How do you approach managing legal aspects during periods of instability or crisis to ensure the organisation’s resilience?

During periods of instability or crisis, my approach is to remain the calm within the storm. I believe that clarity, logic, and adherence to the law provide the foundation for sound decision-making in uncertain times. My guiding principle is always the organisation’s core ethics and values, ensuring that we act consistently, transparently, and fairly even under pressure.

We prioritise scenario planning, disciplined documentation, and proactive stakeholder communication to manage risk effectively. For instance, during the Tanzania transition, our balanced approach, grounded in legal integrity and local engagement, ensured business continuity while safeguarding the company’s long-term interests.

What factors influence your team’s decision to use external legal services versus handling matters in-house, and what criteria are used to evaluate their performance?

Our default approach is to handle as much as possible in-house, maintaining efficiency and close alignment with the business. External counsel are engaged only when a transaction requires comprehensive due diligence or highly specialised expertise, such as in mergers and acquisitions, when a dispute demands litigation support beyond routine notices, when matters involve intellectual property due to our lean team structure, or when a formal legal opinion is required on a complex regulatory issue. We evaluate external counsel on their efficiency, responsiveness, quality of advice, and the practical value they provide. They must communicate openly, adhere to agreed timelines, and deliver insights that justify outsourcing the matter rather than managing it internally.

Based on your experiences in the past year, are there any trends in the legal or business world that you are keeping an eye on that you think other in-house lawyers should be mindful of?

I am closely monitoring three intersecting trends that are reshaping the in-house legal landscape. First, sustainability-linked regulation, particularly regarding packaging, recycling, and extended producer responsibility compliance, now requires legal teams to work closely with operations and ESG functions. It is a matter of pride that we were the first company in our industry to register and comply with the Plastic Waste Management Rules, a step that others soon followed. Second, digital transformation and the adoption of artificial intelligence are enhancing contract management and compliance tracking. Third, global expansion and geopolitical risk increasingly require Indian companies to navigate diverse legal systems, foreign investment norms, and local labour frameworks. For in-house counsel, the role is evolving from gatekeeper to strategic enabler, ensuring that compliance, innovation, and business agility advance together.