
Based on research conducted by India Business Law Journal, the following are the winners and highly commended in-house counsel of IBLJ In-house Counsel Awards 2022. The awards are split into individual and team awards.
Click here to read the editorial report that accompanies the awards.
Biographies were provided and written by the in-house counsel themselves and have not been independently verified.
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Poonam Madan Executive director, legal DLF |
“Know what you deserve and accept nothing less”
Poonam Madan is an insightful lawyer with more than 30 years of experience in the real estate sector, and is known for her legal acumen and her ability to address complex issues with ease. In her role over the years, she has not only been a part of but has also successfully built, mentored and efficiently lead a team of able in-house lawyers. She earned her Bachelor of Laws from the Campus Law Centre, University of Delhi, in 1988 after completing her Bachelor of Arts in history at Miranda House, also at the University of Delhi, in 1985. She started her career at Khaitan & Co in 1988 and worked with the litigation team for the next seven years prior to joining DLF in February 1995. During her tenure at DLF, she successfully handled high-stakes litigations on a pan-India basis before various high courts, arbitrations, the National Green Tribunal, the Company Law Board and the Supreme Court. She is also involved in several arbitrations and regularly briefs senior counsel and interacts with peers from the across the industry. She is also an esteemed member of the NAREDCO Mahi, a women’s leadership initiative. At the start of her career, she handled numerous matters under the Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Act and the Consumer Protection Act before the Supreme Court, the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, state commissions and district forums. She also co-ordinated with all departmental, project heads and development managers to ensure compliance with state and central laws relating to all pre-construction and construction projects across India. On the personal front, she is a loving wife to her husband Arvind Madan, a businessman, and proud mother of daughter Deveshi Madan, who is also a lawyer. |

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Anshul Bhargava Head – Legal & Secretarial Anand Automotive |
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Nitin Banerjee Group General Counsel & Group M&A Head JM Baxi Group |
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Shashank Jain Head Legal Air Vistara |
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Christopher Krishnamoorthy General Counsel InterGlobe Enterprises |
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Priya Mehra General Counsel & Chief Governance Officer Akasa Air |
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V Srikumar Head Legal Ujjivan Small Finance Bank |
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Jatin Jalundhwala Chief Legal Officer Adani Group |
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Dhananjay Shahi Head – Corporate Legal Bharti Enterprises |
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Sidharth Sharma General Counsel Tata |
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Meghana Singh General Counsel Highways Infrastructure Trust |
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Anant Dang General Counsel Mensa Brands |
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Pulin Kumar Sr. Director Legal Adidas India |
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Surender Sharma Whole-time Director & VP – Legal, Secretarial & Corporate Affairs Colgate Palmolive |
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Anurag Bansal Head of Corporate Legal Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited |
Anurag Bansal is head of corporate legal at Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited and an
alumni of the Modern School in New Delhi. He graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce honours) from Hindu College at the University of Delhi. He became a chartered accountant reaching intermediate level and gaining rich experience in statutory, and internal audits at reputed firms as well as corporates across the length and breadth of India. In 2002, Anurag completed a law degree at the University of Delhi. He practised in the Delhi High Court and district courts from 2002 until mid-2006 in various fields of law, including electricity, the Constitution of India, consumer, labour, and competition, as well as working on trademarks and copyright, environmental impact assessment issues, contesting public interest litigation and handling debt recovery tribunal matters. Anurag also has experience in matters involving the Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, the Customs Act, , the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, Contempt of Court Act, prosecutions under the Income Tax Act and the Indian Companies Act, the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, Indian Penal Code offences, the Imports and Exports Act, the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, the Negotiable Instruments Act, the Passports Act, the Prevention of Corruption Act, the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987, etc. He joined the in-house corporate legal team of Tata Power Delhi in June 2006. The distribution company was struggling with post-reform legal and regulatory challenges. It was during this stint; Anurag realised the potential of specialisation and expertise in energy laws. When the provisions of the Electricity Act 2003 were still being implemented, he embraced the challenge head on, soon becoming a reliable adviser to the top management comprising the chief of legal, the CFO and CEO on pending and new legal regulatory and privatisation-related challenges. Anurag is proud to claim credit for achieving a high success rate in various matters, a few of which became leading precedents and sector first judgments. On this journey, he had the opportunity to evolve along with top tier-1 law firms, leading senior advocates of boutique law firms and practising counsel. He anchored the corporate legal team at Tata Power Delhi and was responsible for the legal advisory work of other group companies with both a domestic and international footprint. Anurag also spearheaded policy and regulatory matters for the organisation in the courts and advising Tata Power Delhi’s top leadership on a day-to-day basis. Anurag was instrumental in contesting material litigation and regulatory cases in prime forums such as the Supreme Court, the Delhi High Court, the appellate tribunal for electricity, the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission, state regulators and arbitrations, which impacted cash flow, operations and the bottom line of the company. He completed courses at the Emeritus Institute of Management in Singapore and he has affiliations with ivy league colleges, including MIT and the Tuck School of Business in the US to hone business acumen and leadership skills. |
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Ajay Kapoor Chief of Legal, Regulatory and Advocacy Tata Power Company Ltd |
Ajay Kapoor is the chief of legal, regulatory and advocacy at Tata Power Company Limited. Prior to joining Tata Power Company Ltd, he was the CFO and chief of legal, regulatory and commercial) of Tata Power Delhi Distribution Ltd (TPDDL). In addition, he handled the enforcement assessment and vigilance functions of the company. He was also the chief risk officer of TPDDL. He joined TPDDL in October 2002 and rose to the CFO position in 2007. Ajay is an honours graduate from the prestigious Shri Ram College of Commerce at the University of Delhi and a fellow member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. He also holds MBA, LLB and LLM degrees. He has been a rank holder in the CA course, and topped his MBA class for which he was awarded the gold medal. He is also an alumnus of the Columbia Business School, New York, where he completed his executive program in management. He also attended the executive education programmes of the Stern School of Business, NYU, the Tuck School of Business, Columbia Business School and MIT Sloan School of Business. He has a rich experience of more than 36 years with companies such as ITC Ltd, Tata Group, Birla Group and HCL Group. He has extensive expertise in all areas of finance, legal, ERP implementations, and has handled matters relating to foreign collaborations, joint ventures in India and abroad, financial restructuring, policy advocacy, capital raising, and acquisitions besides handling legal advisory and has dealt with litigation matters at all levels/forums. During his tenure with TPDDL, he was honoured with the National Award for Excellence in cost management twice in the Service Sector with turnover of more than INR10 billion category by the Institute of Cost Accountants of India. He was recognised on the CFO 100 Roll of Honour four times and with the CFO League of Excellence. He was also recognised as among the Top 25 Thought Leaders by SAP India and Distinguished Alumni by IMI, Delhi. He has been a regular speaker on topics relating to finance, accounting, tax and law at various forums. Recently he was honoured by the Society of Indian Law Firms for his contribution as in-house counsel in corporate law. |
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Trivikram Guda Regional General Counsel (India) & Company Secretary ABB |
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Atul Juvle VP – Legal Schindler India |
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Vijay Kamath Group General Counsel Volkswagen |
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Sekar Iyer Head of Legal and Regulatory Affairs Multi Act |
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K Satish Kumar Group Chief Legal Officer Intellect Design Arena |
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Kaushik Mukherjee Corporate Lawyer IndiaBulls Housing Finance |
Kaushik Mukherjee is a corporate lawyer with diverse experience across practice areas, including structured finance, mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, real estate project financing, restructuring, and corporate and securities advisory and disputes. In the past, he has advised on transactions involving Indian and foreign law matters for corporates in India and various other jurisdictions, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Georgia, Ireland, Holland, China, Sierra Leone and Nigeria, among others. As an in-house counsel, Kaushik’s repertoire includes the structuring and execution of commercial transactions ranging from public and private, mergers and acquisitions, to capital markets and structured finance transactions including senior/junior investment structures. Additionally, he oversees all regulatory matters ranging from simple advisory in relation to compliance to strategising (with external counsel or otherwise) in connection with investigations and disputes. Due to Kaushik’s involvement with a 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 recognised as a leading general counsel in India by various publications. He has multiple publications under his name, including a National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) publication on corporate governance (as a special adviser), and authoring articles in leading financial dailies such as the Economic Times and the Financial Express. He has regularly featured as a securities law expert on panel discussions organised by the NSE, 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 law courses offered by the NSE and the Government Law College, Mumbai. |
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Shalini Saxena Head of Legal CoinDCX |
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Rashmi Chendvankar General Counsel & Company Secretary Citius IT Solutions |
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Vivek Mittal Global General Counsel Dr Reddy’s Laboratories |
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Rajendra Misra Executive Vice President – General Counsel The Indian Hotels Company |
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Rakesh Prusti Group General Counsel Oyorooms.com |
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Harshavardhan Jogdand Head Legal India and CL Cluster Head Greater India Henkel |
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Rohit Kumar Global General Counsel UPL Limited |
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Chitra Iyer Director/Licensing Program leader – India Philips |
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Manoj Bhargava Head of Legal Indiamart Intermesh |
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Jyotsna Sharma General Counsel Rario |
Jyotsna is the general counsel at cricket fan website Rario, working on law, strategy, web3 and policy. Jyotsna, along with her team, advises Rario’s management on legal matters regarding the business, compliance, finance and strategy. She also manages investor relations for Rario.
Jyotsna is a qualified lawyer in India with experience across industries (pharma, edtech and insuretech) and global businesses at various stages of growth and restructuring. She has advised senior corporate leadership and board directors for more than a decade. Additionally, she has extensive experience in cross-border transactions, private equity, mergers and acquisitions, litigation and intellectual property management. Powered by blockchain technology, Rario is a one-of-a-kind online community for cricket fans. The website allows cricket fans to engage as a community and own digital collectibles, such as officially licensed cricket moments and player cards of their favourite players, teams and leagues that come with multiple online and “real life” utilities. |
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Vineet Vij Global General Counsel Tech Mahindra |
Vineet Vij is the global general counsel and legal head of Tech Mahindra and its group of companies, leading a team of 100 passionate and business-focused lawyers spread across the globe with offices in India, the US, Mexico, the UK, the Netherlands and Israel. He is responsible for taking care of the legal and regulatory aspects to support the organisation’s growth in demand for compliance with applicable laws. The work involves supporting multibillion-dollar cross-border commercial transactions, mergers and acquisitions, disputes and litigations, global compliances, legal policy and regulatory, IPR, strategic legal support with the overall responsibility to safeguard the legal and business interests of Tech Mahindra and its principal officers. As part of the overall structure of the department, the legal teams of the group’s companies worldwide – namely Comviva Technologies, Born Group, Target Group, Tech Mahindra Business Services and LCC – also work under Vineet’s supervision and guidance. Vineet has worked for more than 27 years at established IT, ITeS, engineering, banking and non-banking financial companies. As an independent practitioner, he has also worked across variety of practice areas, including commercial and contract law, litigation and dispute resolution, cross-border M&As, global regulatory compliances, financial and banking laws, real estate in special economic zones and Software Technology Parks of India regulations, company law, IT, data protection, privacy, cyber and IPR laws, criminal law, telecoms, arbitration, employment, bankruptcy, competition and indirect tax laws. Vineet has won several awards and accolades from prestigious publications and institutions, including Forbes Powerlist Top India GCs 2020 and 2021; Distinguished Legal Minds 2022 by Legal Era; Business World’s Top 100 GCs 2020 and 2021; Global General Counsel 2021-22 by Legal Era; General Counsel IT Services 2021 by IBLJ; General Counsel 2020 by IDEX Legal; General Counsel (Male) 2019 by Legal Era; the Shining Star of Indian Legal Fraternity 2019 by CCAI; General Counsel 2019 by INBA; General Counsel 2018 by ICCA; and the Legal Excellence Award 2017 by Legal Era among others. Vineet has a Bachelor of Commerce (honours) from Shri Ram College of Commerce and an LLB from the University of Delhi with additional qualifications in company law, labour laws, industrial relations and personnel management, IT and cyber laws. He also serves on the Board of Studies and advisory boards of leading law schools, the editorial boards of legal journals and magazines, and a member of various associations and advocacy groups such as the CII, FICCI, ASSOCHAM and INBA. |
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Vandana Gupte General counsel Reliance Sports and Entertainment |
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Vardaan Ahluwalia Head of Legal Premji Invest |
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Vidyut Gulati GC & Director of Legal Bharti Airtel Group |
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Divya Kumat Chief Legal Officer & Company Secretary Datamatics |
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Amar Sundram General Counsel – Sr. VP (Legal) & Chief Compliance Officer NEC |
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Sandhya Verma GC & Director of Legal MoEVing |

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Salil Date Head Legal Volkswagen |
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Tejas Dhotre Manager Legal & COC Schindler India |
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Arjun Srivastava Senior Manager Legal Lupin |
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Anamika Tiwari Manager Legal Lal Path Labs |
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Mahalakshmi Vyakaranam Head Legal Cotiviti |
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Neeraj Arora Legal Counsel – Dispute Resolution and Litigation Indiamart Intermesh |
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Neha Chawla Corporate Counsel Infosys |
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Isha Rathnam Vice President – Legal Affairs (CLO) Lionsgate |
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Priyal Chaturvedi Retainer – Legal Jindal Steel & Power |
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Vikram Lakshman Assistant Vice President BLACKSTONE |
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Uday Goel DGM Legal & CS NCR |