For Manjaree Chowdhary, a switch to the aw from academics was more accidental than a planned move. She was all set to move to the US to pursue her PhD in English but instead moved to London to do a Master’s programme in law. And that changed the course of her career – a move she is delighted to have made.

For someone who started her professional career as a professor of English, Chowdhary decided to make a switch to law mid-career and is today the Senior Executive Officer and General Counsel of India’s largest carmaker, Maruti Suzuki India.

A Felix Scholar and Masters in Law from the University of London with distinction, she is the winner of several notable awards and is a key member of many organisations and associations, including being a nominated member of the Confederation of Indian Industry National Committee on Regulatory Affairs and on the Board of the UK India Legal Partnership.

She is skilled in strategic advisory, Board and listed entity management, complex transactions including JVs/M&A, litigation, regulatory and public policy, enterprise risk, compliance and change management.

Over the past 25 years and more, she has worked across South Asia, US, ANZ, and Japan in diverse industries like industrial, manufacturing, auto, healthcare, power and services.

A hands-on leader, who believes in owning responsibility, Chowdhary says her work brings a huge amount of accountability towards her role, and an approach of collaboration. As an enabling function, she knows she needs to carry people with her, and having a sense of empathy and humanity for her teams comes naturally to Chowdhary.

Chowdhary leads a team of 50+ legal professionals and works closely with the Board, the CEO and the Leadership Team to provide legal and compliance support in a dynamic regulatory and risk environment.

Throughout her professional career, she has been driven by the mantras of professionalism, perseverance, and patience to overcome any challenges she faces.