Avimukt Dar is a founding and senior partner of INDUSLAW and advises and represents clients across a range of business laws and regulations. He helps domestic and international clients navigate India’s economy, ranging from investments, FDI Policy, data protection, e-commerce to fintech across practice areas. He has represented clients in M&A and PE transactions as well as commercial and corporate controversies and business regulatory matters and has extensive experience in negotiating entry and exit strategies for investors and joint-venture partners. Avimukt is a regular speaker at the UIA-ABA International Seminars on cross-border M&A since 2007. Avimukt is a guest faculty at the Indian Institute of Management (Lucknow) where he teaches legal aspects of mergers & acquisitions.

Darshika Singh is the Deputy General Manager of the Legal Division at Mitsui & Co. India Pvt. Ltd., having joined in January 2019 following a one-year secondment to Mitsui Tokyo's Legal Division. She holds a BA LLB (Hons) from the National Law Institute University, Bhopal (2007), and an LL.M. in Corporate Commercial Laws from Cambridge University (2009), where she was awarded the Cambridge Commonwealth Scholarship. With over 15 years of experience as an India-qualified lawyer, Darshika has been deeply involved in mergers and acquisitions (M&A), public policy, and dispute resolution, advising foreign investors on entry strategies and acquisitions in India. At Mitsui India, she has played a critical role in investments such as those in ReNew, EKA, and JSWOne, alongside her broader responsibilities within the legal division. Darshika has been recognised with the AP COO Achievement Award (FY 2022) and the Infra BU’s MVV Award (December 2021) in Mitsui.

Gunita Pahwa, Joint Managing Partner, S&A Law Offices

Ms. Gunita Pahwa specializes in commercial arbitrations, dispute resolution and commercial advisory. She heads the Dispute Resolution Team at S&A Law Offices, and her niche practice includes representing clients in arbitration matters, courts and regulatory bodies, vetting/reviewing contracts and transactions, advisory on project management, regulatory issues, tender & bidding documentation, etc., across various sectors like Pharmaceuticals, Energy, Roads and Highways, Ports, Airports, Waterways, Waste to Energy, Shipping & Mining, Real Estate, IT, and Infrastructure projects among others. She holds extensive experience in domestic and international arbitration and has successfully represented clients before LCIA, SIAC, ICC and domestic ad-hoc and institutional arbitrations. She works closely with foreign counsels engaged by the firm to represent client’s interests in foreign jurisdictions.

Ms. Pahwa regularly represents the firm at national and international conferences, meets and forums like International Trademark Association, and Inter Pacific Bar Association. She often shares her knowledge through speaking engagements addressing dispute resolution. She was a distinguished speaker at the 5th Annual Meet and International Summit organised by Alliance for Corporate Counsel and Company Secretary, 2019 and also at the India Ahead, Leading the New Age Economic Summit 2019.

She judged the 3rd National Mediation & Negotiation Competition organized by Society for Young Advocates and Researchers (SYAR). She also conducts seminars for clients’ teams on contract management and regulatory compliances. 

Ida Suryati Ab Rahim, Group General Counsel, IHH HEALTHCARE BERHAD

Ida is currently the Group General Counsel of IHH Healthcare, a healthcare operator of over 80 hospitals in 10 countries including India, Singapore, Turkey and Malaysia. Ida qualifies as an advocate and solicitor in Malaysia since 1997 and she obtained a Master of Law from University of Cambridge, United Kingdom and another LLM from University of Malaya, Malaysia.

She has worked in oil and gas, agribusiness and FMCG companies throughout her career. Her responsibilities include managing the legal aspects of corporate exercises and operations in and outside Singapore. Ida also previously led the Sustainability department in her previous employment where she performed ESG audits, undertook environmental protection programs and ESG policy drafting.

Karun has experience in advising clients on both strategic and financial investments, and in both buy side and sell side mandates. He also regularly advises assists clients on general commercial contracts, corporate restructuring and corporate compliance. 

Paritosh is a Partner in the General Corporate and M&A practice at the firm. He has over a decade of experience in providing bespoke business-oriented solutions to clients on complex legal and regulatory issues across industries such as manufacturing, automotive, chemicals, food, healthcare & pharmaceuticals, services, retail & e-commerce, logistics, technology, media and entertainment. His practice spans general corporate & commercial laws, employment laws, technology laws and other sector-specific regulatory laws.

Pavit Singh Katoch, with 16 years of legal experience, is currently the General Counsel at Inshorts. He specializes in data privacy, cybersecurity, technology law, intellectual property, commercial contracts, and dispute resolution. Formerly a Partner at Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas, he led the Dispute Resolution practice, advising major IT companies like Meta, and securing favourable outcomes in complex litigation. He regularly speaks at various industry-wide committees, consultations, conferences, and forums. He is certified as a Data Protection Officer under the EU General Data Protection Regulations. He holds an LL.M. in IP & IT Laws from Queen Mary University of London.

Mr. Prarabdha R. Jaipuriar has 17 years of experience in the legal industry. He is currently VP and General Counsel for Indian Subcontinent at SUEZ - a French MNC, and a market leader in the environment industry. Mr. Jaipuriar has prior experience of working in law firms as a corporate and transactional lawyer and has also handled litigation and IPR profiles. He joined SUEZ in 2013. He is heading the legal, contract management, ethics & compliance, and data protection functions for India and other jurisdictions of South Asia and leads a team of 14 lawyers, compliance professionals and contract managers. He is a member of the senior management team of SUEZ.

Mr. Jaipuriar completed LLB Hons from Campus Law Centre and LLM from Faculty of Law, University of Delhi. He also holds an MA in Economics. He is prolific trainer on topics ranging from ethics, contract management, prevention of workplace harassment, unconscious bias, etc. He has also delivered lectures at National Institute of Criminology and Forensic Sciences.

Preet Sethi, Deputy General Counsel, Vedanta Group

 

Preet is a seasoned Legal Professional with experience oof over two decades in areas encompassing all spheres of the legal industry. She had held leadership positions in major Indian and MNC business houses and has been recognized and awarded by various institutions.

Rakesh Prusti, Group General Counsel, OYO

 

Rakesh is an experienced General Counsel (GC) with over 26 years of successful history of working in diverse industries and complex ecosystems across geographies. Rakesh has managed cross-border mergers & acquisitions, financing, high-stakes dispute resolutions, enterprise risk management, board management, corporate governance and compliance framework, international legal strategy, key policies training, corporate restructuring, and policy advocacy.

Rakesh, in his initial career has served in various function at ChrysCapital invested Global Vantage and Cottage Industries Exposition. He first General Counsel stint at was NIIT followed by Carrefour, Max Healthcare and current being at OYO. Rakesh holds a bachelor’s degree in law and science and is also a Company Secretary and Cost & Works Accountant (Intermediate). 

 

Ravi Chhabra, General Counsel; Head of Corporate Legal & Compliance, HELLA India

A Law & Commerce Graduate, Company Secretary, having a PG Diploma in Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) & Cyber Law, Ravi has nearly 24 years of work experience in Corporate Legal; Corporate Secretarial & Legal Compliance domain. He carries experience in various industries & domains such as automotive, IT/ ITeS, FMCG / food processing, manufacturing, legal consulting / advisory & litigation.

Since June 2021, Ravi has been acting as “General Counsel; Head of Corporate Legal & Compliance” for Forvia Hella India – Forvia Hella is the 7^th largest global automotive components and technology supplier.

Roopesh Jain, Deputy Vice President - Legal & Secretarial, Johnson Controls Hitachi Air Conditioning India Ltd.

 

Roopesh is a commerce and law graduate. He is also a qualified Company Secretary and Cost & Management Accountant. He has more than 25 years’ experience advising businesses in Legal, Compliance and Taxation matters in his role as General Counsel with several reputed companies like Hitachi, Daikin, Menarini, Lloyd, SPL etc. in Consumer Durables, Pharma, Oil and Gas, Construction and Finance sectors. He has wide experience working with Indian entrepreneurs and MNC’s engaged in Manufacturing as well as Services sectors.  

Roopesh is currently working with a BSE NSE listed and American-Japanese Joint Venture in Indoor Air Quality viz., Johnson Controls Hitachi Air Conditioning as its General Counsel, and designated as Deputy Vice President – Legal & Secretarial. He is based in Ahmedabad.

Ruchira Shukla, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Synapses Fund

 

Ruchira Shukla is the co-founder and managing partner of Synapses, a VC Fund focused on STEM innovations in ClimateTech and HealthTech. She was the Regional Lead for IFC's Disruptive Technologies and Venture Capital Funds business in South Asia overseeing investments in technology startups as well as VC Funds and initiatives to grow the VC ecosystem in South Asia.She has led investments across sectors such as ClimateTech, HealthTech, Consumer Internet, B2B eCommerce, EduTech, eLogistics and AI/IoT applications. Ruchira is an active board member on a number of startup boards and represented IFC on the boards of Byju, Blackbuck, Bizongo, 1mg, Upgrad and Medgenome and on the Limited Partner Advisory Committees of IDG, Stellaris and Pi Ventures.

She has worked for over 27 years across venture capital and private equity, investment banking, M&A, strategy consulting and held operational roles in technology startups across US, Europe and India. She has deep networks in several markets globally – India, US, Canada, Europe.

Ruchira graduated from IIT Delhi in 1994, from IIM Ahmedabad in 1997. She pursued a specialization in Finance at Wharton from where she graduated as a Palmer Scholar. She holds a CFA and is a National Talent Scholar.

Sachin Karla, Vice President (Head of Legal & Regulatory Affairs), HT Media Group

 

Sachin Kalra is Vice President & Deputy General Counsel, Legal & Regulatory Affairs, HT Media Limited (Group). Sachin, having pursued his masters degree from the esteemed Bharati Vidyapeeth, Pune, India holds specialization in Corporate Law and Intellectual Property Rights Law. Post graduating, Sachin joined as a faculty of law with the same University. Subsequently he decided to pursue career in the litigation as practicing lawyer & thereafter Corporate. Sachin in his prior assignments headed & represented legal function of Bharti AXA, Bharti Retail, SAMSUNG (South-West Asia), Vodafone India and   has a wide experience of handling a diverse range of legal matters in different industries like Insurance, Telecom, FMCG, Retail, Real Estate, Electronics, Consumer Durables, Education, Media & Entertainment along with M&A.

Sachin as General Counsel has been awarded and honored various renowned Awards. Always open to challenges and learning, Sachin has never been coy of taking up new tasks in any environment. His career he says is and will always be a means of learning and exploring the unconventional.

Sameet Gambhir, Senior Vice President – Legal, UFlex Limited

 

Sameet Gambhir is a seasoned corporate legal, compliance, and risk management professional with 35 years of industry experience. He is currently the Senior Vice President & Group Head - Legal at UFELX LIMITED. His previous roles include positions at DCM Shriram LTD., KPMG India, Schneider Electric India, and Hill & Associates. His expertise spans litigations, contracting, IPRs, regulatory and corporate legal matters, corporate governance, ESG, risk management, and data privacy issues. Sameet is also proficient in corporate restructuring, M&A, RBI & FEMA matters, SEBI regulations, and industrial/labor laws. Sameet is actively involved in several honorary memberships and committees, contributing to standards on ESG and corporate governance.

Satyajit Gupta, Vice President, Assistant General Counsel and Head of India Legal & Global Head of CSR, EXL

Mr. Satyajit Gupta is the Vice President, Assistant General Counsel and Head of India Legal & Global Head of CSR at EXL, a global analytics and digital solutions company serving various industries including insurance, healthcare, banking and financial services. With a background as a corporate/ M&A lawyer dual-qualified in India and England, Satyajit has over 21 years of experience across various law and consulting firms as well as in-house roles. In addition, Satyajit serves as an officer of the International Bar Association, the world’s foremost organization for international legal practitioners, bar associations and law societies which was founded in 1947. Satyajit is one of the co-founders of Samvedna, an initiative to support mental health awareness amongst lawyers and law students. He loves mentoring juniors in the profession!

 

 

Shahana Chatterji, Partner, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co

 

Shahana Chatterji is a Partner with the Public Policy and Regulatory Affairs team at the Firm. Prior to Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co, she has worked with S&R Associates, New Delhi and the U.S. Congress, Washington D.C. Shahana has been deeply involved with policy and regulatory issues both in India and in the United States. She has worked with a Representative at the U.S. Congress, Washington D.C., engaging in expansive legislative and policy matters ranging from healthcare to financial reforms. Before working with the U.S. Congress, she worked extensively on capital markets and corporate finance transactions and advised clients on foreign investment and financial regulatory issues here in India.

She currently works on a range of regulatory matters with a specialization in data and emerging technology, and technology aspects of the highly regulated sectors in India (such as healthcare and financial services). With an unparalleled understanding of law and policy making processes, she provides cutting edge solutions involving law making and legal and regulatory assistance on all data governance and emerging technology issues. She has also been at the forefront of significant developments in the highly regulated sectors in India and she uses this expertise to inform her advice on data governance issues as they interplay with these sectors. She also provides strategic advice on emerging and disruptive technologies and solutions including AI solutions in the healthcare sector, BFSI sector, IoT solutions etc.

Shalinee Kulshreshtha, General Counsel, Dentsu International

 

General counsel, Compliance officer, member of Global, APAC and South Asia leadership team with 21+ years of experience in media, chemicals, agro-sciences, food, technology, consultancy, telecom, aerospace and education industry. 

 

Ms Shalinee Kulshrestha started her career as a practicing lawyer with an Advocate on record in Supreme Court of India, wherefrom she moved to a full-service Law firm M.V. Kini & Co. She worked in corporations like DuPont, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Avaya Global Connect, Honeywell and Pearson and presently, is the General Counsel, South Asia, Dentsu International. She has managed legal, compliance, secretarial and risk management portfolios with team and work in various jurisdictions including South Asia, Europe, Middle east, Africa, Australia, and Singapore. She's been recognized in Forbes India Legal Powerlist 2021 and 2022 and received accolades, including General Counsel of the Year from INBA and (Notable) Women GC of the Year by ASSOCHAM and Department of Legal Affairs, Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of India.

Shota Kato, Director/CCO/General Manager, Legal Division, Mitsui & Co. India Pvt. Ltd.

Shota Kato is the Director, Chief Compliance Officer, and General Manager of the Legal Division at Mitsui & Co. India Pvt. Ltd. He joined Mitsui & Co. in April 1997 and earned an LL.M. from Northwestern University School of Law in 2002, subsequently admitted to the New York State Bar in 2014. Over the course of his career, Mr. Kato has held diverse roles within Mitsui’s global legal organizations, spanning regions such as Asia Pacific, EMEA, and the Americas, with significant overseas assignments in Houston at MOEX USA and in New York at Mitsui USA. He has been actively involved in numerous high-profile projects, including Mitsui’s investments in Independent Power Producers (IPPs) and played a pivotal role in the emergency response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. Since January 2020, he has been leading the legal team in India, where his focus includes navigating complex legal frameworks, enhancing negotiation strategies tailored to the Indian market, and ensuring compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and other anti-corruption regulations. Additionally, he is exploring the use of AI in legal processes, such as dispute resolution and e-billing systems, and has a keen interest in the integration of Health, Safety, and Environmental (HSE) management in legal operations.

Smriti Subramanian, Group General Counsel, Acevector Limited

 

Smriti is group general counsel as Acevector where she oversees both legal and secretarial functions, and also advise to the promoters for the various matters. She has almost two decades of experience handling complex transactions relating to corporate structuring, fund raising, cross border investments and borrowing technology partnerships, acquisitions, and commercial transactions.

Somya Agarwal, General Counsel & Company Secretary, Fractal Analytics

Somya Agarwal is an award-winning General Counsel with over two decades of specialized experience in legal strategy, governance, and compliance. Her expertise spans structuring and negotiating complex private equity fundraise transactions, acquisitions, mergers, and corporate restructurings. She has led the development of Responsible AI policies, global compliance frameworks, and has deep knowledge of intellectual property and data privacy laws across multiple jurisdictions.

Currently, Somya serves as the Group General Counsel & Company Secretary at Fractal Analytics. Under her stewardship, Fractal secured significant investments, including $200 million from Apax Partners and $360 million from TPG Capital, cementing the company’s Unicorn status. She has also driven high-stakes acquisitions like Samya.ai and Neal Analytics, and steered strategic investments in Senseforth.ai and Analytics Vidhya. Somya is particularly recognized for her innovative approach to automating Contracts and Compliance management across 18+ jurisdictions, and for her work on equity financing and spinouts, notably Qure.ai and Theremin.ai.

Her legal career includes significant roles at the TATA-Pepsi Joint Venture startup, global advertising powerhouse Publicis, and the Taj Group of Hotels. She has been pivotal in shaping growth strategies at SAIC, a US multinational, and has extensive multicultural experience across North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

A Gold Medalist and All India rank holder in B.Com, LLB, and CS exams, Somya’s academic credentials are as distinguished as her professional achievements. In addition to her legal acumen, she is a certified Heartfulness meditation trainer and an active columnist, sharing insights in leading newspapers and digital platforms.