Could you share an example of a time when you came up with an innovation that improved how your legal team works and did not come at a large expense? 

With the changing world and work culture, technology has played a significant role. Everyone was stunned by the Covid-19 pandemic, after which, we automated most of our processes and brought innovation in all aspects. This has streamlined the processes, brought a lot of accuracy, and helped us in all compliance and reporting requirements. Because of the same, we were able to significantly reduce our costs, risks and brought visibility to the stakeholders. 

What are the most significant cases or transactions that your legal team has recently been involved in?  

The most recent and significant transaction was to create processes and policies in line with global data privacy guidelines and local laws of India. As the Supreme court of India mandated Right to Privacy as a fundamental right, it was our utmost priority to get ourselves prepared for “The Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023” in a robust manner in addition to the existing IT Act. The task is humongous as it requires a lot of understanding on the new legislation, coordination with multiple stakeholders. My team is working with multiple stakeholders to create and implement the DPDP Act, once made effective by the government of India. 

If you had to give advice to an aspiring in-house lawyer or general counsel, what would it be and why?  

Ethics and compliance are the pillars of today’s corporate governance. I would like to advise in-house lawyers or general counsel to follow the highest standard of ethics and compliance. This may bring good values among employees and match with the value and culture of the company.