Description: General Counsel

Location: Chennai

Reporting to: MD & CEO

Education: LLB/LLM

About the Role:

As the General Counsel the incumbent will act as a strategic advisor to the executive leadership, ensure compliance with all applicable laws and regulations (particularly RBI norms), and oversee all Litigation, Contractual, Governance, Mergers and Acquisitions and Corporate legal and Regulatory matters. This is a high-impact leadership role that contributes to the company's legal risk management, reputation, and governance framework. The role reports to the Managing Director & CEO.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Strategic Legal Leadership

- Provide legal counsel to the Board, CEO, and senior management on strategic business initiatives.

- Liaise with shareholders for any Legal, Regulatory or Corporate Governance matters.

- Anticipate legal risks and proactively develop mitigation strategies.

- Ensure that legal considerations are embedded into business decision-making.

2. Regulatory Compliance

- Advise and guide on compliance with all applicable laws, especially those under RBI, Companies Act and key financial sector legislations.

- Serve as additional liaison with regulators such as the RBI., SEBI etc.

- Oversee regulatory inspections, filings, and correspondence.

3. Litigation Management

- Oversee all litigation matters including consumer disputes, ombudsman cases, civil and criminal matters, regulatory actions and Arbitration.

- Develop strategies for dispute resolution including settlement strategies and represent the company's interest in high-stakes legal matters.

- Manage and supervise external counsel and legal advisors.

4. Contractual & Commercial Advisory

- Review, draft, and negotiate high-value and complex contracts including joint ventures, partnerships, distribution agreements, IT vendor contracts, and outsourcing arrangements.

- Establish frameworks and best practices for contract governance.

5. Corporate Governance

- Work closely with the Company Secretary on Governance and Board practises.

- Support legal aspects of shareholder meetings, board resolutions, corporate disclosures, policy frameworks and processes.

- Ensure adherence to the highest standards of corporate governance and ethical business conduct.

6. Team Leadership & Development

- Build and lead a high-performing in-house legal team.

- Promote a culture of integrity, compliance, and accountability across the organization.

- Collaborate with senior executives and other internal stakeholders to align legal strategies with corporate objectives and business goals.

- Provide legal training and awareness programs for internal stakeholders.

7. Strategic Transactions

- Lead legal due diligence and legal structuring for capital raising, and strategic partnerships when needed.

Key Requirements:

- LL.B from a reputed law school; LL.M is a strong plus.

- Minimum 18 to 20 years of experience, with at least 5 years in a leadership legal role within financial services.

- In-depth knowledge of Indian RBI regulations, FEMA, Companies Act, and allied financial sector legislations.

- Promote the culture of automation and digitization for legal function.

- Demonstrated ability to manage complex legal and regulatory issues and engage effectively with regulators and stakeholders.

- Strong leadership, analytical, communication, and negotiation skills.

- Ability to handle pressure and make decisions in high-risk scenarios and work independently and collaboratively across cross-functional teams.