Top 10 General Counsel - 2022

As one of the world’s fastest growing, highest potential economies, India has accelerated reform initiatives to improve local business conditions while also increasing its attractiveness to foreign direct investment (FDI). The sudden opening of the market to multiple brands (both international and Indian in origin) combined with new business models and, of course, a once in a life time pandemic has given way for companies in India to compete in a fairly dynamic environment. Hence, it is not surprising that the landscape of legal leadership in India is evolving as well.

A General Counsel, sometimes called GC, chief legal officer, or corporate counsel, is a company’s main attorney and primary source of legal advice. The General Counsel is the chief legal officer of the Commission and heads the Office of the General Counsel (OGC).A General Counsel is the chief lawyer of a legal department, usually in a company or a governmental department. In a company, the person holding the position typically reports directly to the CEO, and their duties involve overseeing and identifying the legal issues in all departments and their interrelation, including engineering, design, marketing, sales, distribution, credit, finance, human resources and production, as well as corporate governance and business policy.

Further, General Counsel often have broad roles encompassing crisis management, compliance reporting management and public policy advocacy. Many companies also hire inhouse counsel to handle specialized tasks such as tax work, mergers and acquisitions, labor law and intellectual property, some times building inhouse practice groups that rival the practices of major law firms. The General Counsel community in India has evolved into a versatile and dynamic group of corporate change makers over the years. In fact, General Counsel overall has played a crucial role in keeping their organizations afloat consequent to the unique challenges posed by the pandemic in the current times.

This issue of the CEO Insights magazine introduces you to a list of `Top 10 General Counsel - 2022' who have contributed extensively to the growth of the organization. The list has been crafted by a team of Industry veterans, CEOs, VCs and the CEO Insights' editorial board, thus delivering inspiring stories of their journey and the contributions & roles played by them in the creation and empowerment of powerful nation.