In Conversation with Shobhana Nikam, General Counsel, DIAGEO India

Krishnendra Joshi: Shobhana, would you please walk us through your early years of education and the decision to become a lawyer?

Shobhana Nikam: I stumbled into Law – well, literally. My early years of schooling and College were in Chennai and I was harbouring dreams of becoming a Doctor. Out of the blue, my grandfather persuaded me to consider law as a career option, as he firmly believed it would empower me as a woman. I went on to become a first-generation lawyer and excelled in my Master of Law program in International and Constitutional law and received the prestigious President of India Gold medal in 1993 for my LLM program in International & Constitutional Law from Madras University. This further fortified my resolve to find my way into the legal profession.  

I began my career with a law firm in Chennai in the early nineties, a time when many multinational Banks were looking at making inroads into India. This experience gave me insights into the issues confounding Banks in the wake of economic liberalisation, which I believe accelerated my learning and development very early on in my career. I moved to Bangalore when I was 23 and started to explore the world as an in-house counsel. Over a career span of three decades, I was fortunate to serve as the General Counsel to many US multinational companies including Affiliated Computer Services, Target Corporation, Tishman Speyer, Fidelity Investments, 3M and Wells Fargo. My perseverance helped me gain exposure across different domains and also got me a seat at the leadership table.  

I’m a first-generation lawyer and also the only lawyer in the family.

Krishnendra Joshi: Tell us about your team size and what a day in your shoes looks like.

Shobhana Nikam: My team comprises a young and enthusiastic group of lawyers, paralegals, investigators, Business Integrity & Corporate Security professionals, investigators and administrative staff. 70% of my 30-member team are women, some of whom are young mothers who take me back to my early years of trying to balance home and a career. To the extent feasible, we allow flexible work options which is a great differentiator.  

The alco-beverage industry is among the most regulated and is by nature litigious, so, lawyers need to be able to think on our feet, and at the same time ensure compliance. I’m fortunate to work with the best legal brains of the country and beyond to address day-to-day legal matters, as well as keep a focus on long-term strategic priorities, and try and strike a balance every day. I am also a part of global teams and the emphasis is on learning from each other and sharing best practices. 

Krishnendra Joshi: How do you see governance and compliance frameworks changing with the emergence of legal tech and AI?

Shobhana Nikam: The legal team is a valuable but limited resource in organisations. Legal tech and AI, if thoughtfully deployed can alleviate routine and repetitive tasks & ensure governance from a legal counsel’s desk – whether it is automation in contract management, litigation management or compliance management. Today, we can look at trends and themes at the click of a button which certainly is the way for the present & future. I don’t believe legal tech or automation is a threat to the critical tasks that a lawyer performs, or the legal expertise that a lawyer brings, but it can help a lawyer’s day-to-day tasks by providing relevant data to make informed decisions. There’s no cookie-cutter approach to deploying these tools and the key is to understand your specific needs, the cost-benefit ratio and the desired outcomes, so technology can be mindfully utilised and leveraged. It is also a fact that many lawyers today face tech fatigue. If any of the above parameters are neglected, technology can add to one’s work pressures and lead to frustrating moments.

Krishnendra Joshi: What are your views on pre-litigation strategies for in-house legal departments? Do we see more thrust on ADR mechanisms in the near future?  

Shobhana Nikam: Most organisations today want to be able to get efficacious & effective resolution with minimal costs and interventions. While pre-litigation strategies depend on the nature of the dispute and issues on hand, it should ideally aim to provide efficacious resolution of matters. In my experience, this strategy is most effective in commercial disputes where a Court process can be long drawn, especially if the parties are in agreement to explore ADR. This has become part of the contract standard templates these days. I do believe ADR mechanisms will continue to evolve in the right direction, with better receptiveness on a large array of matters. 

Krishnendra Joshi: You are passionate about inclusion and diversity, leading inclusion interventions with a specific focus on LGBTQIA+, veterans and neurodivergent individuals. What is your definition of diversity and inclusion? What would be your suggestions for ensuring diversity and inclusivity in corporate legal teams?  

Shobhana Nikam: Diversity to me is to be able to appreciate and celebrate differences in outlook, experiences, culture, and all aspects of what makes an individual unique, while inclusion is about ensuring the right environment for the individual to bring their whole, wonderful self into work, with the knowledge that the organisation will support them and help them thrive.  

Within the legal team itself, we have endeavoured to hire the best talent, give them a holistic work experience and set them up for success. This is reflected in our tone from the top, our forward-looking Company policies and how we come across as leaders. When your values begin to resonate with the broad corporate value system and ethos, magic happens.  

I believe corporate legal teams should be fully invested in the Diversity and Inclusion agenda for the Company, to be able to influence change & transformation ..

Krishnendra Joshi: Any favourite book or movie/series that you'd like to recommend to our readers?

Shobhana Nikam: I’m a K-drama binge-watcher and would strongly recommend ‘Extraordinary Attorney Woo’. It’s the story of a young woman lawyer with a genius-level IQ and her challenges with Asperger’s syndrome and how she overcomes it. It just inspires one to be a better human being in an otherwise unfair world, where the definition of success is so skewed towards materialism

Krishnendra Joshi: What has helped you get to where you are and what advice would you have for others who want to achieve success in the legal profession?  

Shobhana Nikam: There’s no shortcut or secret recipe for success. It takes time to build one’s experience in the field of law, so, patience is a virtue. There’s also no substitute for intellectual curiosity, combined with hard work. Having said that, the demands on lawyers today is to also be sound business advisors, so one needs to develop suitable skills, acquire great business acumen and build a strong network with key stakeholders & the community.