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​Welcome to the ALB Legal & Technology Conference 2023 

    DATE             23 November 2023, Thursday

    TIME              09:30 am Registration
                                 10:30 am to 5:00 pm, Indian Standard Time (GMT +5:30)

      VENUE      The Leela Palace Bengaluru - Garden City's Only Modern Palace Hotel, Bangalore, India

 

   [FACE TO FACE /LIVE EVENT] 

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Stay tune for more updates on the speakers. For further information, please contact Amruta Manjrekar  at amruta.kishormanjrekar@thomsonreuters.com

CONFERENCE CHAIRPERSON

Nimitt Dixit, Asia Writer, Asian & Emerging Markets – Legal, Thomson Reuters

Nimitt Dixit is a reporter at Asian Legal Business. A lawyer by profession, Nimitt completed five years of practice, including a three-year stint in the disputes practice at Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, before moving to journalism. As a lawyer, Nimitt focused on commercial arbitration, particularly construction disputes, contentious exits and insolvency. After a year at the Asian College of Journalism in Chennai, he helped set up the U.S. legal reporting and production team for Reuters in Bangalore, where he stayed for three years before shifting to ALB. In his own time, Nimitt enjoys geopolitical and historical nonfiction, cooking food from across the world and trekking in the Himalayas. 

SPEAKERS & PANELISTS

Amritha Salian, Head- Legal, Chiratae Ventures

Amritha heads the legal team at Chiratae Ventures.

Amritha has more than 17 years of post-qualification work experience - starting her career as a generalist, before finding her area of interest and specializing in venture and private equity investments, acquisitions and commercial contracts. Prior to joining Chiratae Ventures she worked at leading Indian law firms and spent about a decade as partner in law firms.

 

Aneed Charles, General Counsel, Contemi Solutions

Aneed Charles is the General Counsel of Contemi Group. In this role he oversees the global legal function of Contemi. He has two decades of experience in legal and contracts support to various MNCs.

Prior to joining Contemi, he has worked with companies like EY, DXC and Cognizant. Aneed holds a master’s degree in business law, LL.M in criminal law and a post graduate diploma in business administration

Anjali Balagopal, General Counsel & Executive Vice President, Tata Technologies

Anjali Balagopal serves as Tata Technologies’ EVP & General Counsel and oversees all the legal matters of the company. She is a senior counsel with expertise in corporate law and a trusted partner to business leaders. 

Before joining Tata Technologies in July 2020, Anjali assumed the role of Assistant General Counsel and AVP at Infosys Ltd.  During a career that spanned 15 years at Infosys, Anjali’s responsibilities included all aspects of the legal function together with assignments in both India and the United States. During her tenure, she held various roles starting from an Associate to being promoted to the position of an AVP.

Anjali has earned a bachelor’s degree in law from ILS Law College, Pune and currently ranks among the 100 most powerful women in law in India. She has also been included among the Powerful Indian Women in IP in 2021 & 2023 and among the Best Leading Lawyers in 2022 by the World IP Forum, besides being conferred with the Legal Era Women in Law Excellence Award in 2022 and World Women Leadership Congress Award - Global Women Leader 2023.

Anjali is also a prominent speaker at various domestic and international forums.

Balaji Mohan, Director- Legal, Avanze

Balaji Mohan serves as the Director of Legal & Compliance at Avanze Technologies, a leading provider of AI-driven technology solutions for the mortgage industry. With a wealth of expertise spanning 18 years, Balaji has a comprehensive background in corporate, commercial, privacy, and technology laws. Prior to his role at Avanze Technologies, he held a key position as in-house counsel for EXL Services. His profound knowledge and extensive experience make him a valuable contributor to the legal and compliance landscape.

Dr. Ajai Garg, Director, Digital Tech and Law Group, Anand and Anand

An Electrical Engineer with Doctoral Degree from IIT Kanpur, Dr. AK Garg is a seasoned technocrat with 25 plus years of experience and a proven track record for professional excellence. Known for his target-driven approach and pushing the boundaries of innovation, Dr. Garg devised and led from the front myriad mission-critical digital transformation initiatives at MeitY apart from being a key contributor to various technology oriented and Trade & Policy related strategic forums of GOI which include AI, Data, Cyber Security Technology Regulations and Emerging Tech.

Currently Dr. Garg is heading the Digital Tech and Law Group at Anand and Anand where the firm is the process of evolving expertise on Legal and Advisory aspects on Emerging Tech including AI considering the fact that it will be central to future Innovation and Economic Growth.

He had strategically negotiated and managed various agreements, trade issues and MoUs with 50+ countries amid lean resources and outcome complexities. Till recently, he was the ‘Lead Negotiator’ for Digital Trade Chapter in various FTAs including that for RCEP, UAE, UK, IPEF and Canada. Dr. Garg was consistently engaged as Country Ambassador and a key representative in large international multilateral forums such as G20, WTO, BRICS RCEP and UNCITRAL and Shanghai Cooperation-strengthening India’s position vis-a-vis key ICT challenges.  A keen planner, strategist and implementer, Dr. Garg is passionate about promoting startup-entrepreneurial ecosystem especially in the realm of emerging technologies in the country.

Gandhimadhy Varadarajan, General Counsel, LetsVenture Technologies

Gandhimadhy graduated from School of Excellence, Chennai in 1996. She has worked as Vice President - Legal in ICICI Venture Funds Management Company Limited for 17 years. Before this she worked with some of the country's leading full-service law firms/corporate law consulting firms. At present, Gandhimadhy heads Legal & Compliance at LetsVenture.

Gaurav Dayal, Partner, Lakshmikumaran & Sridharan

Gaurav is a Corporate, M&A and PE Partner at the firm and has advised multiple private equity and venture capital funds, strategic corporate clients, multilateral agencies, public and private companies as well as their promoters, on a wide variety of their complex cross-border and domestic M&A and private equity transactions.

Gaurav’s rich experience includes representing clients, across a range of sectors in India, in acquisitions, joint ventures, technical collaborations, dispositions, strategic and PE investments and advising on full range of their operations and activities, including advising on governance and restructuring of businesses, establishing and growing new businesses.

An alumnus of National Law School of India University, Bengaluru, Gaurav has more than 15 years of experience working as a transactions lawyer in diverse sectors including manufacturing, IT/ITeS and technology, food & agriculture, pharma and healthcare, financial services, retail and e-commerce, renewable energy, infrastructure, defense, real estate and hospitality.

Prior to joining LKS, Gaurav was a part of the Corporate, M&A and Private Equity practice at Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas for more than 11 years.

Gautam KM, Partner, Krishnamurthy & Co

Gautam is a Partner at K Law and is based out of the firm’s Mumbai office. He is an experienced legal professional with close to over 13 years of working in the broadcast, media and technology industry. He has worked in leading media channels, Fortune 500 companies and law firms specializing in media, entertainment, technology, and data privacy laws including Infosys Technologies, Cognizant Technology Solutions, Disney Star and Sony Pictures. He comes with vast experience in advising studios, broadcast channels, startups, technology companies, publishers, artists, and OTT platforms.

Jishnu Nair, Regulatory Legal Counsel - APAC, IBM

Jishnu Nair currently serves as the Regulatory Legal Counsel for IBM in the APAC region. Jishnu's expertise lies in understanding the interplay between privacy, AI, and Cybersecurity regulatory concerns and how these intersect with various technologies. With a primary focus on Privacy, Cybersecurity, and AI, he plays a pivotal role in managing and addressing regulatory issues related to these domains within the APAC region.

In addition to his regulatory responsibilities, Jishnu has a keen interest in government procurement challenges. He has dedicated his knowledge and experience to writing about and exploring ways to improve technology procurement across government landscapes, particularly in India.

His work at IBM continues to drive positive change, foster innovation, and navigate the complex legal landscape associated with cutting-edge technologies in the APAC region. Driven by his belief in the transformative power of technology, Jishnu is passionate about safeguarding the interests of both IBM and its clients. His experience and commitment to privacy, AI, and Cybersecurity have positioned him as a trusted advisor and thought leader within the industry.

Juhi Sinha, Legal Counsel & Company Secretary, HP India

Juhi Sinha is legal counsel and Company Secretary in HP India Sales Private Limited, an HP Inc. Company. Having worked in different industries, Juhi comes with a rich experience of advising business and cross functional teams on corporate legal and compliance aspects of the Company. A trusted business advisor who supports business in achieving its goals within the regulatory framework.

Krishna Chellapilla, Head IP Filing and Response Services, Tata Consultancy Services

Krishna Chellapilla has around 20 years of experience in various aspects of Intellectual Property Rights and currently heads the IP Filing and Prosecution Services at TCS. His primary responsibility is to create and protect TCS Intellectual property.  His specialization includes handling complex patent prosecution across jurisdictions, attending to oral proceedings and Examiner interviews at EPO and USPTO.

Prior to joining TCS in 2011, Krishna Chellapilla was heading an Indian law firm and prior to that, was engaged with a US-based law firm as an IP attorney.

Krishna Chellapilla holds a degree in Science, and a bachelor’s degree in law (LLB) from Osmania University. He is also an MBA graduate and did his post graduation in Intellectual Property Law from National Academy of Legal Studies and Research (NALSAR) University, Hyderabad.

Kriti Tannan, Senior Director - Legal & Compliance, JLL

Kriti Tannan, works as Senior Director – Legal at Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL), India, a NYSE listed property consultancy firm. Based in India, she heads legal support for JLL’s Work Dynamics business in West Asia that provides services addressing full real estate life cycle for corporate occupiers.

She is a senior legal professional with corporate experience of over 14 years having worked in both private practice and in-house. Prior to joining JLL, she worked at IndusLaw with key focus on mergers and acquisitions, venture capital investments and corporate and commercial law advisory.

She graduated from University Law College Bangalore, and holds Masters degree from National Law School of India University Bangalore and also recently completed leadership development program with Harvard Business School.

Kumar Sambasivan, General Counsel, Ayana Renewable Power

Kumar Sambasivan is an accomplished legal professional and corporate leader with over 30 years of experience. He has an impressive track record of working with some of the most prominent organizations in India. Before joining his current position at Ayana Renewable Power Pvt Ltd as General Counsel, Kumar Sambasivan has held significant roles in organisations such as Gamesa Renewable Pvt Ltd, Suzlon Energy Ltd, Essar Group, Punj Lloyd Ltd, HCL Technologies Ltd, GMR Group, TTK Group, and Madras High Court. Kumar Sambasivan’ s educational qualifications include a bachelor’s in commerce and a master’s in commerce from National College, Bangalore. He also holds a Bachelor of Law degree from Madras Law College. As a General Counsel, Kumar Sambasivan is responsible for overseeing all legal matters for the organisation, including compliance, regulatory issues, litigation, and risk management. 

Madhu Rewari, Partner, Anand and Anand

Madhu has carved a niche in the field of trademark prosecution having represented numerous leading Indian companies and Multinationals, including Fortune 500 companies in India as well as in the Indian Sub-continent. She advises various companies on brand adoption, protection and enforcement, commercialization, drafting and negotiating various contracts. Madhu also assists the clients in drafting of various policies such as Brand Usage Policy, Internet Policy, Privacy Policy etc.

With 16 years of experience in the IP field, Madhu strategically performs due diligence for companies acquiring IP assets and providing advice on various commercial issues arising out of such contracts. She also advices on contentious issues such as IP violations, misleading and false claims and has successfully represented clients in relation to advertising issues.  Her most recent successes involved the publication of the trademarks LIFEBOUY and OLA CABS to be included in the well-known list published by the Trademarks Office. Madhu has also handled several Domain Name Disputes before WIPO and .IN Registry.

Madhu has been invited by various prestigious national and international forums and institutions to share her insights on various aspects of IP and sensitize stakeholders across all sectors.

Nirupama Pillai, Director and Assistant General Counsel, Ethics & Compliance, APJ, VMware

Nirupama is a Regional Compliance Officer for the APJ region in VMware, (excl. GCR) She is responsible for the ethics & compliance function and drive initiatives to foster a culture of integrity and compliance across APJ. Her professional experience encompasses corporate governance and advisory, M&A, securities, ESG, data privacy and Ethics & Compliance across inhouse and private practice.

Pawan Singhal, Chief Legal Officer, Ather Energy Private Limited

Pawan Singhal as  ‘Chief Legal Officer & General Counsel’ has been leading the Compliance, Legal, Intellectual Property and Secretarial (CLIPS) verticals at Ather since March 2019.

He has rich and versatile leadership experience of decades with corporates like 3M, AstraZeneca, Max Bupa, Intel, MMTC and others in a wide spectrum of industries. His last stint was with 3M as ‘Executive Director and General Counsel’ for SE Asia.

He has also practiced for more than five years as ‘Associate Partner’ with a leading law firm, driving matters related to foreign investments, brown and green field projects, corporate restructuring, strategic alliances, corporate laws, IP, anti-trust, and regulatory aspects. Pawan is a Commerce Graduate from Shri Ram College of Commerce, Law Graduate (LLB) from University of Delhi, India, Associate Member of Institute of Cost and Management Accountants of India and Fellow Member of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India.

Pawan has been named in (a) ‘GC Power List’ – India (2016) released by ‘Legal 500’ and (b) ‘India’s Finest In-House Counsels’ at ‘ICCA Annual International Summit’ in 2016.

Pravin Anand, Managing Partner & Head of Litigation, Anand and Anand

Pravin Anand is the Managing Partner and Head of Litigation at Anand and Anand. The first Indian to receive the AIPPI Award of Merit, INTA’s President’s Award, inducted in IAM IP Hall of Fame 2022 and recognised the “Most Innovative Lawyer” for Asia Pacific by Financial Times, Pravin has appeared in 3000 plus cases in over 43 years' practice ass an IP lawyer. 

He has been a counsel in several landmark IP cases including patent lawsuits - Merck Vs. Glenmark; Roche Vs. Cipla; the Monsanto case and a large number of suits on behalf of Pfizer, BMS, AstraZeneca, etc- transforming Indian pharmaceutical and bio-technology enforcement regime. His other accomplishments include India’s first Anti-anti-suit injunction (InterDigital v Xiaomi); Software Patent lawsuit (Ferid Allani case); development of damages culture recognizing compensatory, exemplary, and aggravated damages (Philips Vs. AmazeStore); India’s first post-trial SEP judgment; and the cases heralding era of social damages such as “Tree Planting Order” (Merck case); and order benefitting adolescent girls (Hermes case).

Pravin has also created unique concepts like ‘Anaryst’-IP Board Game; ‘Brainchild-First IP-themed play; ‘Adventures of Mr. IP’– an IP Comic to spread the message of IP. He studied law from Delhi University after completing bachelor’s degree in chemistry. Called to the Bar in 1979, he has been practicing as an IP lawyer since.

Sambit Kumar Das, Head Legal – India, Condé Nast

Sambit Kumar Das is a distinguished legal professional with over a decade of extensive experience in legal and regulatory domains, notably in prestigious Big 4 consulting firms, media, and e-commerce enterprises.

He is currently serving as the Head of Legal - India at Conde Nast (India) Private Limited and leads the legal strategy for India, playing a pivotal role as the legal business partner for Conde Nast's diverse business verticals. His responsibilities include devising and implementing effective legal strategies, providing crucial legal advice amongst others. Previously, he worked for Swiggy overseeing one of the largest funding rounds in the food delivery sector and successfully closing acquisitions.

Winner of the '5th Annual 40 Under 40 Rising Star Awards 2020,' he has contributed to seminars on challenges in the gig economy and has been recognized for his publications on various publications.

Sharayu Jadhav, Group General Counsel, Acko

Sharayu Jadhav is the Group General Counsel for Acko Technology and Services Private Limited. She is a start-up veteran, having spent over a decade in leadership roles working in fast paced industries like e-commerce (Flipkart+Myntra), fintech (Razorpay) and now insurtech. She is a trusted leader with a deep focus to strengthen the VOICE of the legal teams in organisations to bring law abiding, creative and high impact solutions resulting in legal teams moving beyond operational and support roles to advisories across the industry. In addition to supporting the business, she is a strong voice that believes in action on the Diversity and Inclusion charter, both within and outside her organization

Shantanu Sahay, Partner, Litigation- IT&E Commerce Law Practice, Anand and Anand

Shantanu has been instrumental in establishing an ecosystem in India for enforcement cum compliance of software piracy cases. He has added over 17 new multinational Software/ IT clients to the firm’s client base which are actively running anti software piracy enforcement and compliance campaigns in India. Having successfully represented various software companies in about 700 mediations (ADRs) in the Delhi High Court Mediation Centre since 2018, Shantanu has been rigorously advising/ representing firms’ numerous clients (international and domestic) towards their anti-counterfeiting campaigns in India. On the cyber security front, Shantanu has been on the forefront in initiating a series of criminal actions and civil cases against various call centres in Delhi who were the perpetrators of tech support frauds misrepresenting Microsoft Corporation globally.

Shyam Kumar Kudari, Group General Counsel, Simplilearn

Shyam, currently general counsel for Global EDTECH Simplilearn, a Blackstone portfolio company. At Simplilearn, Shyam manages global legal support, edtech regulatory, M&A, litigation, commercial legal support, platform support & privacy.  Previously, Shyam was India legal head for Synchrony Financial. Prior to that, Shyam worked with Microsoft, Dell & Xerox. Shyam has unique blend of legal experience from Fortune product MNC’s to emerging startup’s global advisory.

Shyam enjoys working probono for Government partnerships for social impact. He was Diversity & Inclusion champion for 3 years at Synchrony. He enjoys jamming Guitar.

Smitha Chandrashekaraiah, Director Legal, HARMAN International

Smitha Chandrashekaraiah is a general counsel with a proven record of accomplishment of working across various industries including but not limited to logistics, IT, healthcare, asset finance and audio/visuals in the Asia Pacific Region. She is nick named as “transformation powerhouse” as she has not just successfully transformed various internal processes at the organizations, she has worked for but also taken on diverse responsibilities beyond her usual duties, which has resulted in the development of next-gen legal departments. Apart from helping corporates to structure, manage and ensure that the IP portfolio is safe, she is also a trusted advisor to the top management covering a broad spectrum of legal and compliance practice - strategic advisory, Board Management, risk and compliance management, structuring and negotiating complex commercial cross border transactions, M&A, litigation, government relations and talent development. Being a firm believer of the philosophy “knowledge is power as long as it’s shared”, she is one of the most sought after keynote speakers at various conferences and addresses the student community at top institutions as a guest lecturer regularly. She is also a recipient of several prestigious awards and accolades.   

Srabonee Roy, Partner, Lakshmikumaran & Sridharan

Srabonee has 18 years of experience in representing multinational companies, private equity funds, strategic corporate clients, Indian companies and their promoters in acquisitions, private equity investments, joint ventures, business transfers, financial & technical collaborations, franchising arrangements, and corporate commercial transactions. She has rendered commercial, legal and strategic advice to them on various aspects of the transactions and provided overall support including regulatory and other matters. She also advises clients on general corporate matters such as foreign direct investments & exchange controls regulations, entry strategies, company laws, pharma laws, data protection & privacy laws and employment laws.

Prior to joining the firm, Srabonee has been a Partner at J. Sagar Associates, Samvad Partners and Veritas Legal in their Mumbai offices. She has also worked with firm Desai & Diwanji and I&S Associates in Mumbai, and N-South, Advocates and Gagrats in Delhi & NCR.

 

Srishti Ojha, Founding Partner, Verist Law

Srishti graduated from NLSIU, Bangalore in 2002 and was awarded a gold medal for international law. She has also read LL.M. from New York University, graduating in 2003, and cleared the New York Bar.

Srishti's core focus is securities law. Srishti increasingly also focuses on legal strategy for complex and sensitive situations relating to shareholders, employees, counterparties, and regulators. At Verist Law, Srishti has represented a wide range of clients ranging from unicorn and late-stage start-ups such as Razorpay and Porter, to investment banks such as ICICI Securities and IDBI Capital and listed companies like Essar and Repco Home and emerging start-ups like Jar and Y Combinator-backed companies such as Voosh and Marketfeed.

Srishti was included in Acritas Stars (part of Thomson Reuters) and was enlisted in the Forbes Legal Powerlist 2020.

Udita Patro, Partner, Anand and Anand

Udita is a Partner in the Litigation Team of Anand and Anand, with over 12 years of experience in IP Litigation. She has been involved in successful campaigns for pharmaceutical companies and agrochemical companies, well-known luxury brands, FMCG companies, famous celebrities, etc.

Yawar Usmani, Group General Counsel & Company Secretary, Stellapps Technologies Private Limited

Mr. Yawar Usmani is the Group General Counsel of Stellapps Technologies Group and also serves as the Company Secretary of Stellapps. He leads a team of attorneys and professionals at Stellapps Group to manage the legal, ethics and compliance affairs and data privacy.

At Stellapps Group, his responsibilities encompass a wide range of legal areas, including governance, food & legal metrology laws compliances, strategic transactions, commercial law, supply chain, privacy, cybersecurity, intellectual property, investigations, and litigation. He works closely with the team to ensure legal compliance and manage risks in these key areas.

He is a seasoned general counsel with a decade of experience in a wide variety of industries with particular interest and focus on healthcare, pharmaceutical, fintech, dairy and technology. He is experienced in M&As and restructuring of companies, FDI, direct investment outside India, FCRA, contracts, litigation management, risk management, corporate laws, Board and related procedures, statutory compliances, RBI regulations, ethics and compliances (including FCPA and UKBA), data privacy, employment & industrial labour laws.

Before joining Stellapps Group, he has worked with Symbiotec Pharmalab and was looking after firm’s legal affairs including private equity fund raise in Asia and USA. He has also advised companies like Info Edge Limited (Naukri.com), EROS International, Indian Energy Exchange amongst others during his stint with Nesar & Associates, New Delhi. He has been recognized in The Legal 500 GC Powerlist: India 2023. He has also been the Finalist for the prestigious Thomson Reuters ALB (Asian Legal Business) award in the category of In-House Lawyer of the Year for the year 2021, Data Privacy and Protection Lawyer of the Year for the Year 2022; and Young Lawyer of the Year (In-House) for three consecutive years - 2021, 2022, 2023.