Legal Manager
Fosroc International Limited
Total years of experience :19 years, 9 Months
Reporting to the Vice President, Corporate Services
•Working with the internal stakeholders and leading the drafting, reviewing and negotiating high value high risk contracts, including negotiations with shareholders, such as joint venture agreements, shareholder agreements, licence agreements
•Advising, reviewing, drafting and negotiating legal contracts for the group, including standardization, such as non-disclosure agreements, agreement for supply of goods, supplier and distribution agreement, agreement for sale of goods, lease agreements, licence agreements, EPC contracts, master services agreements and such for diversified regions (Iran, Nigeria, Spain, UK, Denmark, Kenya, KSA, UAE, India, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Turkey)
•Serving as a primary contact for all contractual matters between the legal department and business units
•Developing contract legal review policy, document control policy for the group, standards for group policies, improvising policies and providing training on the policies and the associated procedures to all levels of the business including the VPs and senior management of the group
•Advising on the aspects of complete life cycle of contract management
•Managing corporate legal documents, including preparation of powers of attorney, follow up on formalities relating to certification and notarization of documents
•Creating standard group templates of legal agreements to be used for various jurisdictions (MENA, Gulf region, Asia, Europe, Africa etc.)
•Managing incorporation of new legal entities globally and securing their licences and permits
•Developing processes governing various aspects of the induction site
•Spearheading setting up of a central repository of contracts (on company SharePoint) to streamline user access and permission, document management and its training
•Advising the senior management on managing the contractual risks and liabilities to the company
•Establishing group governance policy and structuring framework for corporate governance site on SharePoint
•Working cross-functionally with multiple business areas and supporting them in various compliance initiatives
•Managing external counsels on legal matters to ensure appropriate service and quality levels and contain costs
Key Achievements
•Solely established the contracts department from scratch
•Single handedly managing review and negotiation of a high volume of complex global contracts of more than 20 jurisdictions of the group
•Developing group contracts and governance policies and standards and providing training on the policies to the senior management
Was reporting to the Legal Manager
•Managed corporate secretarial activities and compliance matters of 50 legal entities in various jurisdictions across the globe such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi, KSA, UK, USA, BVI, UAE, Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Kenya, Africa, Kurdistan, Tanzania, Mozambique
•Drafted and reviewed legal contracts such as non-disclosure agreements, confidentiality agreements, referral agreements, teaming agreements, agreements with clients and suppliers, distribution and reseller agreements, agency agreements, inter-company agreements, property lease agreements, vehicle agreements, power of attorney etc.
•Advised on contractual and legal aspects of operations, including corporate restructuring, corporate establishments and liquidation of legal entities in Middle East, Africa and Gulf countries
•Facilitated merger of Olive Group with Constellis Group, forming the world’s largest private security and risk management company
•Managed corporate transactions including share transfers, board and management changes, jurisdictional changes, amending constitutional documents
•Drafted board resolutions, shareholder resolutions, minutes of the meetings, share transfer documents, documents for change of location of registered office, share sales agreement etc.
•Completed and coordinated special legal projects like due diligence, audit etc.
•Interacted with government and free zone authorities in relation to corporate compliance
•Ensured annual filings are completed on a prompt and timely basis and full compliance with corporate and local legal requirements
•Liaised with external regulators and advisors, such as lawyers and auditors
•Managed and maintained documents electronic database and preparation of legal reports, corporate structure charts etc.
•Coordinated the flow of information between the legal department and various business units
•Managed renewal of lease, registrations and licences
•Conducted due diligence on clients and suppliers
Key Achievements
•Contributed to the creation of templates of legal agreements to assist business and improve delivery timelines
•Solely handled corporate secretarial and compliance work of 50 legal entities
Was reporting to the head of Corporate Services (Middle East)
•Maintained statutory records, corporate bibles and minutes of board meetings and shareholder meetings
•Managed incorporation of companies in free zones (JAFZA, RAK etc)
•Managed setting up of companies in British Virgin Islands
•Was responsible for licence renewal and amendments
•Handled statutory compliances for change of company name/ activities, change of manages/ directors, share transfer/ change of shareholders
Secured Bachelor’s degree in law and was engaged in settling my family during transition from India to UAE. Have also utilised this time to familiarise myself with UAE laws,
Was reporting to the Director Finance and Administration
•Drafted documents and forms for incorporation of company, memorandum of association and articles of association
•Drafted resolutions, notices, agenda, board consents and minutes of meetings of directors and shareholders
•Prepared and filed company forms, returns and directors’ report with the Registrar of Companies in accordance with Companies Act
•Was solely responsible for ensuring statutory compliances with Company Law
•Advised the Board of Directors on corporate governance practice
•Registered charges with the Registrar of Companies
•Provided the auditors with secretarial information
•Was in charge of the company’s Common Seal to be used with specific authority of the Board of Directors via board resolution
•Was responsible for drafting, vetting and reviewing legal agreements, including but not limited to, third party vendor agreements, joint venture agreements, lease agreements, agency agreements, service agreements, confidentiality agreements, sale deeds for purchase of immovable property, power of attorney, authorizations
•Conducted legal research and advised on IPR
•Guided legal interns in department procedure and scheduling
•Managed, supervised and trained junior team members
•Was responsible for performance appraisal of team members and resolving their concerns. Regarded as a problem solver by colleagues and subordinates
•Was awarded Certificate of Achievement for drafting petitions for L1, H1 visa processing
•Solely handled contract administration, maintained the Lotus Notes Legal Database for an easy reference and rapid retrieval of information
•Worked closely with the attorneys/ lawyers of CSC Singapore and CSC US
•Worked with CSC U.S. counterparts for securing third party administration licence for rendering services in various states in U.S.
•Experienced in procedures and documentation of merger of private companies
•Done various studies on behalf of higher management such as Amalgamation and Merger, Copyrights Act, SEBI Guidelines - Takeover Code, Consumer Protection Act, Labour Law
Key Achievements
•Awarded Certificate of Achievement for guiding the travel department on preparation of legal petitions for long term US visa processing (intra company transfer of IT professionals as per the requirement of CSC US) thereby increasing the number of successful cases and smooth running of the company’s business
•Acclaimed and appreciated for 100 percent compliance of Company Law in company secretarial audit by external firm
•Contract
Was reporting to the Managing Director/ Board of Directors
•Advised the board of directors on compliance of company legislation, convening of meetings of directors and shareholders
•Maintained statutory records, drafting of legal documents, rules and regulations
•Handled administration at the registered office of the company and liaised with statutory auditors, advocates and Registrar of Companies
Key Achievements
Solely handled corporate secretarial work of 7 subsidiaries of the company.
Member of Delhi Bar Council, India) •Chartered Secretary (U.K.), The Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators, United Kingdom (U.K.)
Modular Training Program) at ICSI, India and training at M.P. Stock Exchange, India
Modular Training Program) at ICSI, India and training at M.P. Stock Exchange, India