an Honorary Professor at the Amity University, Noida, Uttar Pradesh
Madhavi Divan
Madhavi Goradia Divan is an Additional Solicitor General in the Supreme Court of India, the youngest woman to have been appointed to the post. Ms Divan commenced practice in the Bombay High Court in 1994, establishing a largely commercial law practice. She moved to the Supreme Court in 2007 where she practised on a range of subjects including constitutional law, media law and environment law. Madhavi Goradia Divan was designated a Senior Advocate by the Supreme Court in 2019. She has represented the Government of India in landmark constitutional cases in the Supreme Court, including the Triple Talaq case, NJAC case on judges’ appointments, and challenges to the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code. She was entrusted with the task of framing the Government of India’s response to petitions by Muslim women challenging the practice of triple talaq by which a woman could be divorced by her husband instantaneously on the utterance of the word “talaq (divorce)” three times. The case culminated in a landmark judgment titled Shayara Bano versus Union of India, in which a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court delegitimized triple talaq. Ms Divan has argued free speech and media rights cases before constitution benches of the Supreme Court, notably, in the Sahara media guidelines case, WhatsApp case and more recently in Kaushal Kishore vs. State of U.P. Ms Divan has appeared in a range of corporate and commercial litigation on the original side of the Bombay High Court and Supreme Court of India. She has appeared and argued before several tribunals and fora, including the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal, Central Electricity Appellate Tribunal, National Green Tribunal, Press Council, National Company Law Appellate Tribunal, Securities Appellate Tribunal, Airport Appellate Tribunal, Debt Recovery Tribunal and Debt Recovery Appellate Tribunal and National Consumer Disputes Redress Commission. She has also conducted arbitration cases in Mumbai and New Delhi.
Ms Divan is the author of a book on media law titled “Facets of Media Law” published by the Eastern Book Company, now in its second edition. The book is widely used by practitioners and media persons, and is a recommended text book in several law schools across India. She is the co-author of Halsbury’s Laws of India - Environment, 2003, published by Butterworths. She has contributed to the seminal publication, Courts of India - Past to Present. published by the Supreme Court of India in 2016, the section “Famous Trials” which covers landmark trials spanning over two centuries, including the sedition trials of Mahatma Gandhi, the trial of the last Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar, the obscenity trial of Lady Chatterley’s Lover, and the 1993 Mumbai series blasts’ case. She has authored the chapter titled “Opening up Appointments: Civil Society Participation in the NJAC” in the book titled Appointment of Judges to the Supreme Court of India published by the Oxford University Press in 2018. She regularly writes for leading law journals and newspapers. She is the editor of The Indian Advocate, a journal published by the Bar Association of India. She has been invited as a Speaker to various lectures, seminars and conferences. She has been a guest lecturer at several law colleges across India. Ms Divan has represented various public causes on a pro bono basis, including the environment, free speech, child rights and rights of the visually challenged. She represented Citi Space, a NGO working to protect public spaces in Mumbal since 1998, in the Bombay High Court and later in the Supreme Court on a pro bono basis. She represented the Bombay Environmental Action Group (BEAG) in the Bombay High Court and Supreme Court in public interest litigation to protect mangroves along the Maharashtra coast. She represented INTACH and public-spirited citizens in a pending public interest litigation to save a public park from appropriation by a private association. She represented the Conservation Action Trust in the National Green Tribunal and the Honorable Supreme Court in a matter concerning the preservation of tiger corridors.
Ms Divan has also worked for Child Rights where she was appointed Amicus Curiae by the Bombay High Court in a case having far reaching ramifications concerning adoption of children by foreign nationals; assisted the Bombay High Court in the preparation of guidelines for the procedure to be followed in adoption matters in order to prevent child abuse and trafficking: advised and appeared for the Child Welfare Committee, a statutory quasi-judicial authority set up under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2000 for the protection of abandoned children.
Sudipto Sarkar
Sudipto Sarkar has been practising as an Advocate for over 40 years and as a Senior Advocate for more than 30 years. He has extensive practice in Corporate Laws, Intellectual Property, Arbitration and Shipping. He has appeared as a Senior Counsel in several arbitrations both domestic and international and has also acted as an Arbitrator in domestic and international arbitrations. He has also given evidence as an expert witness in international arbitrations.
He is a member of the Panel of Arbitrators of Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre(HKIAC) and a member of the Panel of International Arbitrators of Pacific International Arbitration Centre (PIAC). He is also a member of the SIAC panel of Arbitrators.
His name is included in the LCIA Database of Arbitrators.
Read Law at Jesus College, Cambridge (BA and MA).
LL.B in International Law, Cambridge (later redesignated as an LL.M by the University).
Mr Sarkar has been the Editor of several editions of Sarkar on Evidence, Sarkar on Civil Procedure Code and Sarkar on Specific Relief Act. Sarkar on Evidence is the leading publication on the Law of Evidence in South Asia and South East Asia and has been so for decades. Sarkar on Civil Procedure Code is extensively used in India. They are all Lexis Nexis publications.
Sudipto has been associated with several editions of Ramaiya’s Company Law, the leading publication on Company Law in India and is currently “General Editor” of Ramayana.
Vikram Nankani
Vikram Nankani, a designated Senior Advocate, is an India-qualified lawyer since 1986. Mr Nankani began by joining the Chamber of Ashok Desai, Senior Advocate and former Attorney General of India. Between 1986 and 2003, he appeared as Counsel in a variety of matters concerning commercial disputes, corporate matters, economic offences and criminal cases, tax, shipping and arbitration. He was a Partner in Economic Laws Practice until designated Senior Advocate in September 2014. He regularly appears before various High Courts and the Supreme Court of India and has to his credit, several landmark judgments rendered by the Courts that have been reported by various authoritative journals and reporters.
Mr Nankani is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb), London. He is Chairperson of the SIAC India National Users Committee. He is on the Governing Council of the Mumbai Centre of International Arbitration.
Mr Nankani completed his LLM from the Government Law College, Mumbai, in 1988. He has been acknowledged by Legal 500 as a Leading Individual Practitioner in Dispute Resolution and Litigation in India.
Rajiv Dutta
Rajiv Dutta is a Supreme Court-trained Mediator actively involved in the conduct of mediations at the Supreme Court Mediation Centre. He is a Country Representative for India at the International Bar Association (IBA) Mediation Committee. He was a Member of the IBA Mediation Committee for drafting IBA rules for investor-state mediation. He has been appointed as the Vice-Chair of the Sports Law Committee of the International Bar Association (IBA) and to the Panel of Arbitrators of the Pacific International Arbitration Centre (PIAC), Vietnam. He is also an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and has been elected Vice-President of the Bar Association of India. He is a former elected Vice-President of the Supreme Court Bar Association.
Mr. Dutta has also served as a Visiting Professor (Comparative Law) under the Senior Lawyers Program of the Centre for International Legal Studies, Salzburg, Austria, at the Palacky University, Faculty of Law, Olomouc, Czech Republic in spring, 2016.
Being a First Generation Lawyer, Mr Dutta has contributed for strengthening the Legal institutions in India and abroad. He is also a founder and director at the CESR (Centre for Entertainment and Sports Resolution). His keen interest in Sports Law and Environmental Law led to two leading judgments, one by the National Green Tribunal which led to the framing of National Forest Fire Policy titled Rajiv Dutta versus Union of India (Original Application No. 216/2016). The other one delivered by the Delhi High Court also titled Rajiv Dutta Versus Union of India (W.P. (C) No. 8734 of 2014) which led to change in the National Sports Development Law in India.
“Rajiv Dutta is a Country Representative for India at the International Bar Association (IBA) Mediation Committee. He was a Member of the IBA Mediation Committee for drafting IBA rules for investor-state mediation.”
Gourab Banerji
Gourab Banerji was appointed as Additional Solicitor General of India (ASG) in the Supreme Court in July 2009 and served a five-year term. During his stint as an ASG, apart from the sheer volume of income tax matters assigned to him, he successfully represented the Government of India in many landmark cases like the Republic of Italy v. Union of India, (2013) 4 SCC 721 (“the Italian Marines case) and State of Punjab v. Dalbir Singh, (2012) 3 SCC 346, where the Supreme Court struck down the mandatory death penalty under the Arms Act 1959.
In particular, the latter provided Mr Banerji an opportunity to use his expansive experience and knowledge in comparative law, as he presented the Supreme Court with the law in several countries like the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Uganda, Kenya and even Malawi. For this, the Supreme Court recorded its appreciation for his ‘considerable assistance’ for placing before the Court judgments from different jurisdiction on the question of mandatory capital punishment and decisions.
He has also been appointed as an amicus curiae by the Supreme Court in several matters covering a wide range of subject matters such as refugee law, service law, Supreme Court practice and procedure and arbitration. In 2011, a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court in Narmada Bachao Andolan v. State of M.P., (2011) 12 SCC 333, sought his assistance on the permissibility of State Council of Ministers to delegate its power to a subordinate authority to amend its own decision and whether such amendment was consistent with the Rules of Business framed under Article 166 of the Constitution of India.
Dr. Shardul S. Shroff
Widely regarded as a pioneer in the field of Corporate Law, Mr. Shroff has participated in the training and drafting of several important economic legislations and company law reforms in India. He was a member of the Insolvency Law Committee, constituted by the Government of India, to review the implementation of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code. Mr. Shroff was also a member of the Committee constituted to review decriminalisation of offences under the Companies Act and the Committee on cross-border insolvency, both headed by Injeti Srinivas, Secretary, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Government of India. Under Mr. Shroff’s leadership, the Firm has been recognised as ‘Best in Insolvency’ at the Asialaw’s Asia Pacific Dispute Resolution Awards 2018. Mr. Shroff has been on a number of other high-powered committees appointed by the Government of India including the JJ Irani Committee for amending the Companies Act, the Expert Committee on maintenance of Cost Records and Cost Audit in 2014, the Eradi Committee involved in the insolvency provisions of the Companies Act, 1956, the second Naresh Chandra Committee appointed to look into aspects of SMEs and simplification of Company Law and the Valuation Committee. As a preeminent expert of his field, Mr. Shroff has been appointed as an independent director on significant boards of Indian companies. He is a member of the US-India Business Council, Vice Chair of the Corporate Counsel Committee of the IPBA Council, the Union Internationale Des Advocats, and the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Shroff was elected as the Chairman of the CII National Committee on Legal Services and Arbitration in 2017-2019 and was also a Member of the CII National Council on Services 2018-2019. Mr. Shroff was a member of the CII Task Force on the Ease of Doing Business, 2017-2018. Mr. Shroff has been the Chairman of the FICCI Committee on Stressed Assets, a member of the Capital Markets Committee since 2019. Mr. Shroff has also been appointed as the Senior Vice President on the Society of Indian Law Firms (SILF).
Mr. Shroff has been consistently rated as a leading lawyer by several international fora and publications, including the Who’s Who Legal, AsiaLaw, Chambers and Partners, Legal 500, Euromoney, International Financial Law Review (IFLR) etc. He has been recognised as Star Individual in Corporate/M&A by Chambers and Partners Asia Pacific 2022, a Legal Icon in IBLJ - The A list Lawyers 2021. He is also part of the Hall of Fame for Banking and Finance by The Legal 500 2022 and Leading Lawyers of Restructuring and Insolvency by The Legal 500 2022. Mr. Shroff has been recognised as the Thought Leader – Global Elite for M&A and Global Leader for Corporate Governance and Project Finance by Who’s Who Legal, 2021 and for M&A and Corporate Governance in 2020.
Anand Pathak
Anand S. Pathak has extensive experience in advising clients on the full range of US, European and Indian legal issues in connection with international mergers and acquisitions, privatisations, financings, technology licensing, distribution and franchising and agency arrangements, and European and Indian laws on competition, state assistance, trade and intellectual property.
Mr. Pathak has represented clients in arbitrations, including the Government of India in bilateral investment treaty arbitrations and various companies in claims for compensation from the United Nations Compensation Commission for losses arising from the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.
He has more than 30 years of active practice in the US, EU and India. He has represented Indian and multinational companies in a number of cross-border acquisitions and joint ventures in the US, Europe and Asia; cross-border ADR/GDR and stock swap transactions; tender offers under the Indian Takeover Code; and financings and cross-border BPO/outsourcing transactions Representative transactions include the formation of international joint ventures between TRW Inc. and Satyam Computer Services, and between State Street and Syntel (and related business process outsourcing of back office processes); outsourcing of back office processes by Wachovia Bank, Nationwide Insurance and Washington Mutual to various Indian vendors; US acquisitions by Rediff.com, US and European acquisitions by HCL Technologies of companies, Indian acquisitions by Chevron and private equity investments by Warburg Pincus, Silver Lake Partners, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, APAX Partners, Citibank, WL Ross Funds (distressed asset transactions) and SAIF Partners.
His privatisation experience includes the privatisation of MIBRAG GmbH in the former East Germany and the representation of the Government of India in the privatisation of Modern Food Industries and IPCL. He has represented Total S.A., Chevron Corporation and El Paso Gas in oil and gas matters; and Bombardier, Véolia, Dalkia, Weir Group, Bharti Airtel, Aditya Birla Group and Aircel in infrastructure matters and financings. He is currently representing IL&FS in the monetisation of its assets and various infrastructure-related matters.
Pallavi Shroff
Pallavi heads the Dispute Resolution practice at the Firm, with an extensive knowledge in matters of litigation and arbitration. She also mentors the Competition Law practice at the Firm. Pallavi is a member of the Competition Law Review Committee, constituted by the Government of India to ensure that the legislation is in tune with the changing business environment. She has been recently appointed as a member of the BRICS Women’s Business Alliance (India Chapter - one of 5 women in India selected), constituted by the Government of India. She has been closely involved with some of the largest and most challenging litigation and arbitration matters in India with regard to energy, infrastructure, natural resources, mergers & acquisitions, legislative and policy related matters. She appears regularly in the Supreme Court and High Courts of India, and in arbitrations, mediations and international legal disputes.
She is an Alternate Member (India) at the ICC (International Chamber of Commerce) Court of Arbitration and is also a member of the CII Arbitration Law Committee. Under her leadership, the firm was engaged by FICCI and CII to represent the entire Indian Industry in the Presidential Reference proceedings (Special Reference 1 of 2012) being heard by a five Judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court. The Judgement passed by the Constitution Bench is one of the most famous and compelling rulings in India on methods of disposal of natural resources in India. She regularly represents several companies such as Nestle, General Electric, Havells, Vale Australia, Vodafone, BHEL and ONGC.
Cyril Shroff
Mr. Shroff is Chairman of FICCI’s Corporate Laws Committee and member of CII National Council and Financial Markets Committee. He was a member of the SEBI-constituted Uday Kotak Committee on Corporate Governance and the SEBI Committee on Insider Trading. He is a member of the First Apex Advisory Committee of the IMC International ADR Centre, a task force member of the Society of Insolvency Practitioners of India and a member of the Media Legal Defence Initiative International Advisory Board.
Mr. Shroff is on the Board of Krea University and a member of the Apex Advisory Board of Adani Institute of Infrastructure Management, Advisory Board of the Centre for Study of the Legal Profession established by Harvard Law School, and Advisory Board of the National Institute of Securities Markets (NISM).
Chambers and Partners 2022 has placed him as “Eminent Practitioner” for Private Equity, Restructuring & Insolvency and Banking & Finance in India. Asia Law 2022 has ranked Mr. Shroff as “Elite Practitioner” for Banking and Finance, Capital Markets, Corporate and M&A. IFLR1000 2022 describes him as “Market Leader” for M&A, Energy and Infrastructure, Project Development, Banking, Project Finance and Capital Markets. Legal Era Leading Lawyer 2022 ranked him as “Leading Lawyer Legend” for Banking & Finance, Corporate and M&A, Dispute Resolution and Private Equity.
Anand Desai
Anand has been the Managing Partner of DSK Legal since its inception in April 2001. With over three decades of wide-ranging experience in both contentious and non-contentious work across a wide range of practice areas, he has been a respected and sought-after counsel serving several large Indian and multinational corporations, business leaders and Bollywood A-listers.
Anand started his career as a junior counsel in the Bombay High Court and appeared successfully for high-profile clients like Harshad Mehta at an early stage of his career. Anand’s expertise is recognised in Mergers & Acquisitions / Private Equity, Dispute Resolution, Real Estate, Insolvency & Restructuring, White-Collar Crime, Media & Entertainment, and Technology. His range of work has included significant transactions in the real estate and pharmaceutical sectors, and appearing for well-known celebrities including Aamir Khan and Salman Khan in their civil and criminal litigation cases. He is widely regarded as a professional who takes a fair and practical approach to enable resolution of matters.
He has served as the National President of the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce and as President of TIE Mumbai. He is actively involved with several NGOs. Anand is recognised by Asian Legal Business as one of Asia’s Top 15 Litigators 2022, listed in ‘100 Legal Luminaries of India’ by LexisNexis, and recognised in India Business Law Journal’s “The A-List 2021” as a Legal Icon. He has been listed for many years as one of the leading lawyers in India by Who’s Who Legal, Chambers Asia-Pacific, Chambers Global, Legal 500, IFLR1000, Asialaw Profiles and Forbes India, among many others. Asialaw Profiles carried a client quote of his being ‘The best legal mind in India.’
Pravin Anand
Pravin Anand is the Managing Partner and Head of Litigation at Anand and Anand. Awarded the AIPPI Award of Merit, INTA’s President’s Award, recognised as the “Most Innovative Lawyer” by Financial Times and the first Indian to be inducted in the IAM IP Hall of Fame, Mr Anand has an experience of appearing in over 2500 cases and successfully resolving many hundreds in over 43 years of his practice as an IP lawyer.
Leading from the front, Mr Anand has strengthened India’s IP jurisprudence with practice encompassing all facets of IP. To his credit are patent lawsuits that have transformed the pharmaceutical and bio-technology enforcement regime in India including Merck Vs. Glenmark; Roche Vs. Cipla; the Monsanto case; and a large number of other suits on behalf of Pfizer, BMS, AstraZeneca, etc.
Mr Anand had broken new grounds in Indian IP jurisprudence with India’s first Anti-suit injunction (InterDigital v Xiaomi); Nokia-Lenovo multi-technology multi-year agreement; Software Patent law suit conferring protection (FeridAllani case); development of damages culture in large number of cases that recognised not only punitive, but compensatory, exemplary and aggravated damages (Philips Vs. AmazeStore); India’s first post-trial SEP judgement (Philips Vs. Bhagirathi); development of unique remedies such as the “Tree Planting Order” (Merck case); and order benefiting adolescent girls (Hermes case).
Recognised as India’s IP trailblazer and a “living legend” by leading publications, Mr Anand’s distinguished career has included India’s first Anton Piller order (HMV Gramophone Case); India’s first Mareva injunction order (Philips Case); India’s first Norwich Pharmacal order (Hollywood Cigarettes Case); Pioneer Overseas Corporation Case paving the way for DNA testing for disputed IPR in plant variety; India’s first order under the Hague Convention for collecting overseas evidence in India (AstraZeneca Case), and the Glenfiddich case against McDowell protecting trade dress in India, With his significant understanding of trademarks, he has secured declarations of well-known status for several trademarks like 3D shape of ZIPPO, Red-sole of Christian Louboutin etc.
Rajesh Narain Gupta
Rajesh Narain Gupta is the Founder and Chairman of SNG & PARTNERS. He is enrolled as an Advocate with the Bar Council of India since 1988.
He regularly advises banks, financial institutions and real estate players.
Bringing vast experience on the stressed asset side, Rajesh was retained by the Banking Industry to advise on implementation on the procedural aspects of the Securitization & Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest (SARFAESI) Act, 2002. He advised NeSL, a company promoted by the Union Government and owned by reputed financial institutions, on legal issues connected with setting up of First Utilities Services under the Bankruptcy Code.
Rajesh was a special invitee by the Indian Banks Association and the Reserve Bank of India in connection with the amendment to The Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
Rajesh has advised leading Banks and NBFCs including HFCs, on mortgage finance and preparing legal manuals around the product. He has also advised on several transactions on real estate including matters connected with township developments, foreign direct investment, residential and commercial projects.
With Rajesh’s pioneering efforts in the area of private client practice, he regularly advises Ultra HNIs and HNIs on matters connected with their Business and Personal Succession Planning. He also works closely with several promoter families and advises them regularly on strategic issues.
Contributing to legal research papers that have been published by leading dailies, law journals and reputed publications in India and abroad, Rajesh has also co-authored several books on banking laws and practice. He has also been a speaker at various forums in India and abroad on matters of legal significance and is recognised as a leading law practitioner by several domestic and international organisations.
Rajesh is an independent director on the board of HDFC Limited and HDFC Credila Financial Services Private Limited.
Vineet Vij
Vineet Vij is serving as the Global General Counsel of Tech Mahindra Group. Leading a team of 100 passionate and business-focussed lawyers spread across the globe with presence in India, US, Mexico, UK, Netherlands, Israel, and so on, Vineet and team is responsible for taking care of the legal and regulatory aspects to support the organisation’s growth in due compliance with applicable laws that involves supporting multi-billion cross-border commercial transactions, mergers and acquisitions, disputes and litigations, global compliances, legal policy and regulatory, IPR, strategic legal support with the overall responsibility to safeguard the legal & business interests of the company and its principal officers. As part of the overall department structure, the legal teams of group companies worldwide, namely, Comviva Technologies, Born Group, Target Group, Tech Mahindra Business Services, LCC also work under Vineet’s supervision and guidance.
Vineet has worked for over 27 years at established IT, ITeS, Engineering, Banking & NBFC corporations. As an independent practitioner he has also worked across variety of practice areas including Commercial and Contract law, Litigation and Dispute resolution, Cross-border M&As, Global regulatory compliances, Financial and Banking laws, Real estate SEZ and STPI regulations, Company law, IT, Data protection, Privacy, Cyber and IPR laws, Criminal law, Telecom, Arbitration, Employment, Bankruptcy, Competition and Indirect tax laws. Vineet has bagged several awards and accolades by prestigious publications & institutions, including Forbes Powerlist Top India GCs 2020 and 2021; Business World’s Top 100 GCs 2020 and 2021; Global General Counsel 2021-22 by Legal Era; General Counsel IT Services 2021 by IBLJ; General Counsel 2020 by IDEX Legal; General Counsel (Male) 2019 by Legal Era; Shining Star of Indian Legal Fraternity 2019 by CCAI; General Counsel 2019 by INBA; General Counsel 2018 by ICCA, Legal Excellence Award 2017 by Legal Era among others.
Dev Bajpai
Dev Bajpai has more than three decades of working experience in the areas of legal, corporate affairs, governance & tax. He has worked in multiple industries like FMCG, Automobiles, Private Equity & Hospitality. Over the years, Mr. Bajpai has built a reputation of being a business-friendly lawyer with high focus on governance and doing the right thing & doing it right. Mr. Bajpai had a lead role to play in the recent merger of GSK Consumer Health Limited into HUL, the biggest merger of a listed FMCG company into another listed FMCG company in recent times.
At Unilever, Mr. Bajpai is credited to have put in place a Legal Strategy with the focus on business integration. The strategy encompasses areas of work that facilitate the growth of Unilever businesses including proactively addressing legislative changes, seeking a level playing field within the FMCG Industry on claims, advertising, regulatory compliance etc. making the Legal Department go digital and simplifying processes to enable the lawyers to spend more time on value-added jobs, combating unfair competition, and building capability within the South Asia and larger teams that he is responsible for. The strategy has yielded good results and left the team with unfinished agenda to deal with indicating that the areas of work remain relevant for the business, add value to the lawyers by giving them quality exposure and an opportunity to add to their capability.
The Legal team under Mr. Bajpai made meaningful contribution during the Pandemic and was instrumental in ensuring that the daily needs items of Unilever’s portfolio reached millions of consumers by working closely with the Central and State Administration. The Legal team also saw an opportunity in their agenda of “hunting for growth” and introduced a new channel for sale of Unilever portfolio through the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) which has now become a separate channel for making sales for HUL, thereby, creating long-term business value.
A. Shanmuga Sundaram
A. Shanmuga Sundaram is the General Counsel at ITC Limited. He heads a 60-member strong team, including about 45 lawyers, at the organisation which is a successful conglomerate with a strong presence in about a dozen business verticals. Besides advising the company and handling a variety of legal issues, he assists in resolving complex deals across all its businesses. In addition, he trains and leads his team, ensuring that it is fully capable of delivering end-to-end legal services to the company.
He cut his teeth on writs and other litigation – civil and criminal – at the Madras High Court, before moving in-house. After his foray into the real-estate and petrochemical sectors, Shanmugam joined ITC in 1997. He was soon noticed for his versatile legal knowledge and matchless skills for deftly handling sensitive legal issues.
Shanmugam played a crucial role in closing several acquisition and divestment deals of vital importance to the company. With his nuanced understanding of facts and law, he has been a key factor in the successful closure of disputes in several areas of law, including trademarks, corporate law, taxation, labour and commercial disputes.
He has written numerous scholarly articles published in renowned journals including the Supreme Court Journal, Labour Law Journal, Andhra Law Times, Karnataka GST Law Journal and the Current Tamil Nadu Cases.
Maneck N. Mulla
Maneck N. Mulla an advocate and solicitor with over 20 years of experience is a fourth generation lawyer having first worked in his family firm of M/s. Mulla & Mulla & Craigie Blunt & Caroe as a partner. Thereafter, Maneck was a partner with M/s. Wakhariya & Wakhariya, Advocates and Solicitors (affiliated with Kelley Drye & Warren LLP, New York).
Maneck founded the firm of M Mulla Associates in the year 2010 and under his leadership and guidance, the Firm has steadily grown and has gained a reputation for its professional and result oriented approach.
Clients describe Maneck as a “hands on” lawyer with an attention to detail coupled with a practical approach to matters. Maneck extensively practices in the areas of Real Estate, Litigation and Arbitration, Commercial Contracts and Laws of Succession.
In the course of advising clients, Maneck has dealt with several issues relating to land titles, acquisition of land, mortgages, leases and development agreements. He has over the last several years advised one of the largest multinational FMCG player in several of its real estate matters in India. Maneck has advised India’s largest domestic Alcobev company on acquisitions of manufacturing facilities PAN India.
Maneck is a well-respected litigation lawyer and has advised and represented clients before several High Courts, the Supreme Court and various tribunals (in particular NCLT, National & State Consumer Dispute Redressal Commissions) not only in commercial matters but also in respect of constitutional writs. He has also advised a number of clients on complex insurance claims. Clients describe him to be a “settling lawyer” who is known to achieve favourable settlements for his clients through hard and practical negotiations. Maneck is also a member of the India Enforcement Committee of the International Cotton Association (Liverpool), an arbitral body concerned with 80% of the world cotton trade.
Maneck has a robust practice in advising and negotiating on various types of commercial contracts. He has advised clients on share purchase and shareholder agreements as well as on complex debt transactions. He has also advised clients on acquisition of master franchise rights of various leading foreign brands in respect of their entry in India. Well known restauranteurs in Mumbai also form part of his clientele.
Maneck also regularly advises clients on succession planning including drafting of Wills, Codicils and Trust Deeds. He regularly advises trustees on the administration of estates.
Over the years, under his guidance the Firm has grown steadily and today has Fortune 500 Companies, High Net Worth Individuals and family offices amongst its clientele.
Hemant Kumar
Hemant Kumar is the Group General Counsel at Larsen & Toubro Limited. Skilled in strategic advisory, board management, enterprise risk and compliance, complex transactions and litigation, cross functional leadership, change management, public policy and government relations. Bring a global mindset and strong execution to grow businesses in challenging regulatory environments. Hemant is also a prolific writer and has written several articles on various aspects of corporate law and Industrial laws, Mr Kumar has given several presentations at international & National forums on Arbitrations, ADR, cross-border acquisitions, negotiation of JVs etc. He has strong domain knowledge of various corporate laws of India and also has sound working knowledge of laws of different jurisdictions including USA, England, Australia, Africa France, and European & Middle East. He has extensively travelled abroad for various assignments and has sound understanding of the laws and practices in different jurisdictions of the world. Kumar has considerable expertise in foreign investment and FEMA regulations for both in-bound and out-bound investments.
He is a gold medalist in LLB and started his journey as an advocate by conducting many high-profile cases, especially related to the Members of Parliament and Members of the Legislative Assemblies. He was the defence counsel in the Bhagalpur Blinding Case. Earlier, he held senior positions at the State Bank of India; the Steel Authority of India; JSW Steel (formerly, Ispat Industries); President - Legal – Reliance ADAG; and Group General Counsel - Essar Group. He was also empanelled as a faculty with distinguished MBA and engineering colleges and was also a paper-setter and examiner for the diploma course in Safety Engineering Examinations. Hemant has been awarded as Chambers GC Influencers Award, India by Chambers and Partners, London, UK (2019); Legal Icon of India by Legal Era (2020); and BW Legal World Top 100 General Counsel Award (2020), a recipient of several prestigious awards including the Jawahar Award (BSP-SAIL’s highest individual honors); Business Excellence Award by Legal League Counsel; General Counsel of the Year by Legal Era (2013); and Corporate Counsel India (2013). Under his leadership, the Corporate Legal Department of Larsen & Toubro, was awarded the Best Legal Department in India by RSG London (2019).
Deepak Acharya
Erstwhile Chief Risk Officer and General Counsel at Wipro, Deepak Acharya has joined Aditya Birla Group as its Global General Counsel.
Deepak Acharya is a certified Corporate Trainer for various Corporate Training Programs like Corporate Athlete, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and Coaching for Success. A law graduate from the Government Law College-Mumbai, Deepak is a Fellow member of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India and also an Associate Member of the All India Management Association.
Practicing for more than 25 years in the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods Industry, an experienced lawyer, Deepak has previously worked in various positions for The Procter & Gamble Company in India, Asia Pacific, Greater China, Central & Eastern Europe, Middle East and African Regions.
While working as the Chief Risk Officer & General Counsel of Wipro Limited, Deepak was responsible for Legal & Compliance, Enterprise Risk Management, Enterprise Cyber Security, Global Data Privacy and Global Government Relations functions for Wipro Limited.
Rajeev Chopra
Rajeev, currently in his 30th year of his career, has been previously associated with several law firms and national and multinational corporates which has shaped his illustrious career. He started his career with private practice in the Delhi High Court, before moving to law firms in corporate commercial practice. He has been the General Counsel and led legal teams in LG, Airtel and Dell, before joining Accenture in 2007. Rajeev believes that fostering a culture of inclusion, fairness, equality and ethical conduct is critical to building strong teams and fostering innovation.
Rajeev has led several transformational and change management projects at Accenture.
Rajeev was recently recognised by Legal Era as the General Counsel of the year – South East Asia region in 2021. He also bagged several other recognition in the past and is acknowledged as one of the leading “General Counsel” in India. Notably, he was awarded Cheavening Scholarship by the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office in 1996. Rajeev is also (i) Chair of the General Counsel Sub Committee and (ii) Member, Task Force on International Legal Services constituted by Confederation of Indian Industry.
Debolina Partap
Debolina Partap, a Gold Medalist in Masters of Law, is a Senior Vice President, Legal and Group GC, Wockhardt. With an experience of 28 long years in banking, finance, pharma and healthcare, her responsibility includes all corporate legal work, M&As, IP management, licensing deals and Litigation Management, legal compliance, transactions management amongst others. She has widespread proficiency in advising top management on legal risks to the organization as well. Her contribution to Covid-19 vaccine contracts is huge. Inclusion of her main accomplishments are, inter alia, successfully handling and concluding complex M&A structures and deals, settling complex financial cases and arbitrations filed against Wockhardt Limited, multi-jurisdictional arbitrations on commercial disputes and settling intricate derivatives suits filed against Wockhardt group worldwide.
Wockhardt is a leading pharmaceutical, biotech and healthcare provider, all combined. She takes care of legal issues concerning complex and composite global regulatory matters related to Wockhardt Group. She is one of the very few general counsels globally who tackle forensics and data analytics. International and national recognized legal organizations have bestowed several accolades to her and her team.
In her current assignment, Ms. Partap is responsible for driving the legal corporate governance, legal regulatory management and compliance system in Wockhardt, legal aspects of banking, joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, legal strategy, legal risk management, litigation management, brands and IP management, contracts, properties, finance documentation, supporting value growth and expansion of the Wockhardt group across geographical locations in India and strengthening the international presence across 52 countries.
Ms. Partap has been in the legal field for about two decades and has established a niche in the field of legal compliance system, legal regulatory management, legal solutions management and brands safety and development. In her career spanning approximately 28 years in banking, pharmaceuticals and healthcare, she has held several positions of increasing responsibility as head of departments, functions and zones. Her expertise in banking, joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, legal strategy, legal regulatory risk management, legal risk management, litigation management, brands and IP management, business analysis and successfully integrating business, compliance, risks, strategy, operations and management through well integrated legal systems and legal technology has set benchmarks in legal solutions management in Wockhardt group.
Ms. Partap is a Gold Medalist in LLM from Bombay University and began her career in 1990 as an advocate. Her journey in the corporate sector commenced with IDBI in 1993 and then she shifted to pharma and healthcare in 2006. She is an active legal member of FICCI and an avid speaker in various legal forums and in many international forums like Terrapin, Biopharma, IBC Asia, International Bar Association, SIAC, etc.
Ms. Partap and her team has been awarded more than 100 awards, all at international and national levels.
Neera Sharma
Neera Sharma is the Chief Executive & Legal Officer at Sistema Smart Technologies Limited. She is a University of California, Los Angeles, alumni and an experienced chief of legal with a demonstrated history of working in the telecommunications, real estate and IT industry. She is skilled in negotiations, mergers and acquisitions, corporate law, legal compliance, complaint management, litigations, arbitration, and dispute resolution.
With over 24 years of experience, she has worked with several start-ups and developed teams from scratch while handling multiple responsibilities. As a member of the Board of Directors, she has always played a role that goes far beyond her position as a legal adviser.
Neera has been working closely with senior business leaders to develop corporate strategies across the region and acts as company representative in discussions with the government, the regulators and other stakeholders to help influence the policy decisions.
She has been recognised as one of the leading senior counsels of India. Neera is praised and has been awarded for her strong leadership skills and the ability to build business models that take into account complex legal outcomes. She is credited for being an excellent communicator with strong negotiation skills and having leadership qualities and analytical power.
Sheel Sinha
Sheel R. Sinha currently serves as General Counsel for India & South Asia at Jones Lang LaSalle(JLL), a multinational real estate services company and manages legal,compliance, and ethics verticals.He holds a Bachelor of Economics (Hons) and Bachelor of Laws from Campus Law Centre, Delhi University (2002). Sheel is an enterprising leader & planner with a strong track record of 21 years in streamlining legal operations, invigorating businesses, heightening productivity, and improving systems & procedures in senior-level legal assignments in contentious, transactional, and regulatory compliance domains. Prior to joining JLL, he held positions as Director and Associate GeneralCounsel at PwC India, where he managed legal issues for the firm across all service lines and Associate Vice President at SBI Card (then GE-SBIJV) where he had a diversified role in managing legal affairs of two distinct entities apart from being a participant in larger Generic Electric India legal leadership.
Sormistha Ghosh
Sormistha Ghosh is Group General Counsel and Chief Risk Officer at Strides Pharma. A competent lawyer from India, she served as a consulting lawyer for almost a decade before taking up in-house roles with global MNCs’. Sormistha has been associated with Strides Pharma Science Limited for over five years now.
In her current role at the group level globally, Sormistha looks after the functions of legal, secretarial, compliance and enterprise risk management. It enables her to exercise equal efforts for strategy, operations, collaboration, risk management and creating a legal centre of excellence. It brings in value to the Group operations as board member of the US entity (a material subsidiary outside India), where board members consist of independent director also. Acting as the Chief Risk Officer, Sormistha is responsible for the Risk Management Committee and the Board of Directors for reporting pro-actively all risks identified for the corporation globally.
Sormistha kick-started her legal career as an individual practitioner that continued for 11 years. She worked with some well-known Indian law firms including Kochhar & Co. and Seth Dua & Associates (merged with Advaita Legal during 2017-2019). Following those assignments, she took legal roles in supporting Global MNCs’ India business for companies including 3M, Dell and Schneider Electric. She has been working at Strides Pharma from the last five years. Strides Pharma is a promoter-driven global pharma company operating in >60 countries through >70 entities.
Sormistha has successfully executed over 25 deals (Acquisition/Divestment) worth more than $1 bn during the last five years across India, US, Australia, Africa, MENA, Europe.
Shelly Kohli
Shelly Kohlli is Chief Legal & Compliance Officer at United Breweries Ltd. she is a corporate lawyer with over 20 years of experience, having worked both in private practice and in-house lawyer in senior management roles with large global corporations like General Electric, Unilever. She is a dual qualified lawyer enrolled to practice in India and the State of New York, USA. In her current role, she leads the legal and compliance function of United Breweries Limited and is a part of the Management Team. UBL is listed on the National Stock Exchange and Bombay Stock Exchange and is a part of Heineken Group. In this role, she is responsible for all legal and compliance matters, including corporate, litigation and intellectual property across geographies. She is a strategic legal adviser to the Board and Senior Management of the company.
Hemant Singh
Hemant Singh is an IP Litigator, Founding, and Managing Partner of the Intellectual Property Law Firm INTTL ADVOCARE located in Delhi and Mumbai. He is also a registered patent agent. He was admitted to Bar in 1984 and has handled over 2,500 IP litigations in various courts all over India involving contentious and complex issues in the areas of trademarks, patents, designs, copyright, trade secrets, geographical indications, and competition laws, and so on. Mr. Singh has done Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) from Delhi University (1979–1982).
With a diverse worldwide clientele, he represents several Fortune 100 and 500 Companies in pharmaceuticals, foods, and beverages, liquor, garments, cosmetics, FMCG, fashion accessories, computer software, telecommunication, media, electronics, automobiles, biotechnology, and so on. He has been actively participating in the growth of valuable jurisprudence in the field of IP through various amicus briefs as well as through leadership of various IP committees of various international IP associations globally. Mr. Singh embarked on his journey with a vision to establish a practice where the protection of clients’ interests would be the grundnorm. In 1991, he established Inttl Advocare. He always had a vision of an inclusive and professionally managed law firm, with a true passion for intellectual property. Inttl Advocare is the result and is one of the leading IP firms in India, with a team of more than 100 people.
He has handled more than 2,500 IP cases across India for a diverse worldwide clientele. He has been actively participating in the growth of valuable jurisprudence in the field of IP through various amicus briefs, as well as through leadership of various IP committees of various international IP associations globally. He is the president of the AIPPI’s India Group and was on INTA’s board of directors from 2016 to 2018. He is chair of INTA Anti-counterfeiting Committee, South-Asia Subcommittee, co-chair of INTA India Global Advisory Council, APAA council member, a member of MARQUES, and a member of the IP Rights Committee of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
Mr. Singh has continuously been involved in contentious and complex issues in the areas of trademarks, patents, designs, copyright, trade secrets, geographical indications, competition laws, etc. with a diverse worldwide clientele, he represents several Fortune 100 and 500 Companies in the field of pharmaceuticals, foods, and beverages, liquor, garments, cosmetics, FMCG, fashion accessories, computer software, telecommunication, media, electronics, and automobiles, biotechnology, etc. Mr. Singh has been fortunate to argue more than 2,500 cases, with a few hundred reported judgements.
Mr. Singh represented Blenders Pride in the case, which established that the rights of overseas brand owners looking to enter India must be protected on the basis of international first use. Further, in 2014, one of the Pharma giants approached Mr. Singh. This was when the patent landscape was relatively new and Mr. Singh was able to secure injunctions in over 100 matters, thereby reinforcing the faith of the patent holders in the Indian legal landscape. Another important case concerned a liquor giant’s mark in India, where registration had lapsed on account of non-renewal by the agent, which only came to the company’s knowledge after 11 years! Mr. Singh eventually filed a writ petition and obtained a successful order directing the renewal of the mark. All of these cases clarified the law in several aspects.
Karthik Kumar
Karthik Kumar is an experienced project development, acquisition and finance lawyer who advises clients on novel and complex, high-profile renewable energy and infrastructure projects in the Asia-Pacific region.
Karthik has over two decades of experience acting for investors, developers, lenders and sponsors on high-profile M&A, project development and infrastructure projects in the Asia Pacific region with a strong focus on India. He has particular experience in the renewable energy sector, having acted on significant Indian transactions in the solar, wind and EV sectors in India. He is highly regarded in the Indian market for his in-depth regulatory knowledge and significant transactional experience. Clients laud him for his commercial approach and deep regional background, which includes advising clients in jurisdictions such as Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, Philippines, China and Australia.
Mamta Rani Jha
Mamta Rani Jha has also considerable experience in the allied and emerging fields of Information Technology, Telecommunications, Media, and Anti-trust Laws. Her past experience of over 7 years in both civil and criminal litigation has equipped her with a unique approach to addressing complex issues and providing holistic solutions. Besides, litigation, she actively advises clients on IP licensing, auditing, contract drafting and negotiation, business venture evaluation, due diligence, online and offline anti-counterfeiting and border control measures, and regulatory compliances.
She has represented leading global pharmaceutical companies, as well as electronic and telecommunication giants in key patent litigation cases. She has also successfully handled trademark and design litigation for Fortune 500 companies across various sectors and advised clients on contentious matters pertaining to copyright law. She has also deeply emerged in the field of technology and is representing giant tech companies in the industry.
She has a rich background in the field of science and is a Gold Medalist in B.Sc. (Zoology) and LLB. She is a regular speaker at various IP fora. She has also authored several articles on emerging and contentious IPR issues.
Ms. Jha joined Inttl Advocare as an IP practitioner in 2007, after having practiced law for more than 7 years in various fields of law, such as constitution, land acquisition, service matters, banking and securitisation, criminal matters, family disputes, etc. Being a science student with a gold medal in Zoology (Hons.). Also, Patent Law being one of the niche fields of IP and requiring thorough knowledge in the field of science, attracted her to opt for this field of law.
She has had the privilege of briefing stalwarts like Mr. Gopal Subramanium and other seniors and has benefited greatly from their wisdom and experience. She has completed over 120 Patent Litigations with a 100 percent success rate. She is a regular speaker at various IP fora and has also authored several articles on emerging and contentious IPR issues. Particularly, she had the privilege of authoring the India Chapter of the AIPPI-Wolters-Kluwer Practitioners’ Guide to Anti-body Patenting. She is also presently the Chair of the INTA Oppositions and Cancellations Sub-Committee, India Representative of APAA Anti-Counterfeiting Committee, India Member of the AIPPI Biotechnology Committee and India Leader – AIPPI Study Question on Inventorship of inventions made using AI.
Ms. Jha is acting for Google LLC in several dynamic and critical aspects pertaining to Information Technology Law such as Right to be Forgotten, Data Privacy, and Compliance. She is also currently defending Nestlé against ITC allegations that it was passing off, under common law, the use of instant noodles sub-brand name ‘Magical Masala’. She has also represented various leading global pharmaceutical companies such as Novartis AG and has obtained various patents for the company. She has also represented one of the leading Indian Music Company in India before the Hon’ble Intellectual Property Board (IPAB) in the hearings pertaining to the fixation of statutory royalty rates for the radio broadcast of musical works and sound recordings and underlying works, under Section 31D of the Copyright Act.
Manjaree Chowdhary
Manjaree Chowdhary is the Sr. Executive Director and General Counsel at Maruti Suzuki India. With over 25 years of experience, she leads a team of 50 experts, working closely with the Board, the CEO and the Leadership team. She provides legal and compliance support in a dynamic regulatory and risk environment at Maruti Suzuki India, a subsidiary of Suzuki Motor Corporation, Japan. Manjaree has worked across South Asia, US, ANZ, and Japan in diverse industries like Industrial, Manufacturing, Auto, Healthcare, Power and Services. Skilled in strategic advisory, listed entity management, complex transactions, dispute resolution, enterprise risk, compliance and public policy, she has led industry initiatives including the formulation of a Voluntary Code of Ethics adopted by the National Healthcare Federation of India. At Maruti Suzuki, she has successfully led change management through incremental steps.
With a Masters in Law from the University of London, Manjaree made a mid-career shift from academics to law, beginning her legal career at a leading Indian law firm and moving in-house to General Electric before joining Maruti Suzuki as its first woman General Counsel. Under her leadership, Maruti Suzuki’s Legal Team was listed in the ‘Legal 500 GC Powerlist - India Teams 2019 for the first time and the Best In-house Legal Team (mid-size) by Legal Era in 2021.
Winner of the prestigious WeQual Asia Pacific Award in September 2021, Manjaree featured in the India “Top 100 Powerful Women in Law” in 2017 and was felicitated as one of the 25 General Counsels at the Indo-UK Law Society Summit at the House of Lords in London in November 2018. She was recognised by Legal Era as a Top Woman in Law (2019) and as the General Counsel of the Year (Female) (2020). In 2022 she was part of the elite list of Business World Top 100 GCs in India. Manjaree is a nominated member of the CII National Committee on Regulatory Affairs, is the Co-Chair of the CII Legal Services Committee on ESG and Climate Change and serves on the Board of the UK India Legal Partnership. She is the Founding Member of the General Counsels Association of India (GCAI).
Saif Khan
Saif Khan is working as a Partner with Anand and Anand in the Litigation Department and heading the White-Collar Crime Practice and IP Enforcement team of the firm. He completed schooling from Sherwood College in Nainital. Prior to Anand and Anand he was working with British Petroleum (on the rolls of Castrol India Ltd) for nearly two years as Manager – Legal Trade Mark Operations. He has also practiced as a trial lawyer during the initial four years of his practice. Saif brings with him an extensive experience of handling contentious Criminal matters relating to corporate frauds and technological frauds and has been representing conglomerates in contentious criminal matters. He also has on ground experience of strategizing and conducting IP enforcement actions both under the Civil and Criminal law (Anti-Piracy and Anti-Counterfeiting including Customs Enforcement of IP Rights). He has distinctive experience of working, coordinating, and liaising with the law enforcement agencies to ensure focused solutions for IP infringement. Known for his impeccable court craft, Saif routinely appears and conducts trials (Civil and Criminal) in contentious matters before various courts throughout the Indian jurisdiction.
Natasha Treasurywala
Natasha Treasurywala, Partner at Desai & Diwanji – one of Mumbai’s oldest solicitor firms, she specializes in Mergers and Acquisitions as well as Debt Financing. Natasha is also a solicitor from the Bombay Incorporated Law Society. More recently, she advised the promoters of Hemmo Pharmaceuticals on a 100% acquisition by Piramal Pharma, for Rs.775 crores. She graduated from New York University in 2003; and went on to receive her law degree from Government Law College, Mumbai. Desai & Diwanji is an Indian law firm with offices in Delhi, Gurgaon and Mumbai. The firm is known for its specialisation in Mergers and Acquisitions, by the sheer number of deals.
Pavan Duggal
Dr. Pavan Duggal, is the Founder & Chairman of International Commission on Cyber Security Law. Practicing as an advocate, Supreme Court of India, for over 2 decades, he Duggal has made an immense impact in the unfolding fields of Cyberlaw and laws related to E-Commerce. His never-ending effort in the above mentioned fields have earned him the reputation of an expert in the fields, both in the National and in the International domain. He is also the President of Cyberlaws.Net and has been working in the pioneering area of Cyber Law, Cyber Security Law & Mobile Law. While a practicing Advocate, Supreme Court of India, he has made an immense impact with an international reputation as an Expert and Authority on Cyber Law, Cyber Security Law and E-commerce law. Pavan is the President of Cyberlaw Asia, Asia’s pioneering organization committed to the passing of dynamic cyber laws in the Asian continent. Dr Duggal is also a member of the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center Panel of Neutrals
Rajbeer Sachdeva
Rajbeer S Sachdeva was previously Senior Executive Director and Group General Counsel at DLF Ltd and prior to that worked as a Global - Head Legal with Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd. He has extensively worked in the domain of Merger and Acquisitions, Competition & Antitrust laws, Real Estate Transactions, Intellectual Property and Trademark matters and Arbitrations in India and abroad. Mr Sachdeva hasalso been dealing with various matters relating to Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code 2016, after successful acquiring a Company under CIRP from NCLT.
He is an alumnus of Delhi University with an LLB and LLM and has about 32 years of experience as a Corporate Lawyer. His personal philosophy for work includes that the task would be completed with diligence and timelines should be strictly adhered to with all compliances in place. While work life balance is important it is also equally required that work should be given a priority over other aspects.
He views the role of a Corporate Lawyer as an advisor to business teams on various intricate matters and legal tasks should be completed meticulously and with precision. The emphasis should be to effectively handle the transactions and litigations after taking into account the business perspective which is utmost important for taking a final view and to provide solutions to the business team. The role of the Corporate Counsel is a strategic and the advice given to the business team must be practical and business-oriented.
A Corporate Legal Counsel needs to be innovative and provide solutions to real-life business problems and should always take into consideration the ideas and suggestions provided by the business team which helps in the decision-making process.
As a General Counsel it is very much required that legal issues should be managed, looking at the complexity and the risk involved and it is important to provide correct advice to the business team with proper analysis.
Vandana Seth
Vandana Seth is the Vice President, Legal at Tata 1mg. With more than 11 years of experience, Vandana’s profile is a combination of a law firm role, an in-house role and a consulting firm. A lawyer as well as a CS, Vandana is an excellent team worker who joined Themis Associates (a boutique law firm based out of Bangalore) in 2011. Her role at Themis was to lead a team for handling the pre- and post-actions related to funding transactions. Working for more than 50+ successful VC and PE transactions over a span of 3 years, in the same profile, Vandana worked on a lot of automation projects like compliance management, Term sheet automation, Nominee director training and related compliance automation and so on. Post the role in the law firm, Vandana approached and joined Merger and Acquisition (Tax) team at Deloitte, wherein the major role she handled was end-to-end advisory and implementation of various mergers, demergers and other strategic transactions. A go-getter personality who believes in converting impossibilities to possibilities, Vandana presently heads the legal, secretarial and compliance verticals of TATA 1MG Group. Her job focusses on managing the entire legal, regulatory, compliance, secretarial, fundraising, IPR and certain operational aspects. Vandana, who was awarded as ‘Women in Law Excellence Awards,’ 2021, instituted by Legal Era for Recognising Leadership, Innovation, and Achievements of Women Lawyers, completed her course in Company Secretary in 2010. Vandana has been awarded with 40 under 40 Rising Star Awards 2021 by Legal Era.
Kala Anandarajah
Kala Anandarajah heads the Competition & Antitrust and Trade Practice and leads the Corporate Governance Practice at Rajah & Tann. Her key practice areas are Competition and Trade (including consumer protection), with strong secondary practices in Employment, Environmental (EHS) & Sustainability, Corporate Governance and Telco/Media Laws.She sits on various boards, including Building and Construction Authority, Singapore Institute of Legal Education; and is a member of the External Review Panel of Safety in SAF (MIDEF), the Appeal Board - Council of Estate Agents (MND). She was for a long-time part of the Workplace Safety & Health Council and was on the Committee for Professional Training of Lawyers formed by the Chief Justice of Singapore. Kala has been involved in major cartel/ abuse investigations, cross-border mergers/ other notifications, leniency applications, and also handles dawn-raids, complaints, consultation, counselling, compliance, training and implementation of competition laws across the region. On trade agreements specifically, her work has spanned providing feedback on FTAs being negotiated, setting up a business and structuring logistics flows to benefit from RTAs and FTAs, advising extensively on ROOs and COOs, whilst meandering the different ROO under different FTAs, advising on how best to benefit from preferential treatment, and also handling defending violations vis-à-vis customs regulators.
Shweta Shroff Chopra
Shweta Shroff Chopra is an equity partner in the Firm's Competition Law Practice. She has over 18 years’ experience in advising on corporate and competition law matters and has been practicing competition law since its early days in India. She has been involved in several high-profile cases relating to cartels, abuse of dominance and merger control. Shweta’s clients include prominent names like Reliance Retail, Temasek, Walmart, JK Group, Maruti Suzuki, Swiggy and Nestle S.A.
Shweta holds an LL.B. from University of Wales, Cardiff and an LL.M. from the London School of Economics & Political Science and qualified to practice in India and in England & Wales. Her practice is a combination of merger control and enforcement. On the merger control front, she has significant experience across industries and is well regarded for her practical and commercially sound advice. She has successfully obtained unconditional Phase I merger clearances from the CCI for various big-ticket global and Indian transactions, including Reliance Retail’s proposed acquisition of Future Group’s retail & wholesale and logistics & warehousing businesses, Walmart’s acquisition of a majority stake in Flipkart and Vodafone India in its merger with Idea Cellular.
She has also been involved in seminal Phase II merger clearances in India, including in relation to acquisition of Larsen & Toubro’s electrical & automation business by Schneider Electric, Holcim Ltd in its “merger of equals” with Lafarge S. A. and PVR’s acquisition of DT Cinemas. Recently, Shweta represented CA Magnum Holdings in relation to their acquisition of majority shareholding in Hexaware Technologies Limited, which is a seminal case in relation to treatment of vertical overlaps in the IT/ITES space. She also represented Delhivery in relation to its transaction with FedEx, where FedEx exited its Indian business and acquired a stake in Delhivery, which has since filed for an IPO. She has also acted for Flipkart (a subsidiary of Walmart) in its commercial arrangements and acquisition of a minority stake in Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail Ltd.
On the enforcement front, Shweta has been engaged in leading high profile enforcement cases before the Competition Commission of India (CCI), National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT), and Supreme Court of India.
She has been ranked as an “Elite Practitioner” in the Asia law Profiles rankings, from 2018 onwards. Chambers and Partners has ranked her ‘Band 2’ for competition law. She has been commended by clients as an “extremely smart” and an “incredibly responsive” practitioner. Another source further emphasises that “she has a great insight into how the CCI investigates cases and is very helpful in strategising how we respond to requests” and she is “highly recommended” for her “impressive reputation” as “a bright young legal talent of extraordinary quality”.
During 2021, she secured recognition in three prestigious rankings, namely ALB Asia 40 under 40 Lawyers 2021, Global Competition Review’s Women in Antitrust 2021 and Economic Times 40 under 40 Young Business Leaders in India. Legal Era recognised her as a ‘Leading Lawyer Champion’ for Antitrust and Competition in Legal Era ‘Leading Lawyers’ Rankings’, 2022. She was also ranked as a ‘Top 100 Lawyers’ in Forbes Legal Powerlist, 2021.
Shweta has been actively involved in driving policy changes in the space of Indian competition law. In particular, she played an instrumental role in the finalisation of the Indian merger control regime in April - May 2011, working closely with the Government of India and the CCI in relation to the finalisation of the draft Combination Regulations and associated exemption notifications. She also contributed to the drafting of the national competition policy of India as well as assisted Pallavi S. Shroff in the Competition Law Review Committee deliberations in 2018-19.
She regularly contributes to competition law publications and has co-authored leading guides on the law of Dominance and Merger Control in India as part of the Getting the Deal Through series, which are key global reference materials for these areas of law. She has also authored Practical Law Company's Merger Control in India: Overview and Global Competition Review’s Merger Remedies chapter for India.
At the firm, she is the partner responsible for the Human Resources and is a part of the firm’s Promotion and Compensation Committee. She is also in charge of the firm’s Mental Health & Wellness Alliance, as well as setting up the firm’s Diversity Collective (an initiative to bring awareness and understanding of diversity and inclusion along sexuality, caste, gender, age and race lines within the workplace) this year. She has also led the firm’s multi-disciplinary Covid Response Team, which was responsible for the transition to working from home in the early stages of the pandemic and has since led the effort to provide multi-faceted support to the 900+ workforce.
Before joining the Firm in 2007, Shweta qualified as a solicitor of England & Wales after completing a training contract with Denton Wilde Sapte, London and a secondment with Clifford Chance, London.
Arush Khanna
Arush Khanna is a Partner at Numen Law Offices. Arush Khanna (MCIArb, MMIArb) started his practice in 2012 after graduating from the Symbiosis Law School, Pune. Thereafter, he successfully completed his Masters (Business Laws) from the National Law School of India University, Bangalore.
Arush has pursued counsel practice under Mr. Sanjeev Anand, Senior Advocate, Delhi High Court after starting his career at Karanjawala & Co. In 2019, he co-founded Numen Law Offices, a multi-disciplinary law firm in 2019 establishing offices at New Delhi and Mumbai.
In 2017, Arush was appointed India’s National Representative before the Young Lawyers Committee (YLC) of the International Bar Association. He now holds the positions of the Asia Pacific Regional Forum Liaison Officer and the Scholarship Officer of the YLC. He is on the steering committee of the India Working Group of the IBA and also of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (YMG, India). In 2022, he was re-appointed by the Confederation of Indian Industry to their ‘Task Force on Legal Services’.
He was recognized as a “Rising Star” by the Asian Legal Business and one of the “Future Legal Leaders” by the India Business Law Journal in 2021. In 2018, he was awarded by the Legal Era Group as the “Young Achiever of the Year (30 years and below)” and was also awarded as a “Young Achiever” at the Economic Laws Summit by the Legal League Consulting.
Arush is a steady contributing columnist in well-known publishers like the Indian Express, India Business Law Journal and Legal Era. Arush is also on the Advisory Board of several student led-initiatives like Led-ex and ADR-Hoc. He conducts lectures regularly at several reputed universities like the Symbiosis Law School, Indore Institute of Law and the UPES School of Law.
Shilpa Mankar Ahluwalia
Shilpa Mankar Ahluwalia is a Partner in the banking & finance and corporate practice areas. She leads the FinTech group at the Firm.
Shilpa has advised several companies on their FinTech related investments and product structuring including American Express, Whatsapp, Revolut, Paytm, Clix Capital, Bharat Pe, Mobikwik, Amazon, PayPal, GoIbibo, Flipkart, Phone Pe, Bharti Airtel, Facebook, Zeta, Cred, Tata Sky, Vodafone, Zeta, LendingKart, Onfido, BonusPay, Razorpay, Advance AI, WeCash and Oxigen. She writes and comments regularly on FinTech related regulatory issues and has spoken at several Fintech conferences including the Mint Pivot or Perish FinTech Webinar, Global FinTech Fest organized by NPCI, FCC & PCI, VCCircle FinServ Summit, Legal Era GenNext Business & Law Conference, Mint FinTech Conclave, DLAI FinTech Summit, Financial Express Digital Currency Conclave. She has appeared on discussions hosted by the BBC India, Economic Times (Crypto TV), and the Business Standard, on cryptocurrency regulation. Shilpa has also spoken at the ET Tech – Rundown: Regulation Around Crypto and Axie Infinity & Blockchain Gaming hosted by Venture Intelligence on cryptocurrency regulation.
Shilpa also advises various companies, banks and financial institutions in connection with their structured debt investments. Her clients include Farallon Capital, Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan, Brookfield, Kotak, International Finance Corporation, KKR, ChrysCapital.
Shilpa supported Microfinance Institutions Network in their policy initiative with the RBI re: developing a regulatory framework for MFIs. She was part of the committee that advised the Ministry of Finance on the Factoring Act that was notified in 2012. Shilpa has worked with USISPF to present before the FinTech Steering Committee, MoF re: impact of data localization requirements in India. She worked with the Data Governance Network spearheaded by the IDFC Institute to study data regulations in India and conduct a series of workshops for the Fintech community. She has conducted training sessions on Fintech law & policy at the Forum of Indian Regulators. Shilpa was part of a committee constituted by the Payments Council of India to submit recommendations to the RBI on KYC regulation. Shilpa has worked with iSpirit (a leading technology think tank) to draft a framework on shared KYC for credit platforms. Shilpa advised the Digital Lending Association of India (DLAI) in its effort to submit recommendations to the RBI on its Working Group Report on Digital Lending and is currently advising DLAI in connection with setting up a self-regulatory organization (one of the first in India).
Shilpa was recognized by Asian Legal Business as among India’s top FinTech lawyers 2023, and as among the Top 5 FinTech Practitioners in India, by Chambers & Partners in 2020. She was ranked as a Band 1 FinTech lawyer by Chambers & Partners in 2019 and 2020. She was on the Economic Times 40 under 40 Women Ahead List for 2019. She received the Legal Era Women Lawyer of the Year 2019. Shilpa was on the Forbes India Legal Power List as one of India’s Top 100 Lawyers 2020 and 2021.
Prior to joining the Firm, Shilpa worked with Davis Polk & Wardwell, New York.
Shilpa has advised several companies in connection with structuring and successfully launching FinTech related products and platforms. She has also advised clients in connection with their investments in the Fintech sector.
Vikram Nair
Vikram Nair is the Deputy Head of Dispute Resolution at Rajah & Tann Asia. Qualified in Singapore and English law and has more than 15 years of experience in international arbitration (SIAC, ICC & ad hoc) and Singapore Supreme Court litigation (trial and appellate). He is experienced in obtaining and resisting urgent interim relief applications, including injunctions, both in the Singapore courts and in emergency arbitrations. He is skilled in handling technical experts in contentious valuations of companies and assets. He regularly advises on complex multi-jurisdictional disputes including shareholder and JV matters, commercial agreements, construction, employment, insolvency and tort. He has advised clients in many sectors including banking, finance, oil & gas, manufacturing, mining, logistics, infrastructure, pharmaceuticals, fast moving consumer goods and property development. Vikram read law at Cambridge University and previously worked as a management consultant at McKinsey & Co. He also serves as a Member of Parliament for Sembawang GRC in Singapore.
Abhishekh Kanoi
Abhishekh Kanoi is the Head of Legal & Group Company Secretary of PDS Limited. He is a Fellow Member of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India and also an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investments, United Kingdom.
Abhishekh Kanoi holds a Bachelor Degree in Law and Bachelor Degree in Commerce with (Hons.) in Accounts. He is also a Fellow Member of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India. He has rich and diverse in-house corporate experience of over 16 years in Corporate Legal and Commercial Space across various industries like law firm, hospitality, manufacturing, automotive, media & entertainment, fashions and apparel industry and non-banking financial institutions with special reference to emerging technology and convergence.
His wide array of specialization includes Legal Affairs, Corporate Secretarial, IPO & Listing, Regulatory Compliances, RBI & FEMA Matters, Merger & Acquisition, Listing Compliances (India & Overseas Entities), Venture Capital Investments, Cross Border and Domestic Transactions, Intellectual Property Rights, Copyrights, Media and Entertainment Laws.
He has earned the respect of the industry in conducting and adjudged as Chief Compliance Innovator of the Year by UBS Forum in 2019, Young Achiever of the Year by Legal Era in 2021 and awarded by Lex Talk World for impactful contribution to legal industry in 2022. He has helped to develop a new global legal and governance framework for the company while ensuring its overseas expansion is brought into line with this centralized approach.
Ajay Shaw
Ajay Shaw is a partner at DSK Legal.He has been with DSK Legal for 15 years and is recognised and respected for his expertise in the areas of Restructuring and Insolvency, Energy and Infrastructure, Project Finance and Mergers and Acquisitions. Ajay has vast experience on matters pertaining to funding; resolution of distressed assets; restructuring under informal route (CDR/JLF/SDR etc.) and formal route (scheme approved by court); enforcement of security and insolvency proceeding. Ajay’s advice is sought, in particular, for legal and commercial issues pertaining to energy and infrastructure projects, including the bidding process for PPP/PFI deals, Consortium Arrangements, Project Equity, Project Debt, EPC, O&M, Supply and Offtake Contracts. He has been advising private and public clients in the infrastructure and energy space.
Ajay C. Bhayani
A Security Technocrat by Profession & Entrepreneur by choice. Currently, Director Security & Partner at AmbiSure Technologies.
Started using computers in early 90s, was introduced to world of Information Security about a decade back with fascinating technology of PKI, with strong fundamentals of Information Security. Have Certifications like CEH, CRISC, CDPSE, ISO 27001:2013 LA
Have been continuously working with & CISOs & information security leaders to identify a cyber-security, threats & guiding on how to mitigate the same. Protecting their organization's Brand & Reputation
With fair understanding of Next Generation Security Solutions & Market Needs, have helped Information security & Cyber-security Companies & Startups to position their products in India & SAARC region.
Specializations are in Brand Protection, Security of Identity & Consulting Organizations on Cybersecurity Reviews & Compliance, Cyber Security Marketing, IT Strategy & Execution, Technology Integration, Security Deployment.
Have hosted many Security talks with Security Stalwarts.
Apart from Security inclination, you can always find me as a better company for trekking & table tennis.
Akhilesh Nand
Mr. Nand is responsible for leading the global governance functions including company secretarial, internal audit, risk management, corporate & commercial compliance, internal investigations, while he also leads legal for corporate & emerging markets.
Mr. Nand is an accomplished legal expert with 25 years of multi-industry experience in handling legal affairs, large M&A transactions, Internal Audit, Risk Management, Strategic commercial transactions, Anti-trust, Intellectual property, Integration & transformation planning & driving institutionalisation of ethics and compliance programs. He has extensive global experience in negotiating complex deals and legal disputes.
Mr. Nand joined our Company in 2015 and has played a critical role in providing strategic advice to the board, management, and our company on unsettled or complex legal issues, and he assists them in efficiently solving problems and minimizing risk. He has leveraged his expertise to strengthen and institutionalise the global legal and governance framework for the Company. He demonstrates expertise and ability in aligning legal strategies with business objectives.
He has been instrumental in two of the largest M&A deals in the Indian pharma market, the first was the successful merger of Ranbaxy Laboratories with Sun Pharmaceuticals, the second is Biocon’s acquisition of the global biosimilars business of Viatris.
He is a law graduate from the Delhi University and is a member of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI).
Amit Bhasin
Amit Bhasin is the Chief Legal Officer & Group General Counsel at Marico Limited. As a part of the Executive Committee, he is responsible for legal and corporate affairs functions at Marico’s Indian and international markets and also leads the corporate social responsibility functions.
With over 19 years of experience in corporate legal, corporate compliances and governance and legal business partnering, he has worked across organisations in the consumer sector. He plays an active role in the advocacy efforts for the fast-moving consumer goods industry and is part of several industry organisations. Prior to joining Marico, he was associated with Hindustan Unilever Limited as General Manager – Legal and Corporate Secretarial for over 13 years.
He has undertaken multiple roles and worked on several mergers and acquisition transactions and corporate actions. He was part of various global working networks in the areas of competition law, governance and compliance. A Law graduate and a certified Chartered Secretary from the Institute of Company Secretaries of India, in 2011, Amit earned a post-graduation certification in Sustainable Business from the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom.
Amit has been recognised for his excellence as one of the Best Leading Lawyers by the World Intellectual Property Forum (2022) and was also awarded 40 under 40 Legal Rising Stars Award by Legal Era (2019).
Anand Vardhan
Anand Vardhan is the President – Legal at Piramal Capital & Housing Finance. He heads a team of over 25 lawyers, across Piramal Capital & Housing Finance Limited, including now acquired Dewan Housing Finance Limited and Piramal’s subsidiaries. Holding a Bachelor’s degree in Law from the University of Delhi, he is also an associate member of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India. Anand has over two decades of experience in handling litigations & legal policies, procedures, financial services, private equity, investment management, general banking & infrastructure, mortgage finance, real estate, recoveries & consumer protection, insolvency & bankruptcy proceedings, stressed accounts management and dispute resolution.
Earlier, he was the General Counsel at SUN-Apollo Ventures, an offshore real estate private equity fund and before that an Associate Vice President and Head – Legal, HDFC Venture Capital Fund. He has held several managerial positions in legal functions at leading corporate and business houses like ICICI Bank, Tata Housing and Daewoo Motors.
Anand received the Leadership Excellence Awards for Professional Excellence & Distinguished Service at the India Economic & Law Summit (2018). Under his guidance, Legal 500 recognised the legal team of Piramal Capital as one of the best in-house teams in the BFSI. He was listed amongst the Top 100 Most Influential and Innovative In-house Counsels by Legal 500 in GC Power List-India (2016) and (2018) and also as part of Business World Legal World’s 2022 i.e., Top 100 General Counsel in India (2021) and (2022). He was also acknowledged as In-House Lawyer of the Year in Banking & Finance at Legal Era Awards (2020-21).
Anubhav Kapoor
Anubhav Kapoor is the Director, Legal Affairs at Ford India, Pune. He is responsible for intellectual property rights, regulatory compliance and corporate governance practices and policies for the entities of the Company in India. As an in-house counsel, he has 29 years of experience, which spans various industries including information technology, automotive, aerospace, pharmaceuticals, food, banking and insurance software and engineering.
He has handled multifarious areas such as mergers and acquisitions, arbitration and litigation management, structuring large business contracts, intellectual property rights and global compliances. Passionate about innovation, he has assisted large corporates including Tata Technologies, Cummins, Domino’s Pizza India and Polaris in devising their intellectual property creation and monetisation strategies.
Anubhav has also handled contracts and litigations involving complex IP issues, including during mergers and acquisitions, spin-out and joint venture deals. Having done his Master’s in Law from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, he did his MBA in Finance & Information Technology from the Institute of Management Technology. He was listed in the Intellectual Asset Management Strategy 300 among the World’s Leading IP Strategists and was awarded the Star General Counsel (2017) of the Year by Legal Era. He also figured among the top 100 General Counsels in India by Business World (2021). He was a part of the Elite BW Legal World Top 100 General Counsels of India by Business World (2021). He was awarded the CSR Leadership Award 2018 by World CSR Congress. Best Automotive Lawyer – Individual Category by India Business Law Journal In-house Counsel Awards - Dec 2021. Best Leading Lawyer 2022 by World Intellectual Property Forum Intellectual Professionals LLP -Jan 2022.
Anumeha Soni
Anumeha Soni is the Senior Director – Legal for Thermo Fisher Scientific India and South Asia. She leads direct and indirect teams of about 25 people in India for the company which has more than 20 sites in operation. Anumeha is a member of Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) and a Law and Commerce topper from Jiwaji University, Gwalior. Anumeha is also a qualified Lean Six Sigma Green and Black Belt and a Certified Compliance Specialist from Trace International, US.
Prior to joining Thermo Fisher Scientific India, Anumeha has worked for corporations like General Motors Corporation, Becton Dickinson, DuPont and Alere. Her immediate previous assignment was with Boston Scientific Corporation where she held various Legal and Compliance profiles in India and Asia Pacific. Her work experience cuts across various Industries like automotives, Business solutions, Chemicals but she has been in Healthcare and Medical Devices for more than a decade now. She has been recognized and felicitated with various internal and external Legal and Compliance awards like Impact Award, Best Legal Team and Winning Spirit Award at both country and global levels in all the organizations that she has worked in. Anumeha has made it to the various Top Inhouse Counsel lists of the country published by Legal Era, Indian Corporate Counsel Association (ICCA), Corporate Counsel Association of India (CCAI) etc.
Anumeha takes a keen interest and initiative in contributing to the corporate social responsibility activities of the Companies that she is employed with and is also active in leading employee resource groups for Pride and LGBTIQ+ support groups. She is defined by her passion for travel and experiencing food and cultural offerings of the world.
Attreyi Mukherjee
Qualified to practice in India and in England & Wales, Attreyi is a senior legal professional in leadership role with rich experience of business partnering as well as complex transactional matters including domestic and cross-border M&As, JVs and Technology Licensing deals.
With a focus on time-bound and successful outcomes, has advised businesses in diverse sectors including Aviation, Aerospace Manufacturing, E-commerce, EdTech, Digital Health, Fintech, Lifesciences, Management Services and Consumer Products.
After several years of practice at reputed law firms, Attreyi joined Tata Group Legal Team (her first foray in-house) and reported to the Tata Group General Counsel. In current role as General Counsel of Tata Industries (which is an NBFC- CIC), Attreyi briefs Boards, manages team, oversees legal functions of the portfolio businesses, hires and manages external legal resources and supports business incubation. She also supports the compliance and enterprise risk management functions. She is also member of the POSH Committee.
She is a Non-executive Director on Board of Impetis Bisosciences Ltd. (a Tata lifesciences' company) and is deeply involved in its business strategy and transactions.
Attreyi has co-authored successive editions of the top selling book on POSH - Handbook on the Law on Sexual Harassment at Workplace - published by Thomson Reuters (2015 and 2019). The 2019 edition was endorsed by industry leaders like Zia Mody (Founder - AZB & Partners) and by academicians like Prof. Promila Agarwal (IIM, Ahmedabad).
Attreyi is presently the Co-Chair of the Legal Affairs and IPR Committee of the Bombay Chamber of Commerce and Industry and is involved in designing and speaking at seminars on diverse topics. She also speaks at various forums including domestic and international seminars and chambers of commerce, on topical issues like Tech Laws, Data Privacy, POSH, ABAC, Gender Sensitivity, etc.
Atul Juvle
Atul Juvle General Counsel, Compliance Officer and Company Secretary, Schindler India & South Asia. Working with the Company since 2014, he is a qualified lawyer, banker and did his post graduation in Commerce and obtained a Masters’ in Financial Management. He is a Certified Fraud Examiner (the United States), a CFPCM (the United Sates), MCiARB, UK and a Mediator. He has three decades of experience spanning five varied sectors - banking, exports, life insurance, agro-based industry and vertical transportation. Atul is a member of the Advisory Board of the ICFAI Business School, Mumbai (2021-2023), Advisory Council of ACFE, US (2022), Member of CII Regulatory Committee (2018-2022) and ASSOCHAM’s National IPR Committee (2021-2022). He continues to be part of Forbes India GC-Power list - for two consecutive years - 2020 & 2021. Since 2016, his name has been featured in the Top 100 Powerful General Counsels of India. (The lists are published by different organisations).
Bharat Mehta
Bharat Mehta is the Regional General Counsel and the Ethics & Compliance Officer for India and APAC for Capgemini. He is a key member of the Capgemini Leadership Team in India and is also a member of the Executive Legal Board and board member of Capgemini Asia Pacific Pte Ltd. He is a strong advocate of governance and actively drives the same as a member of various internal committees in India such as Internal Audit Committee of the Board, Prevention of Sexual Harassment at Workplace, Grievances, Corporate Social Responsibility and Procurement Governance. Prior to joining Capgemini in 2011, Bharat was the Vice President General Counsel and Ethics & Compliance Officer at Oracle Financial Services Software (formerly i-flex solutions) where he spent nearly 15 years of his professional journey.
Dhwani Rao
Dhwani Rao is a Head Legal, IP, Digital & Human Resources at Nestle, South Asia. Before joining Nestle she started working from 2004 in a Law Firm for about 8 years. She started her journey with Nestlé as a Regional Legal Specialist for business units in 2012. Since then, she has supported South Asia Region markets in a wide variety of legal issues and dealing with contentious legal matters. She is also the Head of Data Privacy for the Region and a part of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council and focusses on embracing the diversity of gender, generation and culture.
She has also handled a wide variety of digital legal issues including privacy, crowd-sourcing, e-commerce, cloud computing, robotics, artificial intelligence, drones, augmented and virtual reality. Dhwani is appreciated by business and legal teams for the implementation of anti-counterfeiting measures in the SAR Region. She has also been integral in rolling out varied employment law-related policies across the organisation.
Before joining Nestlé, she worked at a law firm for almost eight years, advising several esteemed international and national clients on both domestic and international businesses on a wide variety of legal issues. She is currently a member of Business Action to Stop Counterfeiting and Piracy, International Technology Law Association, International Trademark Association and Inter Pacific Bar Association. Dhwani was awarded in the Rising Star category (under the age of 40 years) for varied initiatives by Legal Era (2016); was specially mentioned at The Asia Pacific Legal 500 for the works delivered to the clients (2009-2010); awarded for varied initiatives in legal functions around IP litigation strategies, data privacy and managing cyber-bullying by Global Nestle Legal Awards.
Divya Kumat
Divya Kumat is the Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer, and Company Secretary at Datamatics Global Services Ltd. With over 23 years of enriching experience as Group General Counsel and Company Secretary. As Company Secretary of a listed entity, Divya has formulated and successfully implemented various policies like Contract Management policy, Insider Trading policy, Whistle Blower policy, Investor Grievance policy, Prevention of Sexual Harassment policy to name a few. Keeping pace with the digitally enhanced organization, I championed a bespoke contract management system and automated contract management for the Group. In her current role as EVP, Chief Legal Officer & Company Secretary, Divya leads all the legal and secretarial initiatives for more than 41 Group companies worldwide with the support of an able and efficient team.
Dr. Mukul Shastry
Dr Mukul Shashtry is theGeneral Counsel & Executive Director at Cube Highways. He has 20 years of experience and is adept in Business Strategy (Commercio-Legal), Corporate M&A, IBC Processes, PPP Infrastructure projects, Claim management, Litigation management, Legal processes (both civil and criminal), Arbitration including International Commercial Arbitration, Compliance with RBI, SEBI & MCA rules & regulations, Trade & Competition Law, General Corporate Laws. He has previously worked with in In-House roles with organizations such as Welspun Group, Adani Group, KEC International Ltd. He has also worked with the RBI as Legal Counsel. During his stint at RBI, he has advised RBI on policy issues on topics spanning across Banking operations, Payments & Settlement Systems, and foreign exchange; drafted and vetted international contracts between RBI and foreign entities; represented and defended RBI in multiple forums - Tax authorities, Finance secretary, GoI, and Central Information Commission. He was also an adjunct member of RBI Faculty, conducting sessions for Bank officials on dealing with Legal and Regulatory issues in Banking & Finance domain. Dr Mukul Shastry is alsoCompany Secretary for various companies.
Dr. Sanjeev Gemawat
Dr. Sanjeev Gemawat is a thought leader and a strategist with business orientation. On various contemporary legal and industry specific issues, as a commended speaker and author, he has shared his views in different national and international conferences.
Being one of the founders of the GCAI, Dr. Sanjeev Gemawat has been encouraging the cause of General Counsels’ statutory recognition. Traversing through wide-ranging industries like automobile, real estate, hospitality and manufacturing, his experience graph touches three decades. He was previously associated with Indian and multinational corporates like Dalmia Bharat, DLF, JCB & others. Dr. Gemawat is a post graduate and doctorate in law, a qualified Chartered Accountant, Cost Accountant and a Chartered Secretary from India & the UK. He has been honoured as Top General Counsels of India by various prestigious institutions. Honoured as one of “India’s finest in house counsels”, the “Most Influential Corporate Counsel and Company Secretary” he has also been inducted to “Global Hall of Fame” for his contribution in the Legal Eco System in India and beyond. “It is high time that the Government should formulate a code of conduct for non-litigious services which can prescribe rules relating to competence, independence, integrity, conflict of interest and confidentiality,” expresses Dr. Gemawat.
Hina Doon
Hina Doon is the General Counsel at Navi, based in Bengaluru, Karnataka. In this role, she is responsible for overseeing the legal and compliance functions of the company, guiding strategic initiatives, and ensuring regulatory adherence. Hina holds a B.A. LL.B. (Hons) from the National Academy of Legal Studies & Research (NALSAR) University, Hyderabad, and a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) from Western University. Her legal expertise spans over 13 years.
Previously, Hina worked at Amazon, where she held roles as Senior Corporate Counsel and Corporate Counsel in Mumbai. At Amazon, she managed complex corporate legal matters and contributed significantly to the company's legal strategy.
Before her tenure at Amazon, Hina was with Luthra & Luthra Law Offices in New Delhi. She served in various capacities, including Managing Associate, Senior Associate, and Associate, specializing in general corporate advisory and mergers & acquisitions.
Isha Rathnam
Isha Rathnam is the Vice President - Legal Affairs (CLO) for South Asia & Networks - Emerging Markets Asia at Lionsgate. She previously served as CLO (Director - Legal Affairs) for Lionsgate South Asia and Lionsgate Play - Emerging Markets Asia. In her role, Isha heads the Legal, Regulatory, and Public Policy functions for the studio and direct-to-consumer app business across South Asia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Malaysia. Her team of under 10 lawyers manages areas including original content development and production, theatrical distribution, content acquisition, content syndication, OTT platform partnerships, and key support functions in product and marketing.
she manages the entire studio business, including acquisition, development, production and monetisation of content. Involves structuring & negotiating the apt business model for a project. She has negotiated high value complex partnership deals with the largest telecom and broadband operators in India, Indonesia, Philippines and Malaysia. At Lionsgate, Isha dons various hats such as being a member of the governing committee of the self-regulatory body (Tier II Level) instituted to regulate content on digital medium as notified by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting; Chairman of the POSH (Prevention of Sexual Harassment) Committee for Lionsgate India; Grievance Officer for Lionsgate Play as well as a member of the Senior Management advising the Managing Director for South Asia and South East Asia. She has previously worked in In-house roles in organizations such as Reliance Broadcast Network Limited, Fremantle Media, Turner International India Pvt. Ltd. and SONY Entertainment Network.
Kaizad Adi Hazari
Kaizad Adi Hazari specialises in Business Advisory, Corporate M&A, Structuring and Business Strategy. He has handled high stake Litigations and Commercial Transactions including managing Regulatory Matters for different industries, Managed Intellectual Property Rights, Corporate Governance, Secretarial, Compliance & Corporate Affairs.
He handles complex matters globally on Anti-Trust Law, Patents, GDPR & Data Privacy, Sanction Controls, Statutory Compliance, PCA & ML, FCPA/UK Bribery Compliances and Investigations by regulatory agencies.
Mr Kaizad has held key positions like President & Global Head Legal, Compliance, IP & Corporate Affairs for Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Joint President - Head Legal with Hindalco Industries Ltd, General Counsel – South Asia for GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Raymond Group as Group Head Legal, Asian Paints, ICICI Ltd and was with Mulla and Mulla and Cragie Blunt and Caroe. He was also with HDFC Ltd for their Stressed Asset Fund.
Kanaiya Thakker
Kanaiya Thakker is the SVP - Head Legal for the Natural Resources Business at Adani Enterprises Ltd. With a successful 9-year tenure at Holcim India (Ambuja Cements Ltd.), Thakker achieved significant milestones in high-stake litigations, including CCI, sales tax, environmental issues, and potential M&A. At Adani Enterprises, he oversees the Legal function for the Natural Resources business, which includes integrated resource management, coal mining and trading, cement and aggregates, iron ore, copper, bunkering, and ATF.
Kaushik Mukherjee
Kaushik Mukherjee is the President Legal (Head of Legal Corporate Affairs) at Sammaan Capital (formerly Indiabulls Housing Finance). He is a corporate lawyer and senior in-house counsel with diverse experience across practise areas including capital markets, mergers and acquisitions, structured finance, real estate project financing, restructuring, and corporate and securities advisory and disputes. Kaushik has been a capital markets and public M&A partner with leading Indian law firms including ShardulAmarchand and JSA Law, amongst others. As an in-house counsel, Kaushik’s repertoire includes structuring and execution of commercial transactions. Additionally, he oversees all regulatory matters ranging from simple advisory in relation to compliance to strategizing (with external counsel or otherwise) in connection with investigations and disputes. He has regularly advised on queries raised by the Reserve Bank of India and the National Housing Board in relation to periodic inspections conducted by such regulators. Kaushik has multiple publications under his name including a National Stock Exchange (of India) publication on corporate governance (as a special advisor), apart from authoring articles in leading financial dailies including the Economic Times and the Financial Express. He has regularly featured as a securities laws expert on panel discussions organized by the National Stock Exchange, London Stock Exchange, Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, Law 2.0 and the Indian Law Conclave, amongst others. He has also been a guest lecturer for securities laws courses offered by the National Stock Exchange and Government Law College, Mumbai.
Kumar Sambasivan
Kumar Sambasivan is a General Council Member at Ayana Renewable Power and a corporate generalist attorney with substantial in-house legal experience, providing pro-active support on high value infrastructure projects, contracts and negotiations, corporate governance, mergers and acquisition, regulatory compliance, intellectual property, dispute resolution and litigation. He specializes in High value Contracting, contract management, risk management, mergers and acquisition, compliance, dispute management, intellectual property.
Lakshmi Menon Nair
Lakshmi Menon Nair is the Director and Head of Legal - India Geo at Hewlett Packard Enterprise. She is a General Counsel with both global and local experience, known for providing practical, outcome-oriented advice to technology companies ranging from medium-sized enterprises to large Fortune 500 companies. She has advised on complex cross border commercial transactions, technology laws, mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, employment laws, data protection laws, intellectual property laws, trade laws, insurance laws, antitrust issues, dispute management, facilitated corporate secretarial matters, corporate governance, real estate laws, environmental laws, business code of conduct issues and risk/compliance management. She has experience managing large and small agile teams with a focus on driving excellence and elevating performance by creating an inclusive environment for team members. She is a member of several Diversity, Equity and Inclusion ERGs in her present organisation and drives strategic initiatives for these groups.
Manoj Rajendran
Manoj Rajendran is the Associate General Counsel and Director, Legal at Amazon. He completed his LLB in 1990 and practiced for a year in the High Court of Kerala, Kochi, before joining the Indian Air Force. Serving in the Judge Advocate General (JAG) branch for 21 years, he obtained premature retirement. He joined Amazon in 2015 as the Head of the Labour and Employment team. Manoj was promoted as AGC (Associate General Counsel) and Director Legal in 2021. He supports all employment issues of about 125 thousand permanent employees and about 70000 temporary staff. As part of the leadership team, Manoj advises various verticals including Operations, Market place, Digital, Devices, AWS, CS and other global Orgs.
Meera Vanjari
Meera Vanjari has almost two decades of legal experience, working at the highest levels of private practice and in-house roles. Initially serving at law firm Mulla & Mulla & Craigie Blunt & Caroe, she then went on to hold roles at companies including Marico Industries, Kodak India and Bunge India. Between 2008 and 2012 Vanjari was legal director for Johnson & Johnson, heading legal affairs for its medical devices and diagnostic business. She then joined pharmaceutical company Glenmark Pharmaceuticals in 2012, to head the legal and intellectual property (IP) functions for the company globally. In addition to her general counsel role, in which she heads the legal team of 23 people and the IP team of 40 professionals, Vanjari is also part of the Core Operating Group of Glenmark and the Chairman of the Sexual Harassment Committee. One of her mandates when joining was to ensure legal support across the globe with a fairly lean legal team, as well as to encourage proactive legal advice. After assigning legal leads in jurisdictions and by establishing internal processes, the legal team’s position as a business partner has been achieved and stakeholder satisfaction received. Vanjari ensures that the whole team regularly works with the business counterparts to analyse business risks and develop strategies to risk-hedge negative impacts on the company’s operations. She also developed a global compliance code for the organisation and drafted global policies for the key countries where Glenmark operates. Further e-training modules on compliance have helped staff across the global business embrace the high standards that the company requires. A key feature of her time at Glenmark has been launching products when faced with patent challenges; allowing the company to launch innovative new products and continue to build its international brand.
Mohit Kapoor
Mohit Kapoor is the Founder & Senior Partner at Universal Legal. He is a dual-qualified lawyer with varied experience in litigation and corporate matters, spanning multiple industries and geographies. Having begun his career practicing at premier law firms, Mohit has handled a variety of matters ranging from indirect tax, consumer, antitrust, intellectual property and product liability laws, while engaging and working extensively with India’s senior-most counsels. He then successfully transitioned to more transactional and advisory roles by gaining rich experience working at different organizations including foreign law firms, global insurers, international HR consultants, leading banks, and NBFCs. Mohit has more than three decades of experience and has held various responsibilities in various organizations and has been exposed to a variety of experiences including providing timely and cost-effective legal support to businesses against aggressive schedules and budgets, liaising with the Board of Directors, shareholders and regulators. Currently, Mohit heads the legal department of India’s largest pure-play credit card issuer - SBI Card, providing strategic, legal, regulatory and commercial support as a member of the Senior Management Team. He was admitted to the Bar Council of Delhi as an ‘Advocate’ in 1992 and enrolled with The Law Society of England as a ‘Solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales’ in 2000.
Nishad Nadkarni
Nishad Nadkarni is a Partner in the Intellectual Property (IP) practice group at Khaitan & Co. in Mumbai. With over 20 years of experience, he specializes in various aspects of IP law, including contentious and non-contentious matters related to trademarks, copyrights, designs, and patents, as well as media and entertainment law and commercial litigation and arbitration. He has extensive experience in IP litigation, handling cases involving standard infringement actions, anti-counterfeiting, comparative advertising, disparagement, and unfair trade practices. His expertise also includes copyright litigation related to films, music, and endorsement and publicity rights.
He has represented clients in diverse IP issues before the Bombay, Delhi, Chennai, and Calcutta High Courts, as well as the Supreme Court of India. He regularly advises on IP elements in commercial transactions, including brand acquisitions, music and film repertoire acquisitions, technology transfers, and due diligence. His practice also involves trademark and industrial design prosecution, portfolio management, and advising on protection in international jurisdictions.
Active in the intellectual property community, he contributes to study committees for the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI) and delivers training sessions to various institutions, associations, and government bodies.
Panduranga Acharya
Panduranga Acharya is a seasoned legal professional and a veteran in the ecommerce industry. He is solution-oriented and a great decision maker. He has led complex transactions and highly performing teams in his career. His vast experience on sectoral regulatory issues is outstanding. Mr Panduranga has built high performance teams and has demonstrated great legal leadership in various organisations.
Mr Panduranga is a Law graduate from Bangalore University. After a brief period of court practice, he worked for various corporations. He carries 18 years of post-qualification experience as in-house counsel and has been associated with MobileStore, Videocon, Vodafone, Flipkart, Swiggy and CarDekho Group. His core competence includes, M&A Transactions Advisory, Business Structuring, Regulatory Compliances, Policy Advocacy and Real Estate Transactions.
He is a regular speaker on diverse legal topics and has been co-chair for FICCI Online Food Aggregator Working Group and currently Executive Committee Member, e-Commerce Law Section at INBA and member of CII National Committee on Regulatory Affairs.
Poornima Sampath
Poornima Sampath is SVP & Chief Legal Officer at Tata Digital. Previously, she was working with Tata Sons as Vice President - Group Legal. She has also worked with Intel Capital as Senior Attorney, where she spent a few years handling legal matters across a diverse portfolio of venture capital investments in India, Asia-Pacific and the United States. Prior to Intel Capital, she worked at Weil, Gotshal&Manges LLP in New York, focusing on M&A, private equity and restructuring matters. Poornima is admitted to practise law in New York, India and the United Kingdom (non-practising solicitor).
Priyam Singhvi
Priyam Singhvi is the General Counsel and Compliance Officer for Schindler India Private Limited, overseeing legal and compliance matters across India and South Asia. With over 12 years at Schindler, a Swiss multinational, Priyam has played a pivotal role in managing complex litigation, establishing commercial and contract functions, leading high-value infrastructure projects, and driving strategic initiatives for new business ventures. Her efforts have been crucial in fostering a strong compliance culture within the organization.
Before joining Schindler, Priyam worked with Emerson, a US-based multinational, where she independently handled the Network Power Division, now known as Vertiv. Her extensive in-house experience spans commercial litigation, criminal matters, employment laws, infrastructure contracts, FIDIC-based high-value projects, procurement contracts, intellectual property issues, media laws, telecom laws, and crisis management.
Priyam holds a B.S.L. LL.B. from Symbiosis Society Law College, Pune, and an MBA from GSITS College. She has also pursued a Diploma in Consumer Protection Act and a Diploma in Information Technology Act, 2000 from the Asian School of Cyber Laws, along with a Certificate Course on Intellectual Property Rights and Competition Law.
Rabindra Purohit
Rabindra Purohit is the Head of Legal, Compliance & Company Secretary at NIVEA India. As a seasoned Corporate Lawyer and Company Secretary, he brings over two decades of experience working with in-house legal teams at multinational corporations. His career began as a Senior Associate at Lexport Law Firm, followed by roles as Senior Manager Legal & Company Secretary at Bharti Delmonte Foods and Deputy General Manager Legal & Company Secretary at Vodafone, where he managed legal matters including litigation, tax disputes, intellectual property protection, and corporate affairs.
In his current role, He oversees the company's legal, secretarial, and compliance functions. His expertise lies in de-risking business operations, driving compliance, navigating complex transactions, handling disputes, protecting intellectual property and brands, managing cross-border transactions, and ensuring robust corporate governance. He is also skilled in crafting legal frameworks and partnering with businesses to unlock strategic growth through legal tech, creativity, and collaboration.
Rajiv Chandan
Rajiv Chandan is the Chief General Counsel & Company Secretary at Tata Chemicals. He is a corporate lawyer and a Governance Professional. He has a masters' degree in Commerce and a Law degree from the University of Mumbai. He is also qualified Company Secretary from The Institute of Company Secretaries of India. Rajiv is with Tata Group since 2007 and he is a Key Managerial Person in Tata Chemicals Ltd and designated as Global General Counsel & Company Secretary. Being a member of Management Committee, he heads the Legal, Corporate Governance, Compliance and Company Secretarial functions of the Companyhead quartered in Mumbai and its subsidiaries based in India, America, UK and Africa. Rajiv has over three decades of experience in the areas of Legal, Regulatory, Compliance, Corporate Governance and Mergers & Acquisitions including cross border His experience is spread across diverse industries and sectors, including paper, automobiles, logistics, cement, chemicals, FMCG and fertilizers. Rajiv is also representing his company in various Legal affairs committee of industry bodies such as CII, FICCI and BCCI.
Rajiv Malik
Rajiv Malik is the Legal Leader at LG Electronics India, where he manages the legal team for the company's Noida manufacturing subsidiary. With over 20 years of legal experience, he specializes in litigation, contract management, data privacy, anti-trust issues, and compliance. He holds an LLB from Delhi University and is a qualified Company Secretary. Additionally, Rajiv has pursued further education in Cyber Laws from Amity University and AI & Law from Lund University.
In his role at LG Electronics, Rajiv oversees key legal functions, including intellectual property rights (IPR), alternative dispute resolution (ADR), and competition law. His extensive expertise extends beyond his corporate responsibilities; he is a respected speaker at industry conferences and seminars, where he provides valuable insights into legal and compliance matters.
Rajiv's qualification as a Company Secretary enhances his understanding of corporate governance and compliance, enabling him to help organizations adhere to legal obligations and manage potential risks effectively. He is dedicated to promoting ethical practices and ensuring that businesses operate within legal frameworks, contributing significantly to the company's legal and compliance strategies.
Rajiv Mohapatra
Rajiv Mohapatra is dual qualified banking and finance lawyer, a senior corporate legal professional having experience of more than 23 years in various leadership roles, across banking and finance industry, advising boards and management of large corporates and global MNCs (like Vodafone, HSBC Bank, CitiFinancial) on various legal and regulatory issues. He specializes in managing legal risks, regulatory and corporate affairs, corporate-commercial litigations, legal recovery, compliance and public policy across multiple geographies. In his current role as Global Head of Legal Compliance for money transmission product at Mastercard, he advises on legal compliance issues and manages the risk across the globe in more than 210 geographies. He also has experience of Private Practice in High Courts and Supreme Court of India before moving into corporate legal leadership roles. He is a life member of Bar Association of Odisha, India and ex-member of International Bar Association, London.
Rajiv have published multiple articles in Indian and international magazines on banking, finance and payments laws. He is recognized as one of the top 100 Shining Star of Indian Legal Fraternity by Corporate Counsel Association of India, Top 100 General Counsel of India in 2021 by Business World Legal (a leading legal magazine in India), Best Leading Lawyers of 2022 by World Intellectual Property Forum and as a Thought Leader in the banking and finance legal fraternity by the Lex Witness magazine – one of the leading legal magazines in India.
Rashmi Chendvankar
Rashmi is the Group General Counsel & Company Secretary at CitiusTech, a leading healthcare technology company with offices across India, US, UK, Singapore and UAE. She has 18+ years of experience as in-house legal counsel and company secretary. Rich experience in Contract negotiations, Technology Contracts, Commercial contracts, Mergers & Acquisitions, Private equity, Intellectual property, Company Secretarial work, Corporate governance, compliance management, legal operations and cross-functional legal support. In her current organisation, she has spearheaded legal diligence for two large private equity processes, legal deal negotiations for three acquisitions and has taken many challenging contract negotiations to closure. Before joining CitiusTech, Rashmi was working as the Legal Counsel & Company Secretary at IMS Learning Resources Pvt. Ltd.
Rohan Ahuja
Rohan, an alumnus of Campus Law Centre, Faculty of Law, University of Delhi, brings over 15 years of post-qualification experience in managing complex, multi jurisdictional disputes. His practice covers a wide range of areas, including commercial disputes, information technology, intellectual property, gaming and real estate. Rohan has advised and represented both foreign and domestic clients on numerous legal and regulatory matters, such as intermediary liability, gaming, infringement and passing off actions, contractual disputes, insolvency, and real estate disputes. His extensive experience spans various industries, allowing him to handle diverse corporate and legal issues adeptly. Rohan frequently appears before the Supreme Court of India, High Court of Delhi, Punjab & Haryana High Court, Bombay High Court, and other courts and tribunals across Delhi NCR, providing strategic legal counsel and representation. Rohan has also been recognized as 40 Under 40 Rising Stars, 2023 by Legal Era.
Roopesh Jain
Roopesh Jain is the Deputy Vice President - Legal & Secretarial at Hitachi Air Conditioning. He isi a commerce and law graduate. He is also a qualified Company Secretary and Cost & Management Accountant. He has more than 25 years’ experience advising businesses in Legal, Compliance and Taxation matters in his role as General Counsel with several reputed companies like Hitachi, Daikin, Menarini, Lloyd, SPL etc. in Consumer Durables, Pharma, Oil and Gas, Construction and Finance sectors. He has wide experience working with Indian entrepreneurs and MNC’s engaged in Manufacturing as well as Services sectors. Roopesh is currently working with a BSE NSE listed and American-Japanese Joint Venture - Johnson Controls Hitachi Air Conditioning as its General Counsel, and designated as Deputy Vice President – Legal & Secretarial. He is based in Ahmedabad.
Sachin Kalra
Sachin Kalra is the Vice President & Deputy General Counsel at HT Media Limited (Group). Having pursued his Master’s degree from Bharati Vidyapeeth, Pune, he completed post-graduation and joined as a faculty of law with the same university. Soon, he decided to take up law as a career and became a practicing lawyer in litigation. Subsequently, he specialised in corporate law and intellectual property rights law.
In his prior assignments, Sachin headed and represented the legal functions of Bharti AXA, Bharti Retail, Samsung (South-West Asia), Vodafone India. He possesses a wide experience of handling a diverse range of legal matters in different industries including insurance, telecom, FMCG, retail, real estate, electronics, consumer durables, education and media.
He has always been open to challenges and learning and never hesitated in taking up new tasks in any sphere. However, with a penchant for research and a love for academics, he continues to hold a keen interest in interacting with and tutoring law students on a wide array of subjects beyond the rote learning of textbooks.
As a General Counsel, Sachin has been bestowed with several prestigious awards.
Sameet Gambhir
Sameet Gambhir, FCS, LLB, is a Senior Corporate legal professional and Company Secretary with around 30 years of industry experience. Presently he is the Vice President (Corp. Law) & Company Secretary of DCM Shriram LTD in New Delhi.
Mr Gambhir’s expertise includes Regulatory & Corporate legal matters, Corporate Governance & Compliances, Corporate restructuring, M&A, RBI & FEMA matters, ESG, SEBI Regulations, Industrial & labour Laws, Contracts & Agreements, litigations, Risk management, IPR matters, brand protection, data privacy issues, due-diligence, and investigations. He carries vast experience in Corporate Secretarial matters including handling Board meetings, Committee meetings and shareholders meetings.
He has done Leadership Effectiveness Programme from IIM- Bangalore as well.
Mr Gambhir is enlisted as one of the Top In-house Counsels by Forbes India in its Powerlist-2022. He is a member of National Committee on Regulatory Affairs of CII and also of Corporate Affairs committee of PHDCCI. He is a member of Board of Study of GD Goenka Law School also.
He was felicitated with the Global LexFelcon award, 2022 in the field of Governance & Compliance in Dubai by LexTalk World. He was also awarded as one of the most influential Corporate Counsel and Company Secretary by ACoS in 2019. The team led by Sameet in DCM Shriram Ltd won the best compliance team of the year consecutively for two years - by LegalEra in 2020 and by Kamikaze in 2019. Sameet has also been featured among India’s leading lawyers in compendium released by ICCA and also among the shining stars of India Legal fraternity as released by CCAI.
Mr Gambhir is a regular speaker on various seminars / conferences / Webinars and also guest lecturer at various Management and Law Institutes. He is also a member of Company Law Task Force of ICSI, Faculty / Member of committee on CSR Certification course of ICSI. He is Regular speaker / faculty at various programmes organised by Institute of Company Secretaries (ICSI).
Sandiip Chaudaury
Sandiip Chaudaury is the General Counsel, Compliance Officer, Senior Management Member and also in the Board of group companies. With 20+ years of experience in retail, FMCG, chemical, pharma, manufacturing, EPC and service industry and have played pivotal role in cost control, risk management, leading complex transactions (both in India and abroad) and collaborating with key stakeholders for effective business support.
Recipient of Legal 500 GC Powerlist award, the Top In-house lawyer award from IPR Gorilla, Mr. Chowdhury is the Group General Counsel for HCC Ltd, one of the largest infra and EPC Company of India. He looks after legal, regulatory and compliance matters and manages a team of lawyers and leads his team across various verticals.
He is passionate about developing a proactive, connected and metrics-driven culture. In his role, Mr. Chowdhury provides necessary advice and guidance to Senior Management and Board Members. He also manages outside counsel, handles large, complex transactions and litigations, looks after budgets and is focussed on developing the capabilities of the in-house team.
Some of his key area include corporate and commercial contracts, joint ventures, arbitration, litigation, competition law, employment, securities law, compliance, GDR listings (at SGX and Luxembourg), corporate governance, re-structuring etc. Mr. Chaudaury is a rank holder Law graduate from the University of Calcutta and had done leadership courses from Harvard Business School and Walton Institute.
He started his career with the eminent lawfirm M/s Khaitan & Co. specialising on taxation, litigation and a civil advisery matter. His inclination to general corporate legal work made him move to the corporate world wherein he has worked at senior levels in organisations like Walmart, Coca Cola, Baxter, UPL, Lafarge India, OLA, HCC Ltd., both in India and abroad.
He has managed legal, compliance, regulatory and risk management portfolios with teams spread across various jurisdictions. Mr. Chaudaury believes in integrity and personal ethics and has rich experience on US FCPA, having conducted various training and investigations in the matter. He has handled numerous foreign litigations including the Private interest ones in US and Australia.
He has worked on mergers and acquisitions on Global level. He drove the culture of integrity, accountability and compliance in various organisation by introducing certain initiatives. He had supervised teams comprising of members from different countries and had, inter alia, helped business in devising high level strategies and procedures to protect and safeguard the interest of the organisation. He is also a prominent speaker in various legal and compliance forums.
Mr. Chaudaury travelled widely for business purposes to countries like China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Sri Lanka, France, Brazil, Australia, and United States.
Sanjit Kaur Batra
Sanjit Kaur Batra currently works as the Group VP – Legal and serves as the Legal Head for India for Cummins group in India. She is currently leading the legal, secretarial and compliance function of all Cummins group entities in India. Before moving to Cummins group, Sanjit worked as the Regional Legal Director-Greater Asia, IFF, where she transitioned as a part of DuPont’s business merger with IFF. She had spent approximately a decade at DuPont in various roles as the APAC Counsel and Legal Head for South Asia. Before joining DuPont, Sanjit worked with the U.S. Government as a member of the USPTO’s international IP policy office in South Asia.
Sanjit has worked extensively on cross-border M&A, divestitures and restructuring transactions, anti-trust, corporate advisory, corporate governance, litigation as well as intellectual property related issues. During her private practice tenure, she advised stakeholders from multiple industries. She is actively involved in policy advocacy as a member of various committees of leading industry associations in India.
Sanjit has completed her B.A. (Law) LLB (Professional) degree from Kurukshetra University.
Sanjukta Kulkarni
Sanjukta Kulkarni is the Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Larsen & Toubro Infotech Limited (LTI) responsible for the global legal portfolio of one of the fastest growing IT companies. She is also a member of the Management Council and Risk Operating Committee at LTI. She has diverse experience in leading deal negotiations of several fifty plus million US dollar commercial contracts across US, Europe, Australia and Middle East while heading as deputy of Legal function at Hewlett Packard Enterprise, TCS eServe, Capgemini India and Tech Mahindra.
She has well over 25 years’ experience of managing legal activities at large MNCs while holding leadership positions.
Ms. Kulkarni is a double Master’s degree holder from Stockholm University in Sweden and Aberdeen University in UK. Over the course of her career, she has advised management on several matter related to compliance, employment law, government investigations including interactions with US Department of Justice and Indian law enforcement officials such as CBI, litigation including managing US class action suits, advised on whistle-blower investigations, formation of JVs, mergers and integration activities, Data Privacy breach management and general policy matters including on rebadging employees in Europe, India and Middle East.
Ms. Kulkarni has keen interest in mentoring teams and has also been a speaker at several legal industry forums. She has also been recognised as a Star Woman Lawyer of the Year and General Counsel of year at reputed legal forums. Presently, she is keen in exploring legal issues in the metaverse and is a champion of diversity at senior levels.
She spends her free time exploring new art works of Indian Artists, interior designing. She is an enthusiastic gardener and passionate about food that touches the soul. She is hopeful to open a beautifully designed space combining her passion of Art, Interiors and Food.
Santosh B. Parab
Santosh B. Parab is the General Counsel at L&T Finance Limited (LTF). He leads the Legal and Compliance functions at LTF, which he joined in 2020. In his capacity as the General Counsel, he holds an Executive Management position in LTF. His role instilled momentum in building the in-house practice group that deals with advisory, transactional and litigation portfolios for the lending and non-lending businesses.
Under his leadership, LTF has closed many strategic transactions including successful completion of the merger of L&T Finance entities. In addition, he takes care of regulatory compliances applicable to LTF including interpreting, implementing and intrinsically complying with various circulars, guidelines and regulations issued by the Reserve Bank of India and other regulators.
Santosh holds a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce and a Master's degree in Law from Mumbai University. With over 28 years of experience, in past he has worked with IDBI Limited; IDFC Bank Limited and Altico Capital India Limited. His expertise in varied domains includes retail, wholesale and banking finance, borrowings and treasury and mergers and acquisitions of entities in the financial sector, equity raising, private equity, litigation, recovery and resolution.
He mentors the principle - the solution to a problem should be within contours of the legal framework, keeping the organisation’s interest at the top. Within and outside the realm of the team, it has brought him laurels.
Shagoofa Rashid Khan
Shagoofa has over two decades of experience in private equity, acquisitions, joint ventures and strategic initiatives, corporate and commercial laws, compliance and ethics advisory, audit and finance roles. In her career span of over 23 years, she was an in-house counsel for 10 years with leading Indian corporate houses. At NIIF, she is the Group General Counsel and Head of Corporate Affairs and is based out of the Mumbai office. Prior to joining NIIF, Shagoofa was a Partner with Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas (CAM). At CAM, she headed the Investments Funds practice and specialised in Private Equity investment advisory for infrastructure, real estate, and financial services sectors.
She has advised global and domestic fund houses in structuring and setting up of their cross border as well as domestic funds, including combination structures and fund of funds. She has advised large institutional investors (including pension funds and sovereign funds) on their strategic and platform investments in India. She has also played an active role on the policy advocacy front by being part of committees constituted by the regulators, providing support to industry associations such as IVCA and APREA and assisting clients on representations to Government ministries and regulatory bodies. Prior to joining CAM, Shagoofa was the Senior Director and Head Legal and Compliance at IDFC Alternatives.
Shailaja Lall
Shailaja Lall is a Partner at Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co and heads the Insurance & Reinsurance practice of the firm.
She has worked extensively in the field of insurance law for over 20 years and is recognised as a leading practitioner of insurance law in India with remarkable domain expertise. Her experience includes advising insurers, reinsurers, insurance intermediaries and other financial services entities on a full range of non-contentious and contentious insurance matters.
Shailaja is a member of CII National Committee on Insurance & Pensions. She was the Vice Chair of the Lex Mundi Insurance & Reinsurance Practice Group (2012-16) and a member of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry’s (FICCI) Insurance and Pensions Committee (2014-15).
Shailaja has been recognised among the “Thought Leaders” in Who’s Who Legal – Insurance & Reinsurance Thought Leaders – 2021-22. The Legal 500 2018-23 has recognised Shailaja as a “Leading Individual” for Insurance, which quotes “As a practice head Shailaja Lall is a key name to note for non-contentious matters”.
She has also been consistently ranked by Chambers and Partners since 2016 and as a Band 1 Practitioner in 2024 for insurance matters. Chambers states that, “Shailaja Lall both heads the team and takes the leading role in most of its key mandates, enjoying market recognition as a “very bright” practitioner who is equally at home in both the transactional and regulatory spheres. A client reports that she valuably combines “a fantastic understanding of the sector” with “a very good understanding of our structure” and “a very clear approach.” Legal 500 describes her simply as ‘outstanding’, whereas Chambers & Partners has quoted her clients as saying “She understands time pressures and the intensities. There were many break points and she made sure that we got the advice and that the negotiations didn’t break down”, and “knowledgeable, with strong research skills”.
Shailaja regularly advises on key regulatory developments impacting the sector. Clients endorse her for her comprehensive and nuanced knowledge of all aspects of the practice, including share and business acquisitions, joint ventures, setting up reinsurance entities and branches, reinsurance arrangements, bancassurance and distribution arrangements, MISP and POS arrangements, group re-organisations and her in-depth understanding of the IRDAI’s registration and licensing requirements. She is also considered as an expert who advises in relation to investment structures, registration/ licensing requirements and applicable regulatory compliances in the insurance sector.
She is often invited to share her experience and insights at public events, seminars and conferences and regularly writes for leading newspapers and journals.
Shujath Bin Ali
Shujath Bin Ali is the Global General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer at Re Sustainability Limited. A graduate in Commerce and Law, he has done Masters in Law in Alternate Dispute Resolution & International Commercial Arbitration. A Fellow Member of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India, he has attended executive education programs on strategy, general management and leadership from Harvard University, Massachusetts, Indian School of Business, Hyderabad, and National Law School, Bengaluru. He was also a member of Toastmasters International and lead various initiatives in the development of leadership and communication skills for professionals and students. Shujath served as Senior Director-Legal, Risk Management & Company Secretary and Compliance Officer at Parexel International–India, providing strategic corporate legal advice and operational legal support for India operations. Prior to that, he was a Senior Legal Counsel & Corporate Secretary for International Paper-India.
He worked as Associate Vice President-Legal & Corporate Secretary for Deloitte US-India offices and has overall 21 years of experience in the areas of governance, compliance, risk management and corporate, commercial and employment laws. He is credited for working in diverse industries like pharma, information technology, professional services and manufacturing.
Shujath was awarded India’s Finest In-House Counsels by Indian Corporate Counsel Association, supported by the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Law & Justice; named as one of the Top 100 General Counsels in India by Legal 500 (2016 and 2018); bagged the Young Achievers Award – Top 40 young lawyers under the age of 40 by Legal Era; Top 100 General Counsels in India by Business World, Forbes India (2020); and Top 10 Chief Compliance Officers in India by CEO Insights (2020). Shujath regularly speaks at the national and international conferences and presents white papers for professional journals on topics relating to ESG, Sustainability, Governance, Risk & Compliance Management, Leveraging Technology.
Shubham Khare
Shubham Khare Co-heads the transactions with over USD two billion investments across the capitalstack. Shubham also is Head - Central Litigation & Dispute Resolution at Piramal Capital & Housing Finance Limited. He is the founding member of the legal team at Piramal Capital, the financial services vertical of a global conglomerate, Piramal Group. He is responsible for management and resolution of stressed accounts, litigations, dispute resolution and matters related to the Insolvency & Bankruptcy Code.
He has expertise in leading proceedings before the Supreme Court, the high courts and tribunals across sectors including real estate, education, infrastructure and healthcare. He has successfully led complex and high-stake proceedings before various judicial and quasi-judicial forums leading to landmark judgements. Shubham co–heads the legal side of the transactional portfolios across India (except Bengaluru and Hyderabad) and has successfully completed over 250 investments and lending transactions.
Before joining Piramal, he was a part of a leading law firm and was associated with corporate, commercial and real estate practices. He is a B.A. LL.B (Honors) graduate from the National Law Institute University, Bhopal.
Shubham was recognised as Legal Era 40-under-40 Lawyers in India (2020) and was also acknowledged as Legal Era Young Achiever (2021).
Tejas Karia
Tejas Karia is a Partner with the Dispute Resolution Practice at Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas and also heads the Firm’s Arbitration Practice. His expertise spans across international and domestic commercial arbitrations, corporate & securities litigations, general corporate advisory, and diverse aspects under the information technology law including data privacy and confidentiality.
Tejas has extensive experience handling a broad range of complex, high-value international and domestic commercial disputes and frequently advises clients across diverse industry sectors including oil and gas, real estate, construction, and private equity, amongst others. He has represented clients in arbitrations before the LCIA, ICC, ICADR, ICA and SIAC, as well as the Supreme Court of India and various High Courts.
His well-regarded contribution to policy formulation across the arbitration domain endows Tejas with a deep understanding of issues that enables him to present solutions that deliver effective resolutions for his clients.
Tejas has advised on the drafting of amendments to a number of key Acts including the Indian Arbitration and Conciliation Act 1996 and the Commercial Courts, Commercial Division and Commercial Appellate Division of High Courts Bill, 2015. He has also been a part of the high-powered committee set up by the Government of India for institutionalisation of arbitration in India.
According to Chambers and Partners 2019, “Tejas Karia is a respected arbitration lawyer with substantial experience representing clients in joint ventures, shareholder agreements and private equity disputes.” He has also been recognised as a ‘Leading Lawyer’ in dispute resolution by Asialaw Profiles consecutively from 2012 to 2021 and listed as a ‘Global Leader’ by Who’s Who Legal (WWL): Arbitration. WWL: Arbitration 2019 quotes, “Tejas Karia wins high praise from sources who note he is very knowledgeable about arbitration practice and always endeavours to meet the client's demands" Benchmark Litigation 2019 recognised him as a ‘Dispute Resolution Star’ (for commercial & transactions and construction).
Tejas has been recognised as ‘Distinguished Practitioner’ for Dispute Resolution by Asia Law Profiles, 2020-23 and amongst ‘ALB Asia Super 50 Disputes Lawyers 2022. Forbes India recognised him among the Top 100 Individual Lawyers as part of their Legal Powerlist, 2020-21.
Sonal Basu
Sonal regularly speaks at various reputed forums and educational institutions including IIM Bangalore and has been a faculty member for a seminar course on ‘Cloud Computing’ at the National Law School, Bangalore. Sonal has also co-authored a write-up on ‘Bitcoins’ and ‘Data Science to Drive Good Governance’ which were published in international journals.
Sonal, an active volunteer with an NGO that emphasizes the importance of children’s education, holds a BLS, LLB degree from Government Law College, Mumbai and a post-graduate diploma in Intellectual Property Rights Laws from the National Law School of India University. She has a Master of Laws degree in Corporate and Commercial Law from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). She has also completed her executive leadership program from Cornell University, USA.
With several articles authored by her on IT and outsourcing to the credit, Sonal has been recognized as one of the top General Counsels in India for two consecutive years by BW Legal World and listed amongst the finest in-house counsels by the Indian Corporate Counsel Association.
Smitha Chandrashekaraiah
Smitha Chandrashekaraiah is the Legal Director at Harman International and has worked across various sectors including but not limited to logistics, IT, healthcare, asset finance and audio/visuals in the Asia Pacific Region. She is a trusted advisor to the top management covering a broad spectrum of legal and compliance practice - strategic advisory, Board Management, risk and compliance management, structuring and negotiating complex commercial transactions, M&A, litigation, external counsel management and talent development. Core strength/ focus in the areas of Privacy, Employment, General Corporate/ Commercial, Contract Negotiations, M&A, and Corporate Governance.
Srivals Kumar
Srivals Kumar is an Executive Vice-President and Head Legal in Sunteck Realty Limited. He is an award winning Corporate Legal Consultant having an enriching experience for over 25 years as in-house counsel in reputed companies like Bharti Airtel, Tata Teleservices, Star TV, Mumbai International Airport, Flipkart.com, Rustomjee and Sunteck Realty Limited.
Mr Kumar holds an LLB degree from the Faculty of Law, Delhi University (1995) after graduating in BA Economics from Delhi University (1992). He also holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management (PGDBM) from Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan in New Delhi.
During his distinguished corporate experience, he has handled issues ranging from Contracts, Statutory Compliances, Litigation as well as Business Advisory to operations/business teams on day-to-day issues from a Legal or Regulatory angle. In addition, Mr Kumar has exposure working in the highly regulated sectors of Telecom, Media, Airports and Real Estate which has thrown lots of challenging issues to deal with. He has a passion for strategic litigation and has handled very high stake litigations with a very high success rate.
He is a regular speaker at various industry forums, legal seminars, and a guest faculty at the reputed law schools/Universities in India.
Mr Kumar has won many awards for his legal acumen like ‘Legal Achievers Award 2019’ for Professional Excellence & Distinguished Service in the corporate sector by Justice (Retd) Dipak Misra, former Chief Justice of India. He is also applauded as "Policy & Regulatory Lawyer of the Year" 2020 by the prestigious Legal Era magazine at its annual awards in March 2020. He is also selected as “My GC100” 2021, part of the top 100 General Counsels in India by Business World Magazine in May 2022.
Suchita Saigal
Suchita Saigal is the General Counsel at Cleantech Solar. She joined the Company, a leading provider of renewable energy to corporations in Southeast Asia and India, in February 2021 as the Assistant General Counsel to head their India legal team. In December 2021, she was promoted to Acting General Counsel (India and SEA) and in March 2022 she was confirmed as the General Counsel (India and SEA). Suchita has 12+ years’ experience in top tier law firms across jurisdictions and leading power companies. She advises on transaction structuring, acquisitions, project development, project financing, litigations and disputes, and other operational matters.
Suchita started her career as a trainee lawyer at Clifford Chance, London, and thereafter, joined its Energy and Infrastructure practice as an associate, advising on key cross-jurisdiction financings and acquisitions, including the acquisition of the biggest residential solar rooftop portfolio. Subsequently, on relocating to India, Suchita worked with the Projects practice in JSA and Trilegal. In 2016, she moved in-house to join the CLP India (now Apraava Energy) legal team.
In 2019, Suchita received the CLP India Service Excellence Award. The CLP India legal team was recognised as a leading in-house team by Legal 500 and was included in the prestigious GC Powerlist India Teams. She was a finalist for the Women Lawyer In-House Category (2020) by the Asian Legal Business Awards and a finalist in the Young Lawyer – In-house Category (2019) by IDEX Legal Awards. Recently, she was recognised as a leading lawyer by the World Intellectual Property Forum.
Sudipta Ghosh
Sudipta Ghosh is the General Counsel at Apraava Energy Private Limited (formerly known as CLP India Private Limited). Her primary areas of practice include project financing and infrastructure projects. She is presently working with CLP India Private Limited, which is one of India's largest foreign owned power company, and is actively involved advising the Company on various legal aspects of setting up conventional and renewable projects, more specifically Wind and Solar Projects in India. In the energy sector, Sudipta’s experience also includes advising, drafting and negotiating project documents, offtake agreements and execution of both conventional and non-conventional power projects in India. Sudipta has previously worked with two prestigious laws firms in India – Trilegal and AmarchandMangaldas and has handled various domestic and international financing for infrastructure projects including the financing for Power Projects and Airports. Sudipta has varied experience and keen interest in project financing.
Sujeet Jain
Sujeet Jain is the Chief Legal and Regulatory Officer at Nykaa. He has led legal, regulatory, company secretarial, compliances, mergers and acquisitions and corporate affairs functions across organisations. His ability to combine business, law and technology has been the hallmark of his career. His accounting qualifications enabled him to discover that financial issues are intertwined in complex legal problems. He thrives on building teams and systems and processes to enable the organisations to scale to the next level.
His career began as a Company Secretary, but he soon realised his passion for law and joined a law firm. His keen intertest to solve business legal problems led him to move to corporate firms. He is now a seasoned General Counsel with over 25 years of experience in diversified sectors including technology, telecom, media and entertainment and cement.
Sujeet started his corporate journey with Hutchison Max Telecom (Vodafone Idea now) when telecom sector was in evolutionary stage and never looked back. He did his MBA from Warwick Business School, UK and believes that it was a turning point for his corporate career and life in general. Post that, he worked with People Group (Shaadi.com). He had a stint with Viacom18 and played an important role in the launch of critical businesses including Colors and Voot and fought landmark cases in the media and entertainment industry. He has received numerous industry awards including the Best General Counsel at a young age. Under Sujeet’s leadership, the legal teams have won numerous Best In-House Team awards. He has been regularly featured in the Top General Counsels listing including Legal 500.
Sunei Kapur
Carrying 12+ years of experience as a lawyer in the infrastructure space with 6 years focused experience in the renewable energy sector. Having served and assisted numerous organisations with his approach and expertise
Sumeet Singh
Sumeet Singh is the General Counsel & Head of Corporate Affairs/Board Member at BharatPe and Zillion. He is a seasoned legal professional with 10+ years of experience across leading law firms including AZB & Partners, DSK Legal, and Amarchand Mangaldas. Sumeet brings a deep understanding of legal, compliance, regulatory, and structuring aspects of multiple sectors including non-banking financial, retail, e-commerce, FMCG, digital media, and technology. Sumeet who is expected to join BharatPe soon is currently a Partner at Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas, New Delhi, having joined the erstwhile Amarchand Mangaldas Suresh A. Shroff in 2013 from AZB. Sumeet has actively represented some of India’s biggest e-commerce, retail entities, financial companies, and start-ups. Recently, he was part of the core team advising Reliance Retail Ventures Limited, in its acquisition of the entire retail & wholesale and logistics & warehousing business of Kishore Biyani's Future Group.
Veena Sivaramakrishnan
Veena Sivaramakrishnan is a key Partner in the Firm’s Banking and Finance and Insolvency and Bankruptcy Practice with over 16 years of experience.
Veena has significant experience in Banking, Financial Services Regulatory, Financing, Derivatives, Insolvency, Bankruptcy and Restructuring. Veena has been a part of many “firsts” for her area of practice, by either being involved in the mandate or by advising the industry on such a transaction. These transactions include the NBFC merger of Capital First and IDFC Bank, first successful debt and equity restructuring under the SDR regime of RBI, involving the sale of Hyatt Hotels Pune to SAMHI group, legal validity to OTC derivatives under Indian laws and the introduction of Credit Derivatives, successful restructuring of sale of Leela Hotels to Brookfield, issuance of the first partly paid NCD structure, winding down of regulated entities such as banks and NBFCs in India, setting up of a special liquidity trust under the directions of the Government, to cater to COVID-19 related defaults and asset monetisation structures for easing liquidity to NBFCs, etc.
Vidushpat Singhania
Vidushpat is amongst one of the most well-known and leading Sports & Gaming lawyers in India. Amongst many, his accolades include being ranked as ‘Forbes Top 100 lawyer’ and ‘Business World 40 under 40’. He has been acknowledged worldwide for his advisory and consulting expertise on sport governance, betting and gambling laws, league formation and rights structuring, FEMA, and Foreign Direct Investment, related commercial transactions as well as anti-doping disputes. He has been instrumental in drafting laws and policies pertaining to the niche of sports and gaming across various jurisdictions such as the ‘National Sports Development Bill,’ ‘National Sports Fraud Bill,’ ‘The National Anti-Doping Act 2022’ amongst others.
Vidushpat has authored several publications, including the title on “Law & Sports in India,” with Hon’ble Mr. Justice (Retired) Mukul Mudgal, which is a leading reference work for sports in India. Vidushpat has represented and continues to represent leading organizations and sportspersons before courts, Court of Arbitration for Sports, Arbitral Tribunals and Anti-Doping Authorities.
Vidushpat’s expertise and experience hails from his past memberships and contributions at:
(a). British Association of Sport and Law.
(b). Secretary- Indian Premier League Probe Committee.
(c). FICCI National Sports Committee.
(d). Drafting Committee for National Sports Development Bill, National Sports Fraud Bill, and Anti-Doping Act.
(e). Membership at Independent Appeals Panel appointed by World Sailing, along with QC David Hunt (Blackstone Chambers) and Ms. Venetia Bennett (Counsel, K&L Gates, Australia). We rendered an award on the eligibility of its former President.
(f). International Association of Sports Lawyers.
(g). International Association of Gaming Advisors.
(h). All India Council of Sports.
(i). Sports Authority of India.
(j). ASSOCHAM’s Sports Committee.
Currently, Vidushpat continues to contribute to sports and gaming in India by virtue of his memberships and contributions via:
(a). Election Oversight Panel, World Athletics.
(b). Gaming and Leisure Group of UK-India Business Council.
(c). Regulatory Commission of the Indian Super League.
(d). FICCI National Sports Committee.
(e). Sportscom’s Managing Committee.
(f). Legal Committee, All India Gaming Federation.
(g). Legal Committee, Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports.
(h). Board Member of the E-Gaming Federation.
Vidushpat advises on issues pertaining to betting and gambling laws, sport governance, league formulation and rights structuring, government policies, TV and broadcasting rights, sponsorship and merchandizing contracts, tendering procedure, anti-doping, ticketing, venue hire and brand protection. He has advised sports leagues on regulations, turf authority of India on totes and tax representations and a number of companies offering poker, fantasy sports, casual gaming and rummy services on betting and gambling laws, corporate structuring, FEMA issues, payments systems and dispute resolution. He advises lottery and casino operators on legal issues pertaining to different facets of their businesses.
Vidushpat has represented the Commonwealth Games Federation, Athletic Federation of India and several Indian medallists before Court of Arbitration for Sports, renowned cricketers before the BCCI’s Anti-Doping Panel and a number of sportspersons before the National Anti-Doping Panels. The tally of anti-doping cases handled exceeds 100 cases. Vidushpat is the Co-author of the book, ‘Law and Sports in India’ and continues to write articles for LawInSport, Gambling Law Review, Mondaq, International Sports Law Journal, World Sports Law Report, online sports portals and various national dailies. He was involved in drafting the National Sports Development Bill and the Prevention of Sporting Fraud Bill for Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. He has assisted the Justice Mudgal Doping Probe Committee, the National Sports Development Code Committee and Asian Football Confederation’s Governance Task Force. Vidushpat assisted Justice Nageswara Rao in drafting the Indian Olympic Association’s constitution and facilitated the election process for the Executive Council and the Athletes Commission of the Indian Olympic Association. Vidushpat was a member of the committee established by the Ministry of HRD considering the integration of sports within the higher education system. He also advised on the Right to Play Bill (Haryana), Slum Dwellers Model Act and the Rickshaw Pullers Act.
Yogesh Wadhwa
With an experience of 20 years in legal profession and a mix of in-house and law firm roles, Yogesh hasset up various businesses, negotiated and closed M&A transactions, worked with stakeholders all across businesses and managed complex litigations. He has also supported Government Relations and Public Policy at General Motors. He is currently working as the General Counsel for Hyundai Motor India Limited at Gurgaon, India. Yogesh has experience of working in India, South Asia and Middle East markets jurisdiction wit MNCs and Law Firms in Manufacturing and Oil & Gas sectors: Manufacturing (General Motors, Renault, Nissan) and Oil & Gas (Halliburton and Cairn Energy)
Zameer Nathani
Zameer Nathani is the Senior Vice-President & General Counsel at UFO Moviez India Limited (Public Listed). He joined UFO Moviez, India’s pioneering technology company for digitisation of cinema theatres in India, in 2018. He is an LLB, LLM (Civil, Corporate, Criminal, Customs, International Laws), PLD (Harvard Business School), Executive MBA (NMIMS), and has certifications in IPR, Electronic Commerce and ADR from WIPO, United Nations, M&A (Harvard Business School), Private Equity (London Business School) and US IP Laws (Stanford University).
Zameer started his practice in 2002 and was a law firm attorney for reputed corporate like Eureka Forbes, LG Electronics, TCL India, Motul Oils, Ginger Hotels, Kale Consultants Software UK, Johnson & Johnson, Johnson Diversey and other multinationals from the US, UK and Asia Pacific. He joined the corporate world, becoming the Associate Vice President of Reliance Entertainment – Digital Businesses to head the legal affairs globally for all the digital businesses (gaming, e-commerce and OTT platform). Thereafter, he became Head-Legal for Balaji Telefilms (Public Listed), a renowned production house for TV serials, movies & OTT, reporting to Founder and MD Mrs. Shobha Kapoor, followed by becoming Director – Legal for the iconic clothing brand Raymond (Public Listed) to head the legal team for retail, manufacturing, FMCG, real estate, engineering, aviation etc. under the brand Raymond, Park Avenue etc.
Parag Mathur
Parag Mathur is the Group General Counsel at PhonePe, bringing over 24 years of extensive expertise in Legal, M&A, Regulatory, and Compliance domains. His role at PhonePe involves providing substantial legal support for new business launches. He is also responsible for spearheading major projects like redomiciling PhonePe to India from Singapore, orchestrating the USD 1 Billion Funding Round, Insurance Broking, Stock Broking, Payments and NBFC -Account Aggregator licenses, including other connected registrations and sublicenses to enable digital distribution of financial products and services on PhonePe.
Through his engagement with the NITI Aayog, the Government of India, and financial regulators, he has helped drive regulations that support the use of Aadhaar-based OTP for onboarding in 2016, as well as video KYC, digital verification, and penny drop for non-face-to-face onboarding. These regulations have evolved over the past five years to allow for paperless and presence-less customer onboarding.
As a Fellow Member of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India and a law graduate, Parag has accumulated a wealth of experience through key roles in well-established organizations such as Modi Corp, Polar Software, Bharti Airtel, and ING Life Insurance. Before joining PhonePe, Parag was the General Counsel at BankBazaar.com, where he was committed to building dynamic teams that effectively support business goals and provide expert legal counsel.
His notable achievements have garnered him recognition in the GC Powerlist India 2023, by The Legal 500, General Counsel 100+ by Business World in 2024 and his team won the Best ‘Fintech-in house legal team’ by Asia Legal Business 2023.
Sanjeev Sachdeva
Bringing about 28 years of experience in the legal sphere, Sanjeev is known for his zealous approach in providing legal services to companies while dealing in core transaction documentation and legal documentation and also representing them before various legal forums and courts of law and departments/ministries of Government of India and that of State Governments and other statutory authorities, governmental bodies/local self-government bodies on various issues relating to real estate and infrastructure development.
Sanjeev Sachdeva is currently the General Counsel and Head of Department – Legal at Emaar India Limited. He holds over 28 years of experience in spearheading legal services to companies and firms in the real estate and infrastructure development sector.
Before joining Emaar India Limited, Sanjeev was associated with M3M India Private Limited, where he spent six years handling high-stake litigations and corporate matters alongside handling transactions and legal documentations for the M3M Group while serving as Senior Vice President – Legal & Secretarial there.
Sachdeva carries a vast experience in transaction advisory, transaction documentation, legal documentation, litigation and due diligence in the real estate and infrastructure sector. Sanjeev started his career with Paam Pharmaceuticals (Delhi) Limited as Assistant Company Secretary honing his corporate secretarial skills there. Sanjeev has had a proven record in drafting transaction documentation, transaction advisory and handling high-end litigations.
Sanjeev holds a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce and LLB from Delhi University, and has pursued Company Secretary Intermediate Course from the Institute for Company Secretaries of India.
Harsh Parikh
Harsh Parikh is a Partner in the Real Estate Practice Group in the Mumbai office. Harsh specialises in property matters including, title diligence and he also advises on various redevelopment projects such as Society Redevelopments, Slum Rehabilitation, MHADA Layout redevelopment under DCR 33 (5), projects under DCR 33 (7), MIDC Land, MMRDA Lands and IT Parks. Harsh also advices large private equity groups on acquisition of commercial assets, data centers and warehousing projects.
Harsh also has expertise in drafting and negotiating transaction documents such as Joint Development Agreements, Development Agreements, Development Management Agreements, Agreement for Sale, Conveyance Deeds, Lease Deeds, License Agreements, Business Conducting Agreements etc.
Harsh has been recognised by Legal 500 as the “Next Generation Lawyer” for Real Estate and a notable practitioner by IFLR 1000 and is also ranked by Chambers and Partners.
Ritesh Bhatia
Ritesh Bhatia is a Board Committee Member and Founder of V4WEB Cybersecurity. He is a well known Cybercrime Investigator and Cybersecurity and Data Privacy Consultant with an experience of 20 years in the cyberspace. He is a three time TEDx speaker and a Certified Fraud Examiner from ACFE, USA, and is popularly known for his cybercrime Investigations. He has been successful in solving many cases for large corporates, organisations, law enforcement agencies, celebrities, and individuals in India as well as abroad. One of his most successful cases on busting a WhatsApp group that was circulating child sexual abusive material was well appreciated not just by the Indian police but also by Interpol. Ritesh also played the role of his real-life self as a cybercrime investigator in MTV's award-winning show - MTV Troll Police. He is on the board of many companies, serving as a cybersecurity consultant and auditor. He has been instrumental in securing systems and critical business information from cyberattacks. His key areas of interest include Cybercrime Investigations, Infrastructure and Data Protection, Security Audits, Risk Assessment, Business Continuity, New Age Cybercrimes, Dark Web and Digital Forensics. His views on trending cybercrimes and cybersecurity have been published by many national publications including Times of India, Indian Express, Hindustan Times, DNA, Mumbai Mirror, Mid-day, The Week, Open Magazine, and many other regional newspapers . He frequently educates citizens of the latest in cybercrime on radio channels such as Radio Mirchi, Radio City, Big Fm, etc and also on national television channels such as NDTV, ET Now, Mirror Now, CNBC, Zee, Aaj Tak, NewsX, etc. He has also been interviewed by international media houses such as BBC and Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.