Baker McKenzie Announces New Chair of Global India Practice

Baker McKenzie today announces the appointment of Mini Menon vandePol as the new Chair of the Firm's Global India Practice. She succeeds Singapore-based principal Ashok Lalwani, who served in the role for 12 years and will continue to serve as a member of the India practice's Steering Committee. Ashok will be relocating to the Firm's Dallas office / US next year, where he will be focused on supporting the Firm's clients with their US-India opportunities and building out the US-India practice.

Born in India and raised in Australia, Mini joined Baker McKenzie's Melbourne office in 1998 and relocated to the Hong Kong office in 2014. Mini is the Asia Pacific Head of Baker McKenzie's Investigations, Compliance & Ethics Group and has served on the Firm's India Practice Group Steering Committee since 2018. Mini has played a key role in driving the India strategy, advising both multinational and Indian clients on their inbound and outbound expansion activities. As Chair, she will continue to drive this work while spearheading the Firm's efforts to prepare for the liberalization of India's legal market. Mini is widely recognized as a leading investigations lawyer with a career that spans 30 years. She has won many accolades, including most recently being named "Outstanding Achievement Awardee" at the Euromoney Women in Business Law Asia Pacific Awards 2023 and as a Thomson Reuters Stand-Out Lawyer 2024.

Peerapan Tungsuwan, Global Executive Committee Member with responsibility for India, commented: "Baker McKenzie has a long history of working on India-related matters, and Mini has been at the forefront of helping our global clients achieve their strategic objectives. She is the perfect fit to continue to drive our India practice forward, alongside our Steering Committee members and India-focused lawyers, as we prepare to open an office in India as soon as we are permitted to. Huge congratulations to Mini on this very well-deserved appointment. I would also like to thank Ashok for his terrific leadership of this group over the years and ongoing commitment to the practice."

Mini commented on her appointment: "I am very excited to take on the leadership of our Global India Practice and feel privileged to contribute to India's dynamic and exciting economic vision. India's fast-growing economy, expansive and young workforce, aspirational consumer base, and increasing relevance in global supply chains have accelerated India's economic development and foreign direct investment. Bringing global best practices and experience will be integral in supporting our international and domestic clients to leverage these trends and grow their businesses. "

Ashok Lalwani added: "It has been a huge honor to lead our Global India Practice over the past 12 years. I'm now excited to further develop my India practice in the US and to capitalize on the US-India corridor, which presents a great opportunity for our clients and our Firm. Mini is a highly regarded lawyer, colleague and friend and will do an excellent job as the next Chair of our India practice."

Following the leadership transition, the members on Baker McKenzie's Global India Practice Steering Committee are:

• Mini vandePol (Chair), Ashish Chugh, Emmanuel Hadjidakis, Ashok Lalwani and Peerapan Tungsuwan in Asia Pacific;

• Samantha Mobley, Hani Naja, Philippe Reich, Virusha Subban and Ash Tiwari in Europe, Middle East and Africa;

• Adolfo Duranona and Teresa Tovar in Latin America; and

• Aarthi Belani and Joy K. Gallup in North America.

Led by the Firm's Global India Practice Steering Committee, Baker McKenzie has one of the largest India practice among international law firms, with more than 300 lawyers across more than 70 offices actively working on India-related matters. This deep pool of legal talent is key to the Firm's long-standing track record of being regularly featured at industry awards and publications as the top foreign law firm for India-related work. This includes being a three-time winner of International Law Firm of the Year at ALB India Law Awards and ranked as Band 1 of Foreign Law Firms for India-related work by India Business Law Journal for seven consecutive years since 2018.

The group recently launched a Spotlight on India articles series, which highlights trends and business considerations for companies looking to do business in India. The series uncovers what the new era of coalition politics in India means for businesses, and how net zero commitments, emerging technologies, healthcare innovation, and shifts in FDI and labor policies are creating the ideal climate for inbound activity into the world's fastest-growing economy.