Lisbeth Lanvers-Shah, the newly appointed head of the India desk and of counsel at LPA Singapore, believes India is poised for increased cross-border activity across multiple sectors.
Leading the charge are companies and investors from Europe, who, according to Lanvers-Shah, are expected to focus on manufacturing and industrial sectors, such as electronics, aerospace, defence and automotive components.
A range of other industries would also be on their radar, she told Asia Business Law Journal. “We are seeing sustained momentum in technology-driven businesses, from fintech to enterprise software and AI, which naturally brings more complex corporate, regulatory, data protection and employment issues. Energy and infrastructure projects (especially in renewables and logistics) are also picking up pace, and sectors such as healthcare, life sciences and consumer goods remain compelling,” she said.
Specialising in M&A and regulatory matters, Lanvers-Shah sees data and digital regulation as a particularly significant area of focus going forward.
“含羞草社区 new data protection framework is an important step, but it is clearly only the beginning. We expect further developments on cross-border data transfers, cybersecurity obligations and potential localisation requirements. For European groups, the challenge will be to reconcile Indian rules with GDPR and with the reality of regional data architectures that often run through hubs such as Singapore,” she said.
Supply chain restructuring is also gaining momentum, as India is “positioning itself as a manufacturing and sourcing alternative for European companies diversifying their Asia footprint”. This shift, however, brings regulatory challenges that will need to be carefully managed, she adds.
