In Conversation With Pooja Sehgal Mehtani, General Counsel, Whole Time Director And Company Secretary, Sun Life Global Solutions

Ms. Mehtani, what inspired you to pursue a career in law? How has your path in this legal journey been?

My journey in the field of law was driven by a profound admiration for the pivotal role that an In-house lawyer plays within an organization. I found the multifaceted contributions and strategic influence wielded by In-house lawyers at the highest levels of management truly fascinating. The prospects of serving as a trusted advisor to top executives, navigating complex legal landscapes, and shaping organisational strategy and policies resonated deeply with my aspirations for impactful and meaningful leadership.

Inspired by the prospects and importance of legal expertise in shaping organisational strategy, I continuously worked on honing my skills and accumulating the necessary experience to thrive in this pivotal role and lead while making a meaningful impact.

How has your experience been as a General Counsel?

As I reflect on my journey as a General Counsel, I feel it has been a profound odyssey of learning, growth, and ethical leadership, infused with a relentless pursuit of excellence and a forward-looking vision. Each challenge and opportunity not only enriched my professional acumen but also fortified my commitment to leverage legal expertise as a catalyst to bring about positive change and drive sustainable growth of organisations.

Throughout my legal career, each milestone reinforced me to continue to learn - unlearn and grow as not only a General Counsel but also as an organisational leader. Whether advocating for fairness in negotiations, crafting innovative legal solutions to mitigate risks, or providing wise counsel to enable executive decision-making, I found fulfillment in the tangible impact that my contributions had on the growth of business and the organisation.

Moreover, witnessing the transformative power of effective and efficient legal counsel to not only safeguard the organisation's interests but also drive growth further fueled my determination to be able to grow as an organisational leader. I have been fortunate to have gotten opportunities inherent in the role of General Counsel and beyond, through which I could remain committed to the pursuit of realising this vision and making a lasting impact to realise the organisational objectives.

What are the various challenges that a General Counsel faces while navigating a company through a web of legal compliances and issues?

Navigating legal compliances as a General Counsel is like mastering a complex chess game. Challenges include staying updated on ever-changing regulations, managing multifaceted risks across diverse jurisdictions, balancing legal obligations with business objectives, and effectively communicating legal complexities to non-legal stakeholders. And one is required to manage all this while continuing to play the role of a business enabler. It's a fine balance between legal expertise, strategic thinking, and diplomatic finesse.

As a General Counsel you also have to play the role of a continuous crisis manager which requires a calm and decisive approach under pressure. Another important aspect is to work towards fostering a culture of compliance throughout the organisation. It includes building legal awareness and promoting ethical conduct throughout the organisation. In most organisations, legal departments are rather small, therefore, limited resources, and budget can also present challenges for General Counsels in effectively addressing all legal compliance issues while balancing other responsibilities within the legal department.

Navigating these challenges requires a combination of legal expertise, strategic thinking, interpersonal skills, and a deep understanding of the company's business, strategy and operations.

The role of a General Counsel in company operations has undergone immense change. Do you agree?

Definitely. A General Counsel’s (GC) role has not only undergone immense change - it has rather transformed significantly over the past couple of decades. From a traditional role of being a legal advisor GC has evolved into a much broader position of a business advisor participating at the heart of strategic decision making with a clear and strong voice at a Board level. They are involved in the day-to-day operations of the company and are closely integrated with business function to be able to provide robust legal advice. The collaboration and integration between business and legal heightened during the past few years. Once seen as “the lawyer in the room”, GCs are now expected to be forward thinkers guiding businesses through everything from digital transformation and innovation journeys to sustainability, cybersecurity and diversity initiatives.

At your organisation Sun Life Global Solutions, how do you ensure your commitment to Diversity, Equality and Inclusion & Belonging?

Being a leading GCC, our People are our primary assets and hence they remain the core focus of our purpose and mission. We are a Diverse, Equitable and Inclusive organisation – passionate about fostering a sense of belonging. I am fortunate to lead the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEI&B) initiatives for the organisation.

At Sun Life Global Solutions (SLGS), we are committed to cultivating an inclusive and respectful environment, where everyone can harness their potential to the fullest. We want to ensure a psychologically safe environment for everyone, where we bring our whole selves to work, where we are authentic and express our unique perspectives. SLGS strives to create an environment where our workforce has equal access to opportunities and resources that enables everyone to make significant contributions.

We are positioned well. The Everest Group ranked us as 11th in India and 6th in the PH among the Top Global Business Services. Our brand continues to grow. SLGS has 94% of Gen Y and Gen Z which is 18 – 40 years of age. We have a gender diversity of 44%; we are continuing to work to increase diversity at senior levels. We continue to expand the definition of diversity by including People with special abilities, neurodiversity, LGBTQIA+.

We believe that a diverse workforce with diverse perspectives and ideas benefits our clients, colleagues and the communities where we operate. Our focus is on people and on drawing strengths from differences. This sparks creativity and our collective dedication towards innovation.

SLGS is committed to the DEI strategy by focusing on three key pillars:

• Learning: Leverage research and wide range of insights to plan the advancement of our DEI efforts.

• Building: Evaluate and design progressive policies, programs, and practices to build a business that is inclusive for our employees, partners, and communities.

• Leading: Equip our people at all levels to ensure responsible oversight of our diversity, equity, and inclusion goals.

We know that belonging is one of the most powerful predictors of DEI efficacy in the workforce. When we feel that we truly belong at workplace, we feel more connected, committed, and valued. We then just own the opportunities and steer through challenges… to do the best work of our lives and inspire others.

We inculcate Belonging by fostering open conversations, listening to diverse voices, and celebrating the strength that arises from our differences. We are committed to creating stories and journeys that are bold, inspiring and impactful.

Last year was a year of many "firsts" in SLGS from a DEI perspective. We are expanding the definition of diversity beyond gender – generational diversity, acquired diversity, and hiring PwD. We launched the Women-in-Tech chapter under SunStree (an ERG for women) and the Working Families Employee Resource Group too. We are revisiting some policies to make them more inclusive, sponsorship and leadership programs for women are being designed. We are setting up a DEI Council, broadened DEI to include belonging, and there’s so much more. At SLGS, we are building a culture that truly inspires continuous learning and strengthens our collective potential and leadership through empowerment.

Your organisation has established a unique initiative called SunStree. Can you please elaborate this novel idea and how has it helped instill integration in the organisation?

‘Sun Stree’ is a network for women employees at SLGS India to enable them to develop and maximise their potential. SunStree is a combination of two phrases Sun and Stree. Stree symbolises a woman and is derived from the Sanskrit language. SunStree provides a platform to enable holistic development and well-being of women employees.

The objectives of SunStree are focused on identifying and addressing workplace challenges faced by women, providing developmental opportunities for their advancement, and creating an open and interactive learning space. Additionally, SunStree also emphasises the health and well-being of women employees.

Early this year Sun Stree launched an initiative ‘Lean-In Circle’. In these circles small groups of people meet once a month to support each other and learn new skills. Our Lean-In Circles are a place where we encourage women to be unapologetically ambitious, expand their networks, and help each other achieve their goals. Circles meetings are focused on creating personal connections and learning new skills.

The position of General Counsel in a company is unique and special. How do you think the evolution of technology, especially Artificial Intelligence help the in-house legal departments to work effectively?

Technology is certainly changing and impacting the legal industry, it is altering how lawyers are required to work and drive legal towards automation, digital and innovation agenda. Lawyers now work side-by-side with other professionals, paraprofessionals, and machines. Legal services are best delivered when legal, technological, and process expertise are amalgamated to tackle business challenges. Lawyers will have to adopt technology and its advancements moving forward to scale up and deliver to the changing business requirements of this day and age. It begins with how data is handled in the legal processes, which is essential for digitisation and automation of processes. Adaptability and collaboration with distinguished technological expertise and objectives of the organisation is essential. Leveraging technologies are likely to increase efficiency of in-house lawyers enabling them to primarily focus on activities “that require independent legal reasoning”.

The technological advancements will facilitate the in-house legal departments to manage expanded portfolios, increased workload, changing and complex regulatory landscape, risks, and perform the dual role of a corporate defender and business partner.

What would you like to suggest to law students and fresh graduates who want to pursue a career as an in-house counsel?

In-house counsels have to be ready for a continuous journey of learning and unlearning each day. To be able to work in an integrated manner with the business functions building connects and relationships across the organization is essential to be closely aligned with the goals, strategy and vision of the wider organisation. Most importantly In-house counsels have to operate as business partners and business enablers adopting a solutions-oriented approach. Adaptability to change, resilience and pro-active approach while providing sound legal advice and highlighting the risks is crucial.

In-house counsels need to always enhance and augment their legal expertise and be ready to upscale with the changing business needs and the technological advancements.

Above all, have clarity of thought about your career pursuits as an in-house Counsel. Students need to be clear if they want to grow and lead the legal function or evolve as an organisational leader – whatever be the case one should be ready to shoulder initiatives beyond core-legal domain.

Kaustubh Mehta

BW Reporters The author is Editorial Lead, BW Legal World