Team size: 14

A Senior General Counsel in India and a recognised figure in the corporate legal world, Amar Sundram has long championed the statutory recognition of General Counsels and in-house counsel, emphasising their contribution to corporate governance in India.

A multifaceted professional, Amar is a mentor and guide to many young legal professionals and is associated with several law universities in India, including Jindal Law School, UPES, IILM, and Amity. He has played a key role in establishing functional and effective legal and compliance departments in numerous organisations throughout his career.

Amar is currently the General Counsel, Senior Vice President (Legal), and Chief Compliance Officer at NEC Corporation India. With over twenty-eight years of professional experience, he has worked with both Indian and multinational businesses, including DCM Shriram, Birla, Tata, AT&T, Reliance, Citi, EY, and the Royal Bank of Scotland, holding senior leadership positions in many of these organisations.

He has managed high-stakes international and domestic mediation and arbitration involving complex legal issues and multi-jurisdictional challenges. Amar has also led litigation in the Supreme Court of India, various high courts, and courts in the United States.

A topper in the LL.M programme at Campus Law Centre, University of Delhi, Amar has advised corporates on a wide array of legal matters, including regulatory compliance, arbitration, insurance, white-collar crimes, employment law, cross-border transactions, government contracts, technology-related laws, and criminal law.

Amar’s achievements have been widely recognised. He was listed among India’s Top 100 General Counsels by Legal 500 in 2016, 2018, 2022, and 2023. Under his leadership, the EY India legal team was selected among the top 100 in-house teams by Legal 500 in 2017, and his team was a top-five finalist for the Asia Legal Awards in 2019. The Royal Bank of Scotland India legal team, under his guidance, was named the best legal team by Legal 500 in 2019.

In recognition of his contributions to corporate law, strategic planning, and exemplary commitment to legal policy implementation and corporate leadership, Amar was conferred the title of Honorary Professor by Amity University, Haryana, in 2019. He was also honoured as a Shining Star of the Indian Legal Fraternity by the Corporate Counsel Association of India in 2019, declared Best General Counsel (Banking) by the Indian National Bar Association in 2019, and ranked among the top 100 General Counsels in India by Business World in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024. He has been recognised among the Best Leading Lawyers by the World Intellectual Property Forum in 2022 and named Top General Counsel of India by Forbes India Legal Powerlist in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024. Legal Era has consistently recognised him as one of India’s finest General Counsels and top Compliance Lawyers from 2022 to 2024, while Law Wiser named him among the top General Counsels in India for 2024 and 2025.

Amar has also served as a jury member for the selection of young lawyers from law firms and corporate legal teams, alongside other distinguished legal luminaries, including judges of the Supreme Court of India.

He holds several honorary positions, including membership of the Advisory Board of the UK-India Legal Partnership and founding membership of the General Counsel Association of India. Amar has actively participated in industry associations advocating for the role of General Counsels and legal reforms. In the Confederation of Indian Industry, he has served on the National Committee on Legal Services, chaired the Sub-Committee on General Counsel Reforms, and acted as Vice Chair of the same committee. He has also contributed to the National Committee on Regulatory Affairs, which reviews legislation and represents industry perspectives to the government and regulators, under the chairmanship of Ms. Zia Mody.

Amar is a member of the FICCI Corporate Laws Committee, which discusses corporate legal issues and suggests policy and regulatory improvements to facilitate business, currently chaired by Mr. Cyril Shroff.

He is a committed knowledge sharer, having spoken on over 1,500 national and international platforms on topics affecting the corporate sector, including data privacy, artificial intelligence, technology, white-collar crime, and employment law.

What are the most significant cases, projects and/or transactions that you and/or your legal team have recently been involved in?

Me and my team have been involved in all legal, secretarial, ethics & compliance and regulatory work. The work spans from advising the business team on various contracts including cross-boarder contracts, RFP, government tenders from legal risks perspective. The new Data Privacy laws as promulgated in India (yet to be made operational) required a completely new approach to contracts including the data privacy clauses. Areas relating to Artificial Intelligence needed a complete study and analysis of EU AI Act, 2024 to see if we are on the right side of the law. In such high-octane regulatory atmosphere where one breach could cost severe reputational and financial risk, it was important to create an atmosphere of compliance within the organisation and in this direction, a number of internal trainings were conducted for the employees on anti-bribery, conflict of interest, gift & hospitalisation. Awareness was also generated amongst employees through posters, quizzes and simple fun filled activities. We also celebrate one week of “Compliance Week” exclusively dedicated to compliance awareness within the organisation.

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

Maintaining composure during a crisis is the true test for any General Counsel. When the leadership team is unsettled and uncertain about the way forward, they look to the General Counsel to guide them through difficult moments. It is essential to examine the risks posed by the situation critically, evaluate various workable options, discuss these with the top leadership team, and identify the most appropriate solution under the circumstances. I firmly believe that decisions in such situations should not be taken in haste; rather, a carefully calculated strategy that minimises risk to the organisation should be adopted. Consulting with external counsel and ensuring contingency plans are in place often proves invaluable. Equally important is the continuous monitoring of the situation to assess how it is evolving or diminishing. Taking end-to-end ownership of the crisis and the solutions implemented is entirely my responsibility.

What strategies do you employ to ensure the successful digital transformation of a legal department while maintaining compliance with your country’s data protection laws?

Staying ahead of technological advancements is essential for any in-house legal counsel. With artificial intelligence rapidly transforming the legal department, I ensure that the team remains fully updated on the changes brought about by digital transformation. This involves continuous learning, discussions within our team meetings, cross-border exchanges, and consultations with our Information Technology colleagues to assess various risks. Equally important is reviewing all existing contracts to ensure that data privacy clauses are properly in place and, where necessary, strengthened through addenda. Another key initiative I implemented was the creation of a group of ‘Privacy Champions.’ Business Unit Heads nominate one individual from each unit to serve as a Privacy Champion, and this group works closely with my data privacy expert to ensure compliance with India’s forthcoming Data Protection law (DPDP Act).

AI has been taken seriously as a potentially revolutionary technological change in the legal world for a number of years now. Has it had a meaningful impact in how your legal team works in this time?

The rapid deployment of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies has heightened the VUCA – volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity – environment for General Counsels. According to the EY Report of 2025, the global AI market is projected to reach $USD 1,800 billion by 2030, while a NASSCOM report from September 2024 anticipates India’s AI market growing at 25 to 30 per cent by 2027. Organisations worldwide are integrating AI into their core operations to streamline the workforce, automate tasks, and enhance decision-making. Data indicates that such integration has contributed to increased revenue.

At the same time, AI introduces its own risks, including potential biases, data poisoning, data leakages, and AI-powered cyber-attacks. In this context, it is crucial for legal teams to understand both the benefits and the risks associated with AI. Beyond awareness, it is important to remain adaptable in work profiles and to automate processes that were previously manual. For example, we have developed an internal chatbot that responds to frequently asked questions about our compliance policies, saving significant time that would otherwise be spent answering policy queries individually via email. We are also in the process of developing an internal contract management tool to streamline the management of our contractual obligations.