Sameer Chugh

Dear All,

It is my privilege to Chair The 8th Annual Grand Masters 2020, New Delhi Edition scheduled for 6th Feb 2020 at Le Meridien, one of the flagship events of Lex Witness – India’s 1stMagazine on Legal and Corporate Affairs.

At the outset, let me wish you a very happy and healthy 2020. Over the years Lex Witness has organized and been involved in spreading information and knowledge through their knowledge sessions. These knowledge sessions are without doubt one of the best platforms for in-house counsel and our friends from private practice to interact, exchange knowledge, thoughts,and ideas with a view to develop and share best practices on legal and corporate developments and enhance the value that the legal fraternity contributes to the industry and the economy.

The General Counsel today is a “statesman upholding corporate integrity”. The GC is now involved in strategic and key decisions that have both a legal and business impact on the company. The change in the role of the GC, the expectations and the complexity has been tailing the shifting nature of the economy, regulations and the new age of working that has left businesses, companies and countries boundary-less.

The GC today is smarter and more involved/hands-on, is developing the core legal strategy for the business, strategizing for the commercio-legal matters and fully involved in the corporate decision making. The GC today is as much a part of the business as he/she is part of the legal function. The Board/promoters and senior management colleagues rely on the GC to provide strategic advice for the running and the support of the business.

The GC is supposed to weigh the inherent risks posed while educating the relevant people on the same and helping mitigate yet achieve the business outcome. When required, the GC also has the important task of maintaining relationships with external lawyers, including Senior Counsel to ensure time and cost-efficient advice where needed.

The theme of The 8th Annual Grand Masters 2020 this year aptly talks about the smarter GC, India Inc. 2.0, Court conversations and then followed by the intellectual property aspects. These four are clearly the cornerstones of the GCs broad frame that he/she needs to keep in view on a day to day basis. The business of today is different and has changed manifold over the years.

The fast pace of globalization and reduction of boundaries, the technology advent, the new ways of working and the continuous changes occurring are also requiring businesses to reinvent themselves and thereby the General Counsel to continue to reinvent himself/herself along with the team. With the change in the way business is done and the ever-changing regulations requiring compliance,with the changing goalposts and the legal uncertainties, it is only fair to expect that the litigation and the Court intervention is likely to increase.

The rapid pace of technology change and the alacrity at which businesses operate and continue to move requires a GC to be ready to respond and act immediately as issues could pop up out of nowhere.

I am certain that The 8th Annual Grand Masters 2020 will provide an excellent platform for the exchange of ideas and an opportunity to interact with legal professionals who are experts in different industries.

I am looking forward to an extremely interesting, engaging and knowledgeable The 8th Annual Grand Masters 2020 and also to meet friends, colleagues, and peers from the industry and the law firms. Look forward to some interesting and informed discussions and lots of networking.

All the best,

Regards,

Sameer Chugh,
Group General Counsel,
Bharti Group
Summit Chair – The Grand Masters 2020, New Delhi Edition