Team size: Eight

How has the increasing consciousness of climate change and sustainability affected your team’s priorities?

We are in the vertical transport business, and being a part of a global organisation, the sensitivity about sustainability in business processes was much before becoming a hot topic everywhere. Two angles of sustainability – environment and governance were already present and continuously improving. CA-2013 brought in the social angle as a mandatory obligation for profit-making companies. Our focus on regulatory compliance and transaction due diligence is becoming more robust in line with changes. I do not want to state that we are thoroughly insulated. We are equally concerned and consciously monitoring unprecedented challenges posed by rapidly changing regulations, and increased expectations of society, customers, employees and regulators at significant due to socio-economic changes.

How important is choosing to work with external lawyers who align with your company’s values? Are you likely to reconsider what firms you work with based on this?

External lawyers will expose themselves to regulatory risks and social media activism by not following values. In all such cases, we have an avoidable and undue risk exposure to get tagged with them. The larger risk is loss of reputation, which can even lead to the closure of a business. Legal actions by affected parties or regulators and parties holding high moral values are not ruled out.

We have a laid down process for all the vendors, including external lawyers. The external lawyers with whom we work are aligned with the company values at the beginning of the relationship. Before engaging any lawyer or external support, we hold a meeting to explain our organisation’s fundamental values and take their unconditional buying-in on company values. This understanding is documented and signed off as an integral relationship obligation. Any violation of this specific obligation gives us the right to terminate the relationship immediately. The process is repeated to ensure reinforcement of compliance.

There is no reconsideration, as consideration is done in the first place with no-compromise option on company values.

What is a cause, business or otherwise, you are passionate about and why?

I am passionate about my health. When I say health, I mean three physical, mental and social elements.

Physical health helps me to work without any significant sickness breaks and with full of energy all day. This enhances my dependability and trust in my company. Mental health fitness helps me remain professionally agile and deliver on time, even in complex or challenging situations. Social health engagement gives me the fulfilment of my obligatory returns to society and simultaneously maintains extensive and live networking – professional and personal.

Now, why do I do this? Because not only do I like it and enjoy it, but by doing this, I love to ensure that I maintain my status as an asset in the family and society.