In Conversation with Shujath Bin Ali | General Counsel | Chief Compliance Officer | Ramky Enviro Engineers Ltd

Mr Ali, would you please tell our readers what motivated you to pursue law. What attracted you towards an In-house role? What were the formative years of your professional career like? 

Well, to be honest, I never planned my career ahead and it is purely accidental. Since I did not get an engineering seat, I took up Commerce along with Company Secretary Course. Post that I pursued Law as it is a good combination along with CS. 

I started my career as Company Secretary in a Listed Company and subsequently, I worked in areas of Finance, Internal Controls and also supporting Legal function. Over a period of time, I started working in the areas of Secretarial, Legal, Compliance, Ethics & Compliance and began to enjoy the in-house leadership involved in Governance, Risk, and Compliance function. Over the course of my career, I have worked in listed/unlisted, public/private also multi-industry, multi-cultural environments and currently enjoying my role in a Global PE-backed Indian Company 

You have worked across multiple industries in leadership roles and possess 20+ years of diverse experience on legal, compliance and risk matters. What does it take to be a legal professional of your stature?  

Yes, I was fortunate to work in a variety of industries like Pharma, Consultancy, Information Technology, Robotics, Manufacturing, and Clinical Research and now in Environmental solutions and Waste Management sector.  And I have worked in Finance, Taxation, Secretarial, Ethics, Compliance, Legal functions in my 20 years of diverse experience and it has definitely helped me a lot.  I think it is absolutely important to look for new challenges and get out of your comfort zone as you embark in our career journey.  Passion and continuous learning are very important. 

What does a day Ramky Enviro Engineers Ltd like? What are your roles and responsibilities? 

I am a CXO and part of the Senior Leadership Team at Ramky Enviro Engineers Ltd. I lead Global Legal, Corporate Governance, Secretarial, Ethics & Compliance, Contracts & Claims management functions leading a team of 22 professionals.  

Your legal career has been nothing short of an inspiration for many aspiring and young legal professionals. Would you please tell us about your mentors? Who have been your guiding light in your career?  

It is very important to have mentors in your career. I was fortunate to have many mentors who have always helped me steer in the right direction. It was a privilege to work under the guidance of my first boss Mr V Pashupati Kumar. 

He is a very tenured professional who was also my boss during my time at Deloitte and he was very helpful in shaping my career. I have observed the careers of many CEOs, Company Secretaries, General Counsel, and Chief Compliance Officers, Senior Counsel in India and abroad. I follow their journey and learn from them. Following careers of successful professionals is something I like to do to get motivated. 

How did your team at Ramky Enviro Engineers Ltd respond to Covid-19? What are some of the operational issues in-house company departments are facing today because of the pandemic? 

Since we are operating in the waste management and environmental services sector we were working during the lockdown period also. The company was playing a key role in disposing of the Biomedical Covid Waste. The legal & compliance team supported the operations by working with the operations team to run the business in a safe and compliant manner. Virtual meetings and collaborated workspaces are the new norms and we have adapted the same with the use of technology. 

With increased dependency on technology, there is a likelihood of an exponential increase in cybercrimes and data privacy breaches. What are your views and suggestions on India’s tech law regime to deal with the potential risks and increase in cybercrimes? 

COVID 19 has definitely changed the way we work. Technology usage, work from home, virtual meetings, eLearning, eCommerce have significantly seen a change. And this definitely is going to benefit all of us. The risks have also been mitigated by strong Cyber Laws, Data Protection Laws and enforcement frameworks 

Sir, you have been a strong advocate of technology adoption for in house legal departments. How do you foresee Automation, Artificial Intelligence, and Analytics shaping the corporate legal departments of the future? 

I foresee that In-house legal departments do not have much option than to leverage the technology to its best. Using technology will help the function to focus more on strategic issues, while operational and procedural issues can be effectively managed by automation and use of technology. Litigation Management, Compliance Management, Contracts Management, Intellectual Property Management, Collaboration, External Counsel Management, eLearning, Digital Board meetings are few areas in which Technology can be leveraged and we have very eminent players in the market. And at an advanced level, there is the potential of the use of Automation, Artificial Intelligence and predictive analytics to be used by In-house legal function in times to come. 

What are your thoughts with respect to Environment, Social & Governance & Sustainability and how legal professionals can play a critical role?  

The role of the General Counsel is evolving, which means an increased focus on not only what is legal, but what also is “right”. The convergence of financial, environmental, social and ethical issues to achieve long-term value is driving engagement in corporate sustainability. General Counsels are increasingly using corporate sustainability to articulate the value proposition of the in-house lawyer. Focus on corporate sustainability enables General Counsel to leverage their role as trusted advisors in proactively driving positive change. 

Work from home brings unique challenges. How are Organizations is Ramky Enviro Engineers Ltd handling potential employee productivity and mental health issues? Are leaders, in the pandemic era, learning to be more flexible and sensitive towards their teams? 

This is a very important topic to be discussed, I have seen several organizations starting a dialogue on Mental health. The Corporate lifestyle brings a certain level of work stress, challenges due to performance pressure. Emotional intelligence, stress management, work-life harmony are important issues which need consideration by the leaders and we need to be sensitive towards these issues with our people. Employee productivity will definitely enhance if organizations understand these dynamics and create policies, frameworks to support employee wellbeing. 

How do you make time for yourself in this busy world? What are your sources of creative outlet other than work? Any movies, work of art or books that left a lasting impression on you? 

I like reading books on leadership, management, self-help and spirituality. I also spend time reading articles, listening to podcasts and watching videos, speeches of various eminent personalities in the world. I like to travel and attend seminars, webinars and build a network to learn new things.  I love to share knowledge, network, build relationships and learn from everyone and bring new ideas to the table. 

A Business strategist or Jack of all trades—who is the best fit for in-house leadership of today? 

In my view, A generalist with a good understanding of business, quick learning skills who can adapt to new situations, having a problem-solving approach and passion to be a good Counsel to provide apt advice to the stakeholders is the best fit. It is important to earn the trust of business, stakeholders while adapting to different cultures and having a “getting things done approach” with good people management, project management leveraging the right technology. 

In my view, General Counsel are like Deputy CEOs who lead critical Governance, Risk, Compliance and other allied functions and are huge assets for the Organizations and are always the go-to persons to solve problems and manage crisis situations. 

Your golden advice for the future lawyers and young legal professionals of our country. 

I think it is important to always be a student of law with a focus on constant learning, unlearning, and relearning. It might also help if young professionals spend the early part of their career in litigation with senior lawyers or law firms to spend the early part of career obtaining a variety of experiences for understanding the practical aspects. Those formative years will help them to identify their passion and focus areas. Passion to learn and grow, client service approach, problem-solving, thinking out of the box will go a long way in their careers.

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