Sandeep M. Chokshy – GC Powerlist
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Middle East 2019

Sandeep M. Chokshy

Managing regional counsel for the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific | Frank’s International

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Middle East 2019

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Sandeep M. Chokshy

Managing regional counsel for the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific | Frank’s International

About

An oil and energy specialist, Sandeep M. Chokshy enjoyed an extremely successful period with Baker Hughes from 2009 until 2014, first in India and then in Dubai, before joining leading oil and gas services company Frank’s International in 2014. Chokshy, who came in for very high praise from nominating sources, clearly has enjoyed his in-house legal career thus far. ‘Working in an in-house environment is challenging as well as a very enriching experience. It not only helps you in developing your skills as a lawyer but also gives you a very different perspective on other things not necessarily related to the legal profession’, he says. As for how to succeed as an in-house legal lead, Chokshy outlines a number of key objectives in order to bring internal colleagues on side. ‘My key task as an in-house lawyer was to change the perception of various stakeholders that I’d be working with. As they were not used to having a lawyer in the same office and in same time zone, I had to change their perception of a lawyer from that of a “roadblock” to someone that can seamlessly facilitate business in the most compliant manner. Also, another important challenge is managing expectations, and interpersonal relationships and working as a business partner are key to handling such situations. Managing expectations also means in some instances acting as a bridge between differing expectations from your team and those of your line manager’. Forward-thinking by nature, Chokshy has a number of predictions as to where the profession will change in the future. ‘In my opinion’, he says, ‘in-house lawyer roles will continue to become more challenging and demanding. Traditionally, these roles have been very broad and in-house lawyers were considered as “defenders”, but this perception has been rapidly evolving over the past many years and expectation from this role has changed dramatically. We are now looked upon as proactive individuals and torchbearers of the company’s culture and reputation as well as guardians of its integrity. In the future we will be expected to play an active role in defining this’.

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