Corporate Governance

Amit Tandon

Amit Tandon is the Founder and Managing Director of Institutional Investor Advisory Services India Limited (IiAS), a SEBI-registered firm offering independent opinions, research and ‘ESG’ + Governance data, as well as voting recommendations and ESG Ratings. 

Previously, he was MD & CEO of Fitch Ratings India (2001–2011) and held multiple leadership roles over 17 years at the ICICI group, culminating as Head of Investment Banking at ICICI Securities.

Amit serves on several SEBI committees, including those on ESG, listing obligations, and alternative investments. He has also contributed to key regulatory reforms through various SEBI, RBI, and government working groups. He is a trustee of the Foundation for Audit Quality and a regular columnist for Business Standard.

He holds degrees in Economics from St. Stephen’s College, an MBA from FMS Delhi, and an MPhil from the University of Cambridge.

Dr. Risham Garg

Meleveetil Damodaran

Meleveetil Damodaran, has, in a career spanning over 52 years, worked with the Union and the State governments in India, regulatory bodies, investment institutions, banks, development financial institutions and with the private sector. He has held regulatory and developmental positions in the Government and in India’s financial sector, before demitting office as Chairman, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on February 18, 2008. He graduated in Economics and in Law from the Universities of Madras and Delhi respectively. 

After a career spanning several regulatory and developmental assignments in the state of Tripura, he was appointed as its Chief Secretary in 1992, the youngest ever in the country to hold such a position in any State Government. During his tenure when he also functioned as Chief Electoral Officer, Tripura held statewide elections without a single instance of repolling in a State which had seen more than 100 election related deaths in the run up to the previous election. He also led the State’s transformation from an entity that could not pay salaries in time, to an overdraft free State that was recognized for fiscal discipline. This effort led to the State government receiving additional central financial assistance as an incentive for excellent resource management. Thereafter, he worked as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, Banking Division, for five years, dealing with Government’s ownership functions of Public Sector Banks and being its interface with Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the regulator of India’s banking system. The first set of public issues of shareholding in the Government owned banks took place in his tenure. Thereafter, as Officer on Special Duty with RBI, he  co-ordinated the revival plans for three identified weak public sector banks, Indian Bank, UCO Bank and United Bank of India, the closure of which had been recommended by CII in a report on banking. 

In 2001, he was appointed the Chairman of Unit Trust of India (UTI) to rescue India’s largest and oldest investment institution which had collapsed. His restoring of UTI to health and strength is widely acknowledged as the most successful turnaround story in India’s Financial Sector. An institution whose obituary had been written was restructured as India’s largest mutual fund with exemplary governance practices being put in place. He was simultaneously given charge of Industrial Development Bank of India (IDBI), another of India’s major financial institutions, which too was restructured by him in an innovative manner, pulling it back from the brink, transforming it to a bank, and merging it with another commercial bank. The unique Stressed Assets Stabilisation Fund (SASF) which helped clean IDBI’s books was his creation. This cash neutral approach to cleaning the asset side of the bank books enabled IDBI to retain its credit rating. 

As Chairman SEBI, he brought improved practices to India’s securities market. He is widely acknowledged as one of the India’s foremost champions of Corporate Governance. During his tenure he introduced QIP, a new instrument for follow-on offerings in the Indian Market. This instrument prevented the continuing export of India’s capital market. During his tenure at SEBI, he was elected Chairman of the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO)’s 80 member Emerging Markets Committee for two years. In 2007, he organized, for the first time in India, the annual conference of securities markets’ regulators from all over the world. This conference is even now spoken of as the best annual conference that IOSCO has ever organized. 

Till recently, he served as an Independent Director on the Boards of Larsen and Toubro, CRISIL, Tech Mahindra, Hero MotoCorp and Biocon. He served as the non-executive Chairperson of InterGlobe Aviation (IndiGo) for 3 years. He is a Nominee Director on the Board of InterGlobe Aviation (IndiGo).  He is representative of Allianz in India and was Advisor and Chief Representative in India for the ING Group of Netherlands. He is the founder of Excellence Enablers, a specialist Corporate Governance initiative that focuses on improvement of Board performance and addresses coaching and mentoring needs of corporate India. He chaired the Government of India constituted Committee for recommendations to scale up PE/VC investments in India and to streamline regulations thereto. He also chaired the Government of India constituted Taskforce for setting up Resolution Corporation of India. He was the Chairman of Ministry of Corporate Affairs Committee for Reforming the Regulatory Environment for doing Business in India and Chairman of Reserve Bank of India’s Committee on Customer Service in Banks. He was the founder Chairman of the Society and Board of Governors of the Indian Institute of Management Tiruchirappalli (IIMT). 

As one of the foremost advocates of Corporate Governance in India, he advises on improving Board performance. He chaired the Taskforce on Corporate Governance constituted by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). He has been a recipient of several prestigious awards for leadership, transformation and Public Service. He is also regular on the public speaking circuit. He chaired FICCI Industry Insurance Awards (2019), FICCI Healthcare Excellence Awards (2019, 2018 and 2013), Assocham Capital Market Intermediaries Excellence Awards (2017), EY Entrepreneur of the Year (2017, 2010 and 2009), FICCI CSR Award (2015-16), FICCI Higher Education Excellence Awards (2016 and 2014), ET Now Leaders of Tomorrow Awards (2013), Business Standard Banker of the Year (2011-12), Outlook Money Awards Jury (2010 and 2011) and NDTV Mutual Funds Award Jury (2010) and being a part of the Jury of BML Munjal Awards (2015), IBN7 Diamond States Award (2011) and FICCI Healthcare Awards in 2009, 2010 and 2012. 

His people management skills deriving from a high emotional quotient have been captured in the book “In Search of Change Maestros (Sage Publications)” authored by Dr. Pritam Singh and Dr. Asha Bhandarker. 

List of Awards 
1.Life Time Achievement Award in Ethical Governance and Leadership by Asian Centre for Corporate Governance and Sustainability (2015) 
2.Life Time Achievement Award in Public Governance by Asian Centre for Corporate Governance and Sustainability (2013) 
3.Policy Change Agent of the Year (2006-07) by Economic Times 
4.India Business Leaders Award (2006) for Outstanding Contribution to the Cause of Indian Business by CNBC 
5.Public Service Excellence Award (2009) by All India Management Association 
6.Finance Man of the Year (2004) by Bombay Management Association, Association of Leasing and Financial Service Companies of India, Association of Merchant Bankers of India, Association of Mutual Funds in India, Finance Industry Development Council, Indian Merchant’s Chambers and Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts of India 
7.Centenarian Professional Excellence Award (2005) 
8.National Award for Outstanding Contribution in the Field of Public Service (2004) by Priyadarshini Academy at their 20th Anniversary Global Awards Function 
9.Golden Peacock Award for Leadership in Corporate Transformation (2003)
10.Skoch Challenger Award (Markets and Corporate Governance) (2019)

Vivek Jha

Kartik Jain

Archana Tewary

Saurya Bhattacharya

Yajas Setlur

Ravi Bhasin

Ravi Bhasin is a Senior Partner at AZB & Partners with over 16 years of experience. His practice primarily focuses on Insolvency Restructuring and M&A.

Ravi has advised clients on various restructuring matters, including on the buy-side from an acquisition perspective in various sectors including pharmaceuticals, real estate, manufacturing, etc.

Ravi has been involved in advising resolution applicants in their acquisition of companies under insolvency, and also advised bidders for companies under liquidation. He has been involved in several successful bids for such acquisitions and has also assisted clients in respect of the final approval of the plan at judicial forums and has also advised in defending challenges to such bids in courts/ tribunals.

His practice area also includes private equity and venture capital transactions, corporate and regulatory advisory, foreign investment, debt funding, insolvency restructuring and acquisitions. He has advised clients (including private equity funds and strategic investors) on various transactions involving equity and debt investments including listed and unlisted non- convertible debentures), and joint ventures.

His experience includes advising on structuring various transactions, advising on entry and exit routes and strategies and also foreign investment regulations amongst others.

Suraj Malik

Suraj Malik is a partner with the Transaction Tax Advisory practice at BDO India LLP.He is a CA with over 15 years of diverse experience with large accounting firms and family office. He has diverse experience in deal structuring, inbound investments, M&A Transactions, corporate restructuring, and private equity. He has led and managed several transactions across multiple sectors such as Media, Hospitality, Real Estate, IT/SEZ  and other general manufacturing industries. He has also advised and implemented one of the largest family settlement in India and structured and executed succession strategy for HNIs and entrepreneurs. Suraj has spoken on various national and international events organized by the different institutions and also co-authored articles on various M&A related topics.

Arvind Mathur

Yash Poddar

Nitesh Mehrotra

Sharad Abhyankar

Sharad Abhyankar, Solicitor & Advocate joined M&A and Corporate Advisory Practice of Khaitan & Co, Mumbai Office in December 2011. Practising for more than 28 years, Sharad specialises in corporate laws, securities laws, anti-trust laws, telecom regulations, constitutional litigation and international commercial arbitrations. He advises Indian and international clients on strategic M&As, private equity investments, capital market transactions, financing transactions, domestic and cross-border foreign collaborations and joint ventures, foreign exchange and securities law related matters.

Sharad has led the merger of housing finance companies with public sector banks and has advised on issues on complex regulatory issues relating to mergers and acquisitions in financial services sector.

Sharad has led many complex legal due diligence assignments of Indian Corporate Groups for compliance check, health check, particularly focussed on Promoter Groups, Related Party Transactions; tunnelling schemes by promoters and Key Managerial Personnel and insider trading.

Sharad has also led preparation of compliance manuals on Indian federal and state laws for Indian Corporate Groups with international operations.

Sharad is also involved in facilitating different government agencies in framing policies and regulations such as the State Education Board in Maharashtra, Department of Telecommunications, ICASA - the Telecom Regulator in Republic of South Africa.  Sharad also led the project of developing the Model Shops & Establishments Law in association with FICCI, which was recently adopted by the Union Cabinet.

Sharad Abhyankar is an Independent Director on a few listed and unlisted Indian companies and has been a part-time faculty on various legal subjects at the Government Law College, Mumbai, for more than 25 years.

Sharad is a member of the Advisory Committee and Drafting Committee of the NSE Center for Excellence in Corporate Governance.  He has authored several articles on a variety of legal topics in both, Indian and International journals and is often invited as a speaker/ panellist at a number of professional seminars.

Pushpalata Dwaram