I have been working with Sistema Shyam TeleServices limited (SSTL) for last nine years and handling whole gamut of Legal Department as its Chief Legal Officer. I joined SSTL as Contracts Head in 2008, however having had vast experience of litigation and corporate affairs, helped me to climb the ladder to become General Counsel. It’s been a great organization to have worked for, I believe after Idea Cellular this is one organization which is very close to my heart and will always remain so. Here my portfolio involves contracts, litigation, project financing, advisory services, handling regulatory bodies, mergers, restructuring, HR advisory, Advisory to Parent Company for its interests in India
I hailed from Ludhiana Punjab, done Law degree from Panjab University & MBA-Finance from Amity Business School, done specialized course in Cyber laws &Labour laws from Indian Law Institute. I have experience working for medium sized organizations and also a lot of startups naming few Emaar MGF, Aircel and then SSTL occurred to me. Working from scratch is always full of challenges, it is also a time when one has limited resources at one end and lots of work at the other end. The best phase in any organization is when you are the one who makes the rules of the game & works on them. I have started my career with DCM Limited and then worked in HFCL, HCL, IDEA, AIRCEL, EMAAR MGF, I came across the best of my seniors and peers & till date relish very good professional relationship, wherever I have worked. My mother being a house wife always inculcated in us the importance of becoming a professional &be financially independent. My father has always supported me in all spheres, whether I wanted to play Table Tennis or wanted to go to the Hostel or move my base from one city to the other city. I have travelled across many states within India and Countries across the globe for work. It’s always been a very interesting journey so far and I hope it will continue to be the same.
Yes it has evolved many folds now, over the past decade, a variety of forces and events has made the role of General Counsel more prominent than ever. A confluence of factors-increased globalization, more technological disruption, and dramatically amplified government oversight- have put the GC Function at the centre of Corporate maelstrom as never before. Today GC is expected to handle the board adeptly, possess nuanced commercial and operational judgement, technical skills, ubrest with business world and driving force for the major business decisions of any corporate.
“My personal goal is to connect the dots for people — to present complex subject matter in a way that makes sense in “real world” terms. This helps cross functional team members spot opportunities and understand the subject enough to present solutions that lead to action.”
For the top in house lawyers, leadership is not gauged by measuring personal legal acumen or claiming the record for longest hours worked, but rather is measured by how you can leverage talented teams to deliver measurable results and advance the client’s business goal.
For general Counsel, the trick is to find the balance between their role as an accessible and engaged participant in the C-Suite and strategic management, and their role as department manager of the legal services required by daily corporate operations. I like to think of this as the challenge of keeping your eyes simultaneously lifted towards the horizon and fixed downward so that you don’t stumble on the treacherous path beneath your feet
Synergies between law firms and corporate in-house legal teams only improve if there is a trust and understanding of each other’s values, it is important for GC to not only provide specifics on work at hand but also help firms have a better understanding of the company, when outside counsel really understands the clients, efficiency increases , creative solutions are found, because outside counsel can think broadly and deeply and feel confident in presenting unexpected strategies or solutions to the GC. Effective GC tell their outside counsel what’s important to them and their company so that outside counsel can focus in the issues that really important to client rather than theoretical concerns.
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My advice is if you can be loyal, passionate for the company you work for then sky is the limit, don’t limit your area of work, try to expand it, get into the detailing, for example if some NDA comes to you, don’t only get into the legal clauses also ask the business team what is the purpose and think about how it can benefit the business if that purpose is fulfilled.
Gadget – Watches
App – Sports Geo
Automobile Brand – Rolls Royce
Writing Instrument – Mont Blanc
Holiday Destination – Himalayas
Cuisine – Indian
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