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After graduating from the University of Mysore in 2006 with an excellent academic record, Vinay Bhagawan started his career as an associate at Singhania & Partners in Bangalore before joining the first batch of law clerks and research assistants at the Karnataka High Court. In 2007, he joined Toyota Kirloskar Motor’s legal team, where he started as a management trainee and worked his way up the ranks dealing with intricate legal, compliance and governance matters.

He gained significant exposure to dispute resolution, contracting, corporate advisory, antitrust and intellectual property rights cases. After returning from his stint at the regional headquarters of Toyota in Singapore, Vinay’s role expanded to include being part of the core team that worked on strategic projects and alliances in India.

In August 2022, Vinay moved into his current role as head of legal and compliance at Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV), a wholly owned subsidiary of Daimler Truck in Germany, operating under the umbrella of Daimler Truck Asia, a full-fledged commercial vehicle player in India with a brand dedicated to the country, the BharatBenz. Vinay is responsible for overseeing and managing the efficient delivery of DICV’s legal and compliance services. He leads a team of legal and compliance professionals and plays a pivotal role in shaping the legal strategy of the organisation and providing crucial advice to the executive team. He has fostered high levels of efficiency within the team by streamlining internal processes.

Vinay sees his team as an integral part of the larger business ecosystem and firmly believes in the need to embrace a mindset that goes beyond traditional legal functions to excel in one’s roles; team members must be enablers, collaborators and strategic partners for the organisation’s success.

Vinay has garnered numerous accolades throughout his career including recognition from industry peers and legal publications, and prestigious awards. Outside of his professional responsibilities, he is actively involved in community initiatives and legal advocacy. He participates in pro bono work, mentors aspiring legal professionals, and contributes to initiatives enhancing legal and compliance awareness.

Vinay’s journey exemplifies a commitment to excellence, legal prowess and leadership. Through years of dedication, he has not only shaped his own successful career but continues to lead and inspire his team. He remains a beacon of excellence in the ever-evolving legal landscape.

Chandan Sand is a distinguished professional who holds key leadership positions as head of legal, aircraft acquisition leasing and financing, and company secretary of the board at SpiceJet, a leading airline in India. With an impressive track record and extensive experience in the aviation industry, Sand has earned a reputation as a proficient legal and commercial expert with a strong focus on aircraft acquisition, leasing and financing matters.

With a career spanning more than two decades in the aviation sector, Chandan has established himself as a key industry player, and is known for his expertise in restructuring and navigating the complex legal landscape of aircraft transactions. His role at SpiceJet entails overseeing all legal aspects of aircraft acquisition, leasing and financing operations, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements, and fostering strategic partnerships with key stakeholders.

As head of legal, Chandan plays a pivotal role in driving the company’s growth and expansion initiatives through his sound legal counsel and strategic guidance. His responsibilities include negotiating a wide range of commercial agreements including aircraft acquisition and financing, managing regulatory compliance issues, and providing legal support to various departments within the organisation.

His role as company secretary underscores his proficiency in corporate governance and regulatory compliance. In this capacity, he ensures adherence to all legal and regulatory obligations, maintains transparency in company operations, and upholds the highest standards of corporate governance.

He has been instrumental in restructuring and positioning the company for sustained success in a highly competitive environment. His strong negotiation skills, attention to detail and strategic thinking have earned him the respect and admiration of colleagues and industry peers alike.

In addition to his professional accomplishments, he is known for his strong work ethic, integrity and dedication to excellence. He is widely regarded as a trusted adviser and thought leader in the field of aviation, contributing significantly to the advancement of legal practices in the industry.

Hemant Kumar occupies a niche among distinguished general counsel in the country. An LLB gold medallist, he commenced his professional career as an advocate before holding senior positions at large public sector undertakings and private sectors viz the State Bank of India, Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), JSW Steel (formerly Ispat Industries), Reliance ADA Group and Essar Group. He is the group legal adviser of Larsen & Toubro (L&T). Across a career spanning 35 years, Hemant’s understanding of law and his ability to articulate its nuances forcefully and persuasively has cemented his reputation at the top of the profession.

Hemant comes from a family of lawyers, corporate counsel and judges. An expert in litigation and arbitration under both Indian and international law, he has dealt with cases in the UK, the US, France, Australia, Singapore, the Middle East and Africa. He has considerable expertise in foreign investment and Foreign Exchange Management Act regulations, both inbound and outbound.

He considers his father, the late Gopi Nath Gupta, as his most influential mentor. Gupta, who was a judge, guided Hemant on the path to becoming a successful legal professional. From his mother, Tara Devi Gupta, he learned the “manual of man – the art and science of growing into a true human being”.

The latter part of his career was greatly influenced on many fronts by his wife, Karuna, who is also a corporate lawyer. His daughter, Nupur, and son-in-law, Satish Gupta, are engineers from premier Indian engineering colleges and often guide Hemant on the application of technology, AI, digitisation, etc. His younger brother, Shishir, Edelweiss Alternatives’ executive vice president and head of legal, and son, Utkarsh, a corporate lawyer, keep him abreast of the latest trends and new advances in the field.

Hemant’s mantras for sustainable success are: “Your team and peers are your greatest assets. It’s the team that wins, not the individuals in it.”; “Continuity is the lifeblood of organisations. If your replacement is not waiting in the wings, you are leading your organisation into a vacuum.”; and “The law is an ocean. Aim to be its finest navigator.”

Among the awards and honours Hemant has received are: the Jawahar Award, one of Bhilai Steel Plant/SAIL’s highest individual honours; Chambers GC Influencers Award: India by Chambers and Partners, London; Best Legal Department of India by London-based RSG Consulting, awarded to L&T’s corporate legal department; an honorary professorship from Amity University; Hall of Fame award by BW Legal World; Top General Counsel by Forbes 含羞草社区 Legal Powerlist; General Counsel of the Year by The Economic Times; Business Excellence Award by Legal League Consulting; General Counsel of the Year by Legal Era and the Corporate Counsel Association of India; and Legal Icon of India by Legal Era.

Arun Geetesh is head of legal at Vibrant Energy, Macquarie Group’s India-based platform for developing, owning and operating renewable energy projects (which include solar, wind, wind-solar hybrid and energy storage projects and solutions) for large businesses and commercial and industrial customers. He oversees and manages the group’s legal matters in India and Singapore, ethics and anti-bribery and corruption compliance, providing legal, compliance and risk management advice to the board, the senior management, and across the organisation.

Arun has a deep understanding of the renewable energy business, commercial awareness, and the ability to grasp key issues quickly. He helps drive business growth by pairing strategic oversight of complex transactions with managing a solutions-oriented 10-lawyer team, which looks after the requirements of all the business functions. He firmly believes that in-house teams are uniquely placed to act as a bridge between business functions and thus have the key responsibility of maintaining oversight to ensure legal compliance across the company, and serve as a strategic partner for de-risking the business.

As an enabler and team player, he believes that people and teams deliver their best when managers take it on themselves to maintain a happy work environment with mutual trust and respect being key values, allowing flexibility and support to individuals to take risks and think innovatively. A proven team builder and trusted adviser to senior leaders, Arun has been instrumental in building the legal team from the ground up at Vibrant Energy, welcoming a change of management and overseeing the subsequent overhaul of internal policies and processes, and providing steadfast support to the company’s rapid expansion.

He has also been involved in driving initiatives around integrating legal functions with the group’s businesses, greater adoption of diversity and technology, and building an empathetic and a compliance culture in the workplace.

Prior to his current role, Arun had a mix of law firm and in-house experience spanning more than 15 years, working at Luthra and Luthra Law Offices, as a partner at August Law Chambers, and at Mytrah Energy, an independent power producer where he served through its increase of another 1GW of capacity.

Arun graduated from the West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences in Kolkata, and is enrolled as an advocate at the Bar Council of Delhi.

Ajay Kapoor is the chief (legal, regulatory and advocacy) at Tata Power Company.

Prior to joining Tata Power, he was the CFO and chief (legal, regulatory and commercial) of Tata Power Delhi Distribution Ltd (TPDDL). He handled enforcement assessments and vigilance functions of the company, and was also its chief risk officer. He joined TPDDL in October 2002 and rose to the CFO position in 2007.

Ajay is an honours graduate from the Shri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi University, and a fellow member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. He holds MBA, LLB and LLM degrees. He was a rank holder in his CA course, and top of his MBA class for which he was awarded a gold medal. He is also an alumnus of Columbia Business School, New York, where he pursued his Executive Programme in Management. He attended the executive education programmes of the Stern School of Business, New York University, Tuck School of Business, Columbia Business School, and MIT Sloan School of Business, and the Tata Group Senior Leadership Programme organised by the Tata Management Training Centre and Harvard Business School.

Ajay has rich experience of more than 36 years with companies including ITC, Tata Group, Birla Group and HCL Group. He has extensive experience in all areas of finance, legal and enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementation, and has handled matters relating to foreign collaboration, joint ventures in India and abroad, financial restructuring, policy advocacy, capital raising and acquisitions, besides legal advisory, and has managed litigation matters at all levels/forums.

During his tenure with TPDDL, the company was awarded the National Award for Excellence in Cost Management twice in the category of a service sector with turnover of more than INR10 billion (USD120 million) by the Institute of Cost and Works Accountants of India. Ajay was also bestowed the CFO 100 Roll of Honour four times and the CFO League of Excellence. He was recognised as among the Top 25 Thought Leaders by SAP India and as a distinguished alumni by the International Management Institute in New Delhi. He has been a regular speaker on topics relating to finance, accounting, tax and law at various forums. In 2021, he was honoured by the Society of Indian Law Firms for his contributions as in-house counsel in the field of corporate law. In 2023, he was recognised as best in-house lawyer in the field of energy and natural resources by India Business Law Journal.

Kaushik Mukherjee is a corporate lawyer with diverse experience across practice areas including structured finance, M&A, capital markets, real estate project financing, restructuring, and corporate and securities advisory and disputes.

He has advised on transactions involving Indian corporates and those from various other jurisdictions including the US, the UK, Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Georgia, Ireland, Holland, China, Sierra Leone and Nigeria, among others, in relation to Indian and foreign law matters. As an in-house counsel, Kaushik’s repertoire includes structuring and execution of commercial transactions ranging from public and private, and M&A, to capital markets and structured finance transactions including senior/junior investment structures.

He oversees all regulatory matters ranging from simple advisory in relation to compliance to strategizing (with external counsel or otherwise) in connection with investigations and disputes. Due to Kaushik’s involvement with a leading non-bank mortgage lender in India, he has regularly advised on queries raised by the Reserve Bank of India and the National Housing Board in relation to periodic inspections conducted by such regulators. This is in addition to the non-bank mortgage lender and its asset management subsidiary being subjected to inspections by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs and investigations by the Securities and Exchange Board of India, and other regulatory bodies. As a result, Kaushik’s role entails significant involvement in regulatory matters including overseeing compliance policy matters, and handling investigations and disputes along with external counsel.

Other than accolades received during his tenure with various leading law firms, Kaushik has recently been recognized as a leading general counsel in India by various publications. He has multiple publications under his name including a National Stock Exchange (NSE) of India publication on corporate governance (as a special adviser), apart from authoring articles in leading financial dailies including The Economic Times and The Financial Express.

He has regularly featured as a securities laws expert on panel discussions organized by the NSE India, the London Stock Exchange, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, Law 2.0, and the Indian Law Conclave, among others. He has also been a guest lecturer for securities laws courses offered by the NSE India, Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies for its MBA (Law), and Government Law College, Mumbai.

Sumeet Singh is an executive director (board member), general counsel and head of corporate affairs at BharatPe, a leading name in 含羞草社区 fintech industry. He leads legal, regulatory and compliance, as well as corporate affairs and strategy at BharatPe, a unicorn company with a USD2.85 billion valuation. Sumeet also sits on the board of Zillion (formerly Payback India), one of the country’s largest multi-brand loyalty programme companies, with more than 100 million members.

At BharatPe, Sumeet’s role includes exploring new business and growth opportunities. He is also responsible for managing its equity and debt fundraising work, successfully leading the series D and series E rounds. It was in the series E round in 2021 that BharatPe became a unicorn. He has also played an integral role in leading the corporate governance overhaul and has implemented several key governance changes in the company.

Under Sumeet’s leadership, the BharatPe Group was able to achieve an in-principle authorisation from the Reserve Bank of India to operate as an online payment aggregator earlier this year. Sumeet successfully spearheaded the strategy for acquiring a majority stake in Trillion Loans, a renowned Mumbai-based non-banking financial company. He also played an instrumental role in setting up the Unity Small Finance Bank, in which BharatPe owns a significant stake, along with Centrum Group.

Sumeet is a seasoned legal professional with more than 15 years of experience across leading law firms, namely AZB & Partners and DSK Legal. Prior to joining BharatPe, he was a partner at Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co, one of 含羞草社区 largest law firms, where he specialised in M&A, private equity and venture capital. He has an in-depth understanding of legal, compliance, regulatory and structuring aspects across multiple sectors including non-banking financial, retail, e-commerce, fast-moving consumer goods, digital media and technology. Sumeet has represented some of 含羞草社区 biggest e-commerce, retail and financial companies and startups.

Sumeet has won numerous awards and accolades for exemplary work done during his professional career. He was featured in the coveted BW Legal World’s 2023 GC Top 100 power list. He was also included in its renowned “40 Under 40 Club of Lawyers, Legal Leaders and Legal Influencers”. He has also featured in Forbes 含羞草社区 Legal Power List 2021 as one of the top general counsel.

Sumeet completed his BA LLB from Symbiosis Law School.

Anurag Sharma has nearly 23 years of experience in South Asia and Southeast Asia in leadership roles both as general counsel for leading corporates and working with law firms. In his roles, he has worked on issues across numerous jurisdictions including India, Myanmar, Vietnam, Singapore, China, the US, the UK, Egypt, Australia and other African and European countries.

In his current role as the general counsel for MakeMyTrip, Anurag handles the entire spectrum of legal and compliance issues for the company across the globe including key strategic litigation, M&A, partnerships, etc.

Prior to MakeMyTrip, he was general counsel for Asia Strategic Holdings, an LSE-listed, Singapore-headquartered fund with strategic investments in Myanmar and Vietnam. He has also led legal departments in India for companies such as Ola Cabs, Abbott, Biocon, Rivigo and DSM.

Prior to shifting to in-house roles, he worked with Fox Mandal, a leading law firm in India, in its corporate as well as dispute resolution teams. Anurag completed his Bachelor of Law degree from the Campus Law Centre University of Delhi in 2001.

Ramanuj Gopalan is the general counsel and partner at Elevation Capital (earlier SAIF Partners group) one of 含羞草社区 leading venture capital funds, having multi-billion assets under management with marquee portfolio companies such as Paytm, Swiggy, Meesho, UrbanCompany and Spinny.

As legal head of the fund, he manages and works across the entire life cycle of the fund and investments in portfolio companies including investments and exits, structuring and regulatory issues, legal issues relating to fund set-up and management, documentation, tax related matters, litigation management and compliance.

Ramanuj has been able to effectively manage a high volume of transactions and legal issues across more than 60 active portfolio companies. He was recently elevated to operating partner in the fund, a rare instance of a lawyer being promoted in a large investment fund in India.

Ramanuj works closely with the investment and operations teams in the fund and founders and operating teams in portfolio companies to provide commercial solutions to legal issues. He also helps portfolio companies manage regulatory and other legal issues like an external GC leveraging his experience of more than 16 years across multiple sectors, deals and portfolios.

Ramanuj has also helped companies in their public listing journey both as an investor and internally for the companies. He has considerable experience in handling issues related to listed companies as well as fintech related matters involving RBI and SEBI.

He has substantial cross border expertise. This includes financing of US and Singapore based companies, issues facing off-shoring or on-shoring companies in and out of India, as well as issues relating to fund raise in India and outside India for investment funds.

Prior to his present position, Ramanuj was working in Amarchand & Mangaldas for eight years as part of the M&A and general corporate practice. He was also recognised internally within the firm and was one of the few lawyers to receive an out of turn promotion for high performance.

Ramanuj has received various awards as part of his journey including being recognised in the General Counsel Powerlist for 2022 and 2023 by The Legal 500 group, Fintech Lawyer of the Year (In House) in the ALB India Law Awards 2023 and General Counsel of the Year (Venture Capital) in the Indian GC Awards, 2024.

Ramanuj often speaks and presents on legal and industry issues. In his spare time, he enjoys travelling with family to different places, reading and volunteering.

TN Sharad started his career with Sundaraswamy Ramdas & Anand Advocates in 1998, and moved to Dua Associates in 2002 where he practised until 2005. He acquired his master’s degree in contract law in 2006.

Sharad joined RMZ Corp in May 2005. This was around the time when the government of India first permitted foreign investment in the real estate sector. At RMZ, he was tasked by the promoters, Raj Menda, Manoj Menda, and RMZ Group’s president, Arshdeep Sethi, to help them scale up the real estate business primarily through the infusion of foreign capital. RMZ was one of the first recipients of the reputed institutional capital, and Sharad played a key role in leading joint venture and other investment transactions with investors such as the Qatar Investment Authority, Mitsui Fudosan, the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and Brookfield, to name a few in the public domain. Sharad has been the lead in-house lawyer in all these transactions.

Sharad has assisted RMZ in consummating acquisition deals across various geographies including its entry to the national capital region and in Mumbai, 含羞草社区 financial capital. He has also led RMZ’s acquisitions in other major cities including Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune and Chennai.

Sharad has instructed external law firms in the above-mentioned transactions, including AZB & Partners, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co and Trilegal, to name a few. Sharad has also led and worked closely with cross-functional teams comprised of tax, finance and technical experts to conclude transactions. His sound knowledge of law combined with a quick grasp of tax implications and financial structures have helped him contribute significantly to innovative deal structuring for acquisitions and joint ventures.

RMZ’s continuous learning and leadership training programmes with premier institutes such as Havard Business School have greatly helped Sharad fine-tune his management, negotiation and leadership skills. He is also instrumental in framing and updating RMZ Corp’s internal policies in line with international best practices.

Zahid Maqbool Khan is an accomplished legal expert in corporate and commercial law. Grounded in a robust foundation of legal practice within the fast-moving consumer goods, trading consumer, and retail sectors, Zahid has dedicated his career to mastering the intricacies of the legal landscape. After completing his Bachelor of Law, Zahid swiftly immersed himself in corporate and commercial law. Early on, he discerned his passion for this field, setting the stage for a future marked by legal proficiency and innovation.

A pivotal moment in Zahid’s trajectory occurred in 2015, when he seized the opportunity to assume an in-house role at a multinational corporation based in Dubai. This transformative experience not only granted him invaluable global exposure but also deepened his understanding of the legal complexities across diverse international landscapes. The Dubai stint not only elevated his legal acumen but also cultivated a sharp business sense.

Unfazed by challenges, Zahid pursued further education, culminating in the completion of his LLM in corporate law. Simultaneously, he pursued his PhD focusing on the role of family offices in succession and inheritance planning. This commitment to continuous learning underscores his dedication to remaining at the forefront of legal knowledge.

Five years ago, Zahid joined Switz Group, where he was mentored by its visionary chairman, Taizoon Khorakiwala. Under Khorakiwala’s guidance, Zahid gained a fresh perspective on formulating legal strategies aligned with the best interests of businesses. The emphasis on fairness, a rigorous approach in negotiations, and the pursuit of simple yet effective strategies became hallmarks of his legal approach.

Over time, Zahid discovered profound joy in his work, challenging the conventional notion of segregating personal and professional lives. He embraces the idea of a shared journey leading both aspects of his life as an entrepreneur and finds happiness in the amalgamation of personal and professional experiences.

Beyond being a legal professional, Zahid views the integration of personal and professional life as a shared journey, devoid of unnecessary differentiations. His unique experiences and unwavering commitment to excellence have infused a distinctive flavor into his professional journey, making him a standout figure in the legal landscape. Zahid is recognized for bringing easily comprehensible legal solutions, akin to advice from a friend, to both laymen and managers overseeing the business operations of a company.