In Conversation with Abhijit Mukhopadhyay, President (Legal) and General Counsel, Hinduja Group, London

Many Congratulations on featuring in BW Legal World’s General Counsel 100 list for the year 2020. We’d love to know about your journey so far, your most memorable experiences, and your thoughts on receiving this Award.  

I am grateful to BW Legal World for including me in their top General Counsel list for 2020. This recognition is important to me and reminds me of my continued obligations and commitment to the in-house legal profession that I am in.

What do you attribute your success to? What would you say has helped you emerge as a top General Counsel in your industry?

Success in any field depends upon knowledge, experience, commitment and, most importantly, remaining humble all the time. All these qualities can motivate a person to strive for improvement. There is nothing called “the best”. This is an everlasting journey that a professional like me would continue to follow.

What advice would you have for others who want to set off in a similar direction?

My advice to others would be to set their objectives and goals which need to be implementable and believe in them. Do not try to achieve everything in one go, but continue to achieve success in baby steps. As it is said, think globally but act locally. And don’t be afraid of failure. You would never learn if you can’t accept failure which is but natural. When fail, take a deep breath and analyse where to improve.

Would you please share with our readers the array of work you handle at your organization? What is your in-house team size, and would you please allow us a little peek into your routine at work?

Hinduja Group, my employer, is a global conglomerate with 150,000 people working in 60-odd countries with a yearly business turnover of USD 15 billion doing businesses under 11 business verticals. As you can imagine, legal work plays an important and integral part of our businesses. I am involved in our Group’s global legal activities, both at operational and strategic levels. I am also on the Board of Directors of several companies in six countries. We have got efficient and expert legal teams in various jurisdictions to deal with our legal matters pertaining to various business verticals. For me personally, as General Counsel, it always remains a challenge to switch from one business issue to the other in a short span of time on a day to day basis.

In what ways has your business sector been impacted by the pandemic and the subsequent second wave? How long would it take for the industry to revive?

We are fortunate enough to have 11 business verticals in the main sectors of an economy. Like many others globally, we are also affected by the pandemic. However, we have been able to balance the impact because of our presence in many businesses. Even during the pandemic, we are able to buy and sell businesses, close deals and expand our operations.

What have been your key learnings as the legal gatekeepers of your company from the year past and what are your predictions for the future?

The last 15 months have been a challenge for many of us. Working from home is the experience most General Counsels like me never had, adapting to and relying on technology as also to coordinate with our global businesses. Above all, you have to keep yourself and your team motivated to enable them to give their best. Many times that is a challenge.

Any significant legislation or decision of the top court that has been a welcome change or has been rather mistimed in your opinion

In India, the High Courts and Supreme Court are active. On several occasions, their judgments are having far-reaching consequences. It is a debatable issue as to whether the courts would interfere in the administrative decision-making process. I have read several judgments on foreign seated arbitration for Indian companies which I thought would help propagate the culture of arbitration in general.

An experience, matter or person that left a lasting impression on you.

I have got several role models in my life. To start with, my parents are my role models. In the working field, I am fortunate enough to be working with some of the finest and illustrious chairmen and managing directors who are  industry stalwarts. Definitely, they have helped me in shaping up my future.

Company Law Departments of the future: LegalTech tools that are transforming the traditional methods of in-house legal work in India

AI would play a major role in the future legal profession in India. However, its extensive use would depend upon a cost-benefit analysis. If benefits are more than the costs, certainly top management in an organisation would be interested to use them. However, I don’t think AI would be able to replace the role of lawyers. Be that as it may, the in-house legal fraternity would need to gear up to add value in order to remain relevant once AI penetrates in a major way.

What keeps you busy when you’re not working? Any favourite book or movie/series that you'd like to recommend to our readers.

I try to maintain a work-life balance. Many times it is hard to maintain. The most important thing is not to mix up the two. My family is very supportive and I find it a pleasure spending time with them. I love watching movies whenever I have the time, especially late at night. I do a lot of reading, but because of time constraints, most of it is mainly connected with the legal profession to keep me updated. I have a great interest in global economies as also geopolitical developments around the world. They help me to remain updated.