The Vahura View | Edition 13

Welcome to the 13th edition of The Vahura View, our monthly newsletter for news, views and reviews across our many verticals. In this edition, we serve you a case study of a technological transformation, news about an exciting new addition to our in-house recruitment offering and a celebration of 10 years of our Director Search service.?

We also share instances of us being in the news, the events we attended (and will be attending—meet us in DXB in October!) and a round-up of the big moves in the law firm and in-house world. Let’s dive into it.?

Helping a law firm level up with technology?

Since the launch of our reorganised law firm consulting services in July, we’ve been getting several inbound queries about how we can help with a tech transformation. As part of our approach to make our offerings more tangible, we’ve put down a case study of how we helped a young and ambitious law firm rehaul their system. They came to us with a clear ask—a frictionless ‘Contract to Cash’ system. Our audit revealed several inefficiencies across CRM, matter management, timesheet and expense management, and financial operations. With the help of a trusted technology partner, we delivered an integrated system that dissolved the bottlenecks and opened up more time for fee-earners to win and deliver on quality mandates.?

Balanand Menon Soumajit Mukherjee Yatin Shah Ankita Malik

Going all-in on in-house Intellectual Property recruitment

The other day, we heard someone refer to Intellectual Property (IP) lawyers as ‘the last of the specialists’. It was only a half-joke, because IP is indeed a?technical and specialised branch of law. In this age where ‘every business is an ideas business’, companies are keen on tapping into the benefit of having an IP lawyer on the roster. From reactive IP management, companies are moving to proactive IP strategy. That’s why we’ve launched a dedicated IP recruitment team, to help companies hire full-time IP lawyers and patent agents. The modern IP lawyer is not just someone who sticks to silos of contentious and non-contentious work, but navigates both these worlds. Whether you need a patent specialist or a generalist with some experience in rights negotiations, we can help you find the right fit.?

Karl Fernandes Nilasha Mukherjee Stuti Agrawal Duiti Ramchandani Jennifer James

A decade of India’s original innovators in Director Search

On-Board, Vahura’s Independent Director Search offering, has completed 10 fulfilling years. Through this time, we’ve been at the forefront of connecting high-growth companies across industries to high-calibre directors who have a proven track record as operators, regulators and administrators. It’s been a dynamic decade for corporate governance and through our work at OnBoard, we’ve been in the thick of the action. We’ve seen the change in attitudes at a sector-level: the independent director has gone from making up the numbers to being a key player on the long table, adding real value to the bottomline. The shift from informal networks to a more professional approach in selection has seen us becoming trusted advisors to pre-IPO companies, listed entities and Special Purpose Vehicles. Our recent collaboration with Hyundai India in the run-up to one of the biggest IPOs in India’s history is a testament to our expertise.

Shweta Rao Avi Aggarwal Ritvik Lukose Priyanka Cholera

Media Mentions

Vahura at IICA’s closed-door roundtable with executive search firms

In early August, our CEO and co-founder Ritvik Lukose represented Vahura at a closed-door roundtable consultation conducted by the Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA). The roundtable took place at IICA headquarters in Gurgaon. The session was addressed by Dr Ajay Bhushan Pandey, Director General & CEO of IICA and Chairman of the National Financial Reporting Authority. Vahura was one of the 20-plus invitees to this gathering of the leading executive search firms in the country.

Karl Fernandes quoted in an article on increased in-house of M&A lawyers?

Karl Fernandes , Senior Partner and Head of the Corporate Practice Group, was quoted in an Economic Times article about the trend of large companies bolstering their in-house teams with specialist M&A lawyers. The article suggests that business houses have been recruiting senior lawyers who have 10 to 15 years of experience in complex cross-border deals. The trend indicates that companies want to reduce their reliance on external counsel while also building out a quick response capability. “We have observed a growing trend where large business groups and conglomerates are increasingly hiring M&A lawyers to build robust in-house capabilities,” Karl is quoted as saying. Currently, Vahura is running several mandates of this nature.?

Shweta Rao quoted in an article on independent director demand-supply

Shweta Rao , head of Vahura OnBoard, was quoted in an Economic Times article about an imbalance in the number of aspiring independent directors and positions available. The article acknowledges the rising importance of the strategic role of the independent director in Corporate India. Shweta made the point that there is a shortfall in supply since certification and qualifications alone don’t guarantee suitability for the position. “Most companies seek independent board members with prior board experience and no conflicting roles, typically favouring ex-bureaucrats, former CXOs and industry experts,” Shweta said. Shweta also observed that companies’ decision to rotate independent directors within subsidiaries of the same group has minimised the need to induct new members as part of the ‘big board refresh’ of 2024.

Events

Rishabh Chopra on trends in corporate law in the technology age?

Rishabh Chopra , Partner, spoke at a seminar organised by the Jindal Global Law School on “New Trends in Corporate and Financial Law in the Age of Technological Revolution.” Rishabh was on a panel titled “Educating the New Age Corporate Lawyer: Perspectives from the Legal Professional”, where he shared the talent consultant’s views on how corporate lawyers can navigate and leverage technological change to build long and fulfilling careers. His co-panellists included Ravindra Bandhakavi (CAM), Ramya Suresh (Saraf & Partners) and Sumi Saikia (Trilegal).

Destination Dubai for the Middle East GC summit in October

We’re thrilled to announce that Vahura has come on board as the Gold Sponsor for the Middle East General Counsel Summit organised by Law Ninjas. The event is in Dubai on Thursday 24 October. Our very own Rishabh Chopra , Partner and Head of Tax & Finance Search Practice will be speaking at the opening panel on ‘How to Recruit, Retain and Reward Talent.” It’s going to be a power-packed panel! Participants include Daniela Bartolo of Careem, Emma El Milegi of Mondelez and Gaurav Mendiratta of the Landmark Group.;

Law Ninjas started off as a WhatsApp group of 10 in-house lawyers in 2017. It has since grown into a thriving community of thousands of lawyers and law students around the world. Law Ninjas has conducted free workshops in over 60 law schools, and has previously conducted five GC summits.

If you’re going to be attending the summit in Dubai, do say hello!

Mentoring masterclasses in law schools across India?

August was an action-packed month for our Mentorship and Navigator Vertical, which serves as a bridge between law schools and the legal industry. As the Official Mentor Partner for the Foundation for Excellence (FFE), an organisation that funds professional education programmes for deserving candidates, we conducted a series of masterclasses for FFE scholars across law schools in India. Shahzar Hussain , Senior Consultant, led these sessions. To first- and second-year students, Shahzar spoke about varied career paths and how they could make informed choices around internships, conferences, paper-writing and additional courses. In his sessions with third-, fourth-, and fifth-year students, Shahzar focussed on resume-writing and interview skills.?

Vahura at TechHR India 2024?

TechHR India 2024, a conference on the latest trends in HR technology and solutions, took place in Gurgaon on 1st and 2nd August. Vahura was represented by Duiti Ramchandani, Vice President—Client Solutions, and Vani Jain, Vice President—Corporate Practice Group. On the sidelines of an event headlined by HR leaders from top MNCs and domestic companies, Duiti and Vani had compelling conversations about hiring trends, budgets and the way AI is influencing the landscape. There’s nothing quite like being out in the field and connecting with industry!?

Duiti Ramchandani Vani Jain

Key Industry Moves - Inhouse

Key Industry Moves - Law Firm