Harshdeep Arora is the Vice President at HCL Technologies Limited, with over 26 years of experience in legal and finance. He has extensive exposure to global markets and a profound understanding of IT/ITES outsourcing contracts. Harshdeep has held various leadership positions, successfully managing a large, multicultural, multilingual, and geographically dispersed legal team. He has played a pivotal role in establishing both the corporate and commercial legal team and the Global Legal Shared Services team at HCLTech.

Harshdeep holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Honors), a Bachelor of Laws (LLB), and is a Chartered Accountant.

What are the most significant cases or transactions that you have been involved in over the past year?

Over the past year, our team at HCLTech has successfully managed several high-profile transactions, including the establishment of Global Capability Centers (GCCs) worldwide, multi-billion dollar cross-border deals, and transactions involving intricate intellectual property, regulatory, and employee transfer issues.

Which political, economic or regulatory changes have impacted your work the most in the past year?

The global economic landscape has presented numerous challenges, compelling our team to adapt and support our business in meeting its goals. Notable regulatory changes such as the Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDPA), Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA), and the EU AI Act have driven significant developments and increased compliance requirements.

Based on your experience, what is the key to collaborating successfully with business partners?

Successful collaboration hinges on empowering my team to be proactive and aligned with business objectives. Our lawyers must strike a balance between being assertive advocates for the business and diligent protectors of our corporate mandate. This dual role highlights the value and complexity of our contributions.