About

Coming from an environment where the perception was very much that ‘lawyers belong in a law firm’, and from a family of lawyers all in private practice, moving in-house was a big step for Anushka Chandra when she joined Bosch Singapore in 2011. Two years later her decision was vindicated when she became its general counsel for Southeast Asia. Chandra found that although the time she had spent in private practice provided her with a strong legal foundation and level of meticulousness, the level of detail and caution she had been used to in private practice was unsuited to a commercial role, and she has become adept at understanding the needs of the business before tailoring advice to suit the situation. Bosch Singapore’s legal department was established in 2010, and within a short space of time, Chandra had shown that it could operate as something other than a cost centre for the business. ‘We made changes to ensure that the legal department would be seen as a business partner and a value-add to support risk management. These changes and enhanced levels of interaction with the business units have changed how the legal department is perceived. The various business units now proactively approach our department for support and look to us to bounce off ideas. They also see the value of our contribution. That’s been a significant change’.