In Conversation with Manjaree Chowdhary, Executive Director & General Counsel at Maruti Suzuki India Limited
Ms Chowdhary, you’ve been a General Counsel with some of the most renowned companies in the world. You’ve been in the legal industry for over two decades. You started your legal journey with litigation, then moved into corporate law working with Dua Associates, a leading law firm before moving in-house to work with the multinational conglomerate, General Electric, where you held General Counsel roles for different businesses Now you are the Executive Director & General Counsel at Maruti Suzuki India Limited. Yet the most fascinating part of this journey is that much before embarking on this legal voyage you were a professor teaching English literature for almost 7 years!
How did this shift happen? Please walk us through your early years of education and the decision of becoming a lawyer.
This really happened more by chance than design. I was teaching English Literature at Panjab University with aim to do a PhD in the US and continue in academics. I took to reading law at the instance of a senior lawyer in the Punjab and Haryana High Court who was a friend of the family. I did this while still keeping a full time teaching job. Later, I got the prestigious Felix Scholarship to do a Masters in Law from the University of London, which I passed with distinction. While I thoroughly enjoyed studying law in London, there was no thought of taking it up as a whole time profession. It was only on my return to India and after having met some senior members of the legal profession that I decided that switch professions. It was a momentous decision as I was giving up a stable career of seven years to start afresh. It has certainly been a challenging journey but an enriching one. I have never regretted my decision.
How does it feel to be recognized as one of the "Top 500 Powerful Women in Law" in India; being felicitated at the Indo-UK Law Society Summit at the House of Lords, London and receiving awards like “Outstanding Women in Law” and “General Counsel of the Year (Female)” 2019-20.
It may sound clichéd but I have never really worked for awards. I have tried to give my best to every role I have held, to constantly learn and provide effective outcomes to my stakeholders. As my roles have grown in size, scope and complexity, the attempt has always been to be a trusted business partner. I enjoy being an in-house counsel and draw my energy from the learning that comes with business growth. On the way, to be recognized for one’s contribution is both a fulfilling and a humbling experience. It raises the bar on performance and more importantly places a responsibility to give back to the legal ecosystem and society at large.
Who has been your mentor/(s) and driving force in this awe-inspiring journey?
There have been many mentors – my family, teachers, leaders at work, colleagues and friends who have been the collective wind under my wings. Each of them, in their own way, have believed in me and always encouraged me to realize my full potential. I am grateful to have them on my cheering team.
Coming back to your current assignment, would you please share with our readers the array of work you handle at Maruti Suzuki India Limited. What is your in-house team size, and would you please allow us a little peek into your routine at work?
At Maruti Suzuki, I am responsible for providing legal, compliance and regulatory support and advice to the business. Leading a team of 30 + legal and compliance professionals, I work closely with the Board, the CEO and the Leadership team to manage business risk in an evolving regulatory environment to protect the brand and reputation of the company. I also have additional responsibility for the administrative management of our corporate office.
My usual day starts at 9 am with updates from my team on critical matters, followed by a host of meetings and calls with business and external stakeholders. These sometimes require me to travel to another office. Given the open offices we work in I am physically always within reach of the team. It has its own energy and benefits. I usually tend to find a couple of hours (interspersed) during the day to catch up on mails, reading important document and attending to urgent queries from the Management/Board. I prioritize by bucketing my mails/work into urgent (response within 24 hrs.), medium (response within 2-3 days) and others (to be read/undertaken over weekends or when time permits). I am disciplined about keeping a daily ‘To Do’ list that helps me remain structured and manage time effectively. I usually leave office by 7 pm. However, calls and some work often continues during the ride back home.
The daily work routine has taken a complete turn during the Covid pandemic. We have had to get used to ‘Work from Home’. I have not observed much change in the work except that it is all online. We have been equally productive. The noticeable difference though is that work time usually extends beyond office hours, creating its own challenges. ‘Work from Home’ allows greater flexibility, but I must admit I miss the energy of the office environment.
What in your opinion has been the biggest change or challenge in the legal operations of in-house legal departments amid COVID-19? What has been your strategy to cope with these changes?
The biggest change for the legal in-house teams has been to adjust to a new normal of ‘Work from Home’ and coping with a host of safety SOPs. To effectively manage the pandemic it is imperative that teams are fully aware of the Do’s and Don’ts. We conducted extensive training to socialize these within the team. ‘Work from Home’ comes with its own set of challenges especially of effective time management between home and office work in the same physical space and learning to be structured about the workday amidst various conflicting distractions on time. As regards productivity, I have observed that if you can ensure good online connectivity with access to data, productivity can usually be maintained. Creating a structured daily operating mechanism and following it helps. I have seen this work in our legal team. I speak to my direct reports every day and they in turn speak to their teams every morning and at close of day. Ensuring data protection has become another critical challenge. It’s imperative to have an office policy in this regard and keep socializing it for effective compliance. The unprecedented circumstances coupled with the uncertainty can lead to issues of anxiety and mental unease. I have personally tried to support my team on this by being very accessible, by increasing the frequency of team meetings (online) to connect with them, address their concerns, allay their fears and provide a platform to share and learn. At such meetings I particularly encourage a free exchange of thoughts and views. This has helped to build a feeling of greater camaraderie and bonhomie, which has kept the team positive and motivated.
Could you also throw some light on the impact of Covid-19 on other areas, including supply chain management, car dealerships & service centres; and human resource management at Maruti Suzuki?
The auto industry as a whole has been impacted by the lockdown imposed due to Covid-19. With manufacturing operations being shut for a large part of the first quarter of the new financial year, Maruti Suzuki also reported a net loss in the first quarter, the first since its listing in 2003. With the Unlock, economy is slowly opening up. Maruti Suzuki has also gradually resumed its operations while managing the challenges that continue. Supply chain gets impacted with restrictions in containment zones and suppliers facing their own set of manpower, sub-tier supplier issues while meeting local compliance directives. Manpower challenges need to be constantly managed in view of Government directives of social distancing and production requirements. The impact is quite similar on the sales and service ecosystem. However, paramount during this has been the focus on the health and safety of the workforce and ensuring compliance with the Government guidelines and orders.
Has LegalTech played any role in fast-tracking the shift in the legal landscape from traditional working methods to cloud-based offices (and the WFH environment) at Maruti Suzuki during the pandemic or has it been a part of your organisation for long. Would you say there has been a sea change in how corporates interacted with technology before COVID-19 to now?
There have always been some corporates that have been ahead of the curve in adopting technology including LegalTech in their business and legal operations. The Covid-19 pandemic has created a situation that has necessitated a quick change among the others. The pandemic has served to make automation and technology a priority for business continuity and has accelerated its adoption. At Maruti Suzuki, we had already started the process of automating and integrating the legal systems and processes using LegalTech, which has really helped the Legal team to make the shift to ‘Work from Home’ quickly and seamlessly. With the possibilities that LegalTech is throwing up, Legal fraternity has been working to better their tools to become more agile, a process that Covid -19 has served to fast track to meet the requirements of remote working. There is a visible shift.
Speaking of LegalTech what would be your advice to the new crop of lawyers in the age of legal AI. As the competition becomes ever more fierce with AI solutions effectively taking care of routine contractual work (like NDA Reviews, Standard Contract Drafting) while also driving down costs for organisations, what are the skills you’re looking for in lawyers joining your team?
The new age counsel was increasingly expected to be smart and agile even before Covid happened. The pandemic has only emphasized the need for being technology savvy. I think the younger lawyers are already familiar with technology. What they need to ensure is that specific LegalTech tools are adapted to the systems and processes they work with to automate and digitize them for remote working. It‘s imperative to make data location agnostic and enhance its ease of use.
With the pandemic bringing about a ‘new normal’ and LegalTech fast stepping in to manage work and contain costs, a new age counsel would certainly need to be technology savvy and agile to meet the working demands of this new normal. However, I believe that AI cannot be a substitute for being a trusted business partner. For my team, I would still look for skills demonstrating expertise, adaptability, business understanding, ability to identify and manage risk, strong communication skills, a commercial-legal balance to provide sustainable outcomes to stakeholders in a spirit of collaboration and teamwork.
Is there anything you’d like to share with our lawyers of the future, any golden piece of advice from the treasure trove of your experiences in the industry, success mantra or tips for lawyers wanting to move to an in-house role?
The requirements of being a counsel in a law firm, an in-house counsel and an independent litigator are quite diverse notwithstanding that all of them require the same basic qualification. In my experience, being an in house counsel requires a certain bent of mind and consequently certain specific skills. Here are some of the key essentials that I hope can be of guidance to young lawyers aspiring for an in house career:
Having said that, there is no one golden mantra for success. Every successful professional’s journey is unique and is determined by his/her experiences and the use of such learnings to effectively innovate and improve.
Recently Maruti Suzuki has announced interesting initiatives like Cars for Subscription; Easy Car Loans, and more—What kind of Risk Forecasting or Legal and Compliance Monitoring goes behind some of these decisions.
Maruti Suzuki has launched its new line of automotive business – Shared Mobility. Maruti Suzuki Subscribe is its flagship offering which allows a customer to choose from a wide variety of Maruti Suzuki cars on an all-inclusive monthly fee with no burden of maintenance/insurance and at zero down payment. Another such offering is Maruti Suzuki Finance, which is a one stop shop for a customer’s financial needs. It provides customers a wide choice of financiers to choose loans from at competitive rates. All such new platforms are geared for enhanced customer delight to meet the changing customer preferences.
The Legal team works closely with business stakeholders from the inception of any new initiative to be able to understand the commercial requirement and related risks. It undertakes risk profiling at every stage of the project, looks for possible mitigates and provides sustainable and compliant outcomes that are concretized in definitive agreements to safeguard company interests.
Negotiate. Mediate. Litigate. What’s your take on the alternate dispute resolution mechanism and the potential of ODR especially in the situation created by the pandemic?
Online dispute resolution (ODR) is the resolution of disputes using digital technology and employing the techniques of alternate dispute resolution (ADR) such as negotiation, mediation and arbitration. The Covid situation has thrown up a number of commercial and financial disputes, which are likely to increase going forward. The pandemic has also forced a shift towards contactless solutions. In such a situation ODR can be an effective mechanism to help contain adversarial disputes and reduce the burden of physical hearing in judicial courts. This can be particularly true for small and medium value disputes by providing access to justice at an affordable cost.
However, accelerated adoption of ODR is important but it will require a change in mind-set where ODR will need to be seen as more of a service as opposed to a court of justice. In my view, certain incidental changes are required such as creating a digital infrastructure that can reach the masses and a change in the statutory framework and identification of disputes that may be more suited to ODR (high volume and repeatable) such as claims under the Motor Vehicle Act, insurance claims, cheque bouncing and more recently cases under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code. It will also require a partnership of both private and public bodies. Learnings can be had from other jurisdictions that are already using this process.
There is a business case for ODR in the current pandemic situation and if successfully managed to deliver results, it will continue to be an effective mechanism to resolve disputes going forward, ensuring speedy justice at an affordable cost and reducing the burden on the judicial system. Further, expeditious resolution of disputes arising in the Covid times will also aid the revival of the economy.
Coming back to your experiences Ms Chowdhary and to gain a better perspective on the changing legal landscape, would you say things have become easier for women-lawyers now; that there is more acceptability at the c-suite table? Or does the way to the top continue to be a journey through labyrinths and mazes for women?
The legal profession has traditionally been male-dominated. We have seen things change over the last two decades. I think two things have played in a big role in this shift in India. First, with the opening up of economy and advent of multinationals, corporate law has gained importance as a new and lucrative line of lawyering. The growth of corporate law firms coupled with a more global culture made it a more acceptable place for women lawyers to work and excel. Second, setting up of National Law Universities across the country has helped to add the much-needed structure and prestige to the profession. Law school pass outs are as much in demand as pass outs from engineering, medical or business schools. In parallel, litigation has also seen the entry of more female lawyers. The increased diversity is quite evident. Having said that, with the profession being labour intensive with long hours and no easy path to success, data shows a progressive dwindling of the numbers at the mid and senior levels.
I think that avenues and options for women lawyers have certainly increased. The perception towards the profession as well as acceptance of women lawyers is also getting better though inherent prejudices still persist. The numbers at the top don’t match up. Diversity particularly at the top management/General Counsel level is still a challenge. In the circumstances, achieving success for women in law or any other profession may still be a challenge but it is not impossible. There is change but perhaps not as fast or as much as one would like it to be. I personally believe that determination, expertise, professionalism with an ability to reinvent and bounce back and most importantly family support can help to realize one’s potential and make it to the top.
Did managing personal and work commitments come easy to you? It seems COVID-19 lockdown has led to a unique situation for working professionals especially women to balance both home and office work. What are your thoughts on this?
One often hears of maintaining a ‘work-life balance’. To me, it’s more about a ‘work-life integration’. There can never be a perfect balance. It’s more about tradeoffs. There will times when work will take precedence and at other times the home and personal matters. It’s worked relatively well for me thus far.
The Covid-19 pandemic has thrown up unprecedented challenges in the workspace. The new normal of ‘work from home’ is certainly a technological accomplishment but has its own unique fallouts. Professionals are not only ‘working from home’ but also ‘working for home’. Data shows the situation has necessitated couples to support each other in managing household chores. However, social stereotypes persist and women professionals have often had to carry the burden of managing both home and work leading to issues of feeling overwhelmed and stressed.
I too was faced with a similar situation. With no house help for over four months, it was quite exhausting juggling housework with full-time office. This provided no time for relaxation and rejuvenation with a danger of fatigue and burn out. Being mindful of these outcomes, I have tried to view this positively. Keeping busy actually leaves me with no time to think and be anxious. The upside has been becoming more self-reliant that lends more confidence to cope.
Thank you so much for doing this interview with us, Ms Chowdhary. As a parting note, would you please recommend to our readers your favourite book or movie/series that left a lasting impression on you.
I am fond of reading and there are many favourites. One book that clearly stands out is “The Power of Positive Thinking” by Norman Vincent Peale. Written simply it speaks about self-belief and faith in one’s capabilities as the ultimate key to success and happiness. It has, time and again, come to my rescue and uplifted my spirits and given me the courage to overcome challenges and move on.
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