Alakiri K A: An Accomplished Leader With Multi-Faceted Legal Expertise
Alakiri K A
Head - Legal
Alakiri is proficient in navigating legal and compliance necessities spanning diverse industries such as Information Technology, E-commerce, Consumer Internet, EdTech, Construction, and Defence. His specialized areas of proficiency encompass General Corporate, Mergers and Acquisitions, Commercial Contracts, Information Technology, Privacy and Data Protection, E-commerce, Employ-ment, Construction Contracts and Tenders, Consumer, Defence, and Space Commerce. As the Head of Legal at Simpl, Alakiri K A brings a wealth of experience and comprehensive legal insight to the company's strategic decision-making and compliance endeavors. Let’s hear more from him in this one on one interaction.
"I firmly believe that the pathway to growth & effective leadership involves rendering our current role within the company obsolete"
Share with us your journey entering the legal profession and the driving force that fueled your determination.
During my youth, my aspirations leaned towards becoming a scientist or a politician, never envisioning a career as a lawyer. However, my initial exposure to the legal field occurred during my eighth-grade year. My father, K Asaithambi, specializes in handling cases related to food safety and adulteration, which led to my first encounter with legal matters. It all began when he presented a case involving adulteration in tea powder. He prompted me to consider whether tea constituted as food and whether a case under the Essential Commodities Act or the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act would stand.
Instantly, I affirmed teas classification as food, drawing from my father's daily consumption. Yet, my father elaborated on the definition of food, emphasizing its nourishing properties, suggesting that tea might not qualify as food under the afore mentioned legislations. Engaged in a spirited debate, I inquired about obtaining a conclusive answer to such legal inquiries, which led him to introduce me to case law. Delving into basic research on the subject, I discovered numerous judicial discussions,
including those within the Supreme Court of India, showcasing diverse perspectives. This revelation ignited a fervor for law within me, steering me down a path from which I couldn't turn back.
My father envisioned a career for me in corporate law, and together with my peers, I actively contributed to our college's corporate cell. Eventually, I secured a position at Khaitan & Co, where I remained a part of their corporate team for over ten years. My interest in technology spurred my involvement in e-commerce, IT, and data privacy-related affairs. Sub-sequently, this interest led me to roles at Brainly, a prominent Edtech platform, and presently at Simpl, a leading FinTech entity.
Describe Simpl as a company and its market position.
Simpl stands as India's foremost Checkout Network, dedicated to rendering payments seamless and enhancing financial intel-ligence. The organization is committed to enabling merchants to cultivate reliable connections with customers, focusing on each transaction's significance. Boasting over 26,000 merchants and a widespread user base across India, Simpl aims to establish an effort-less and allen compassing digital payment environment. Their vision revolves around fostering trust and eliminating barriers between merchants and their clientele.
As the Head of Legal, what approaches do you suggest for revising the company's policies? How do you lead your team in staying updated with ongoing regulations, and how do you enable them to enhance the company's worth?
The initial focus for a legal leader isn't just comprehending the applicable laws, but rather understanding both consumer and business needs, industry benchmarks, and the expectations of regulatory bodies. This understanding has always been pivotal in ensuring legal adherence and augmenting a company's value. Consumers consistently seek straight forward and convenient products, while regulators expect tech entities to operate transparently and comply with rational directives.
For a tech company to thrive, continuous innovation is crucial, demanding products that outpace current norms. However, the legal framework often lags behind such advancements, leaving many inventions or actions without clear regulations. As the legal head in a tech firm, my guidance to management revolves around making deci-sions that combine legal and business perspectives, shaping policies grounded in logic and practicality. To me, law funda-mentally embodies common sense expressed as reasonable guidelines
My father envisioned a career for me in corporate law, and together with my peers, I actively contributed to our college's corporate cell. Eventually, I secured a position at Khaitan & Co, where I remained a part of their corporate team for over ten years. My interest in technology spurred my involvement in e-commerce, IT, and data privacy-related affairs. Sub-sequently, this interest led me to roles at Brainly, a prominent Edtech platform, and presently at Simpl, a leading FinTech entity.
The initial focus for a legal leader isnt just comprehending the applicable laws, but rather under-standing both consumer & business needs industry bench marks & the expectations of regulatory bodies
Describe Simpl as a company and its market position.
Simpl stands as India's foremost Checkout Network, dedicated to rendering payments seamless and enhancing financial intel-ligence. The organization is committed to enabling merchants to cultivate reliable connections with customers, focusing on each transaction's significance. Boasting over 26,000 merchants and a widespread user base across India, Simpl aims to establish an effort-less and allen compassing digital payment environment. Their vision revolves around fostering trust and eliminating barriers between merchants and their clientele.
As the Head of Legal, what approaches do you suggest for revising the company's policies? How do you lead your team in staying updated with ongoing regulations, and how do you enable them to enhance the company's worth?
The initial focus for a legal leader isn't just comprehending the applicable laws, but rather understanding both consumer and business needs, industry benchmarks, and the expectations of regulatory bodies. This understanding has always been pivotal in ensuring legal adherence and augmenting a company's value. Consumers consistently seek straight forward and convenient products, while regulators expect tech entities to operate transparently and comply with rational directives.
For a tech company to thrive, continuous innovation is crucial, demanding products that outpace current norms. However, the legal framework often lags behind such advancements, leaving many inventions or actions without clear regulations. As the legal head in a tech firm, my guidance to management revolves around making deci-sions that combine legal and business perspectives, shaping policies grounded in logic and practicality. To me, law funda-mentally embodies common sense expressed as reasonable guidelines
for society, echoing St. Thomas Aquinas' discourse on Law in the 13th century.
Therefore, ensuring legal compliance, especially in unregulated or ambiguous realms, involves anchoring business decisions on straight forward legal principles: (a) commonsense and rationale, (b) transparency with both consumers and regulatory autho-rities, and (c) adherence to prescribed procedures. Simultane-ously, it's essential to offer added value and convenience to consumers, contribute to sectoral growth, and bolster national development. Even in the case of the latest data protection legislation like the DPDP Act, the emphasis largely centers on transparency—whether in the collection of personal data or the reporting of data breaches.
If the company faces legal challenges, what strategies would you devise to fortify its legal defense?
I hold a firm belief that tech regulators in India display reasonableness and comprehend the complexities of enforcing new regulations. They recognize that achieving flawless software is unattain-able and that security measures can only be reasonably implemented. Based on my experience within the IT industry, I've consistently observed that as long as we can showcase diligent care and adherence to reasonable processes, encountering legal issues should not pose significant hurdles. Therefore, my primary legal defenses would center around due diligence and meticulous adherence to processes, crucial elements in fortifying legal compliance.
Share your approach to leadership. What principles or methodologies guide your leadership style?
In my view, continuously performing the same tasks might enhance proficiency but doesn't foster growth. I firmly believe that the pathway to growth and effective leadership involves rendering our current role within the company obsolete. To accomplish this, it's imperative to cultivate a team capable of executing tasks at the same level of proficiency as ourselves. Once your team adeptly manages these responsibilities without your direct involvement, your presence becomes unnece-ssary, allowing you to transition into new, elevated roles and objectives. This lesson in leadership was imparted to me by Rajiv Khaitan, my superior at Khaitan and Co, during my tenure as a Senior Associate.
Where do you envision your future endeavors taking you?
In the near future, my aim is to play a significant role in furthering Simpl's success, focusing on both its product development and overall growth as a company. Looking further ahead, my ambition is to make substantial contributions to the Indian legal tech domain in various capacities, all while dedicating time to immerse myself in technology, an area that deeply interests and inspires me.
Alakiri K A, Head Of Legal, Simpl
Alakiri K A, the Head of Legal at Simpl holds over 12 years of experience in the industry. He is proficient in navigating legal and compliance necessities spanning diverse industries such as Information Technology, E-commerce, Consumer Internet, EdTech, Construction, and Defence.
Therefore, ensuring legal compliance, especially in unregulated or ambiguous realms, involves anchoring business decisions on straight forward legal principles: (a) commonsense and rationale, (b) transparency with both consumers and regulatory autho-rities, and (c) adherence to prescribed procedures. Simultane-ously, it's essential to offer added value and convenience to consumers, contribute to sectoral growth, and bolster national development. Even in the case of the latest data protection legislation like the DPDP Act, the emphasis largely centers on transparency—whether in the collection of personal data or the reporting of data breaches.
If the company faces legal challenges, what strategies would you devise to fortify its legal defense?
I hold a firm belief that tech regulators in India display reasonableness and comprehend the complexities of enforcing new regulations. They recognize that achieving flawless software is unattain-able and that security measures can only be reasonably implemented. Based on my experience within the IT industry, I've consistently observed that as long as we can showcase diligent care and adherence to reasonable processes, encountering legal issues should not pose significant hurdles. Therefore, my primary legal defenses would center around due diligence and meticulous adherence to processes, crucial elements in fortifying legal compliance.
Share your approach to leadership. What principles or methodologies guide your leadership style?
In my view, continuously performing the same tasks might enhance proficiency but doesn't foster growth. I firmly believe that the pathway to growth and effective leadership involves rendering our current role within the company obsolete. To accomplish this, it's imperative to cultivate a team capable of executing tasks at the same level of proficiency as ourselves. Once your team adeptly manages these responsibilities without your direct involvement, your presence becomes unnece-ssary, allowing you to transition into new, elevated roles and objectives. This lesson in leadership was imparted to me by Rajiv Khaitan, my superior at Khaitan and Co, during my tenure as a Senior Associate.
Where do you envision your future endeavors taking you?
In the near future, my aim is to play a significant role in furthering Simpl's success, focusing on both its product development and overall growth as a company. Looking further ahead, my ambition is to make substantial contributions to the Indian legal tech domain in various capacities, all while dedicating time to immerse myself in technology, an area that deeply interests and inspires me.
Alakiri K A, Head Of Legal, Simpl
Alakiri K A, the Head of Legal at Simpl holds over 12 years of experience in the industry. He is proficient in navigating legal and compliance necessities spanning diverse industries such as Information Technology, E-commerce, Consumer Internet, EdTech, Construction, and Defence.