Event Report

Thursday, 20 June 2023, saw The Legal 500 travelling to beautiful Gurgaon to oversee the the GC Summit India – 2023 at the The Oberoi. The event saw a full room of in-house counsel in attendance, together with representatives from the event sponsors — lead sponsor S&A Law Offices, and Argus Partners, Ikigai Law, Wadia Ghandy & Co., Bombay Law Chambers, PSA, and The Grey Matter.

The event kicked off with a welcome address by Nathan Oseroff-Spicer, The Legal 500’s editorial lead for the Summit, followed by keynote speaker Guita Pawha, joint managing partner at S&A Law Offices, who clearly set out the agenda for the day.

The first session was a panel covering the future of arbitration in India, which covered in detail what Indian corporates should expect when entering arbitration. Gunita Pawha chaired the panel, which saw Sameet Gambhir, Vice President (Corp. Law) and Company Secretary at DCM Shriram Ltd.; Prarabdha Jaipuriar, Vice President and General Counsel – Indian Subcontinent at SUEZ India Pvt. Ltd.; and Rajarshi Sen, Lead Counsel at Siemens Energy India, have a lively conversation about the ins and outs of arbitration. Attendees appreciated the practical guidance and first-hand experience.

The first panel was followed by a Fireside Chat titled GCs as the Flag Bearer for Corporate Governance, conducted by Krishna Dutt, Managing Partner at Argus Partners, and Nathan Oseroff-Spicer. The Fireside Chat covered a broad range of topics, including the modernisation of Indian General Counsel, India’s place within the global market, and the difficulties faced by General Counsel in weighing both corporate ethical and legal responsibilities and duties.

The second panel of the day focused on protecting data assets and data governance within the Indian corporate sphere, with Ikigai Law Partner Sreenidhi Srinivasan moderating a panel of experts that included Satish Kumar, Group Chief Legal Officer of Intellect Design Arena Ltd.; Rario’s General Counsel and Head of Government Relations, Jyotsna Sharma; and Pavit Singh Katoch, Group General Counsel of Inshorts. This conversation extended into the Q&A, which saw a number of attending General Counsel in the audience engaged in a spirited discussion about data governance.

This discussion was cut short, however, by the second Fireside Chat of the Day, which dealt with the complexities of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) in India. Manoj K Singh, Counsel at S&A Law, sat with Nathan Oseroff-Spicer to discuss which types of ADR were preferable under different conditions, the historical development of ADR in India, and the push towards implementing ADR as a result of the increased strain of litigation cases seen in Indian courts.

After a short coffee break, attendees returned to see the last panel of the day. Unlike other panels, this panel saw a focus on the relationship between private practice and in-house counsel. Moderated by Neha Kashyap, CEO of The Grey Matter, the private practice panel was comprised of Shabnum Kajiji, Joint Managing Partner of Wadia Ghandy & Co.; Karan Kalra, Founding Partner of Bombay Law Chambers; and Priti Suri, Managing Partner of PSA Law. They were joined by Zameer Nathani, Group General Counsel of CarDekho Group, representing in-house legal teams. The intense discussion saw broad engagement from attending legal talent, who frequently voiced questions to the panellists about constructing a better relationship between in-house and private practice legal teams.

Closing remarks were given by Gunita Pawha, bookending the event, and all attendees then enjoyed a broad selection of drinks and canapés in an accompanying dining room. The Legal 500 was delighted to host the GC Summit – India 2023 and was happy to see such a large turnout at the event. We look forward to returning to India soon!

In association with...