Hyderabad, Telangana, India
Senior Legal Counsel with 11+ years of experience supporting global organisations across technology, telecom, consulting and financial services sectors, including PwC, Cisco and Wells Fargo. Experienced in commercial contracting, technology transactions, SaaS and cloud agreements, IT procurement, outsourcing arrangements, managed services agreements, software licensing, vendor contracting and regulatory compliance across the US, UK, APAC and MEA jurisdictions. Skilled in contract lifecycle management (CLM), legal operations, contract negotiation, risk assessment, contract governance, third-party risk management and cross-functional stakeholder collaboration within highly regulated and fast-paced business environments. Exposure to legal-tech and workflow-driven contracting processes, including CLM platforms such as Icertis and Sirion, DocuSign, AI-assisted legal research and contract review tools, including Lexis+ AI, contract automation, workflow optimisation, contract data extraction and obligation tracking. Strong track record of partnering with procurement, business, compliance and delivery teams to support commercially viable, risk-aligned and operationally efficient contracting processes. Areas of interest include legal operations, contract automation, AI-assisted contracting workflows, process optimisation and technology-enabled legal transformation.
Provided legal and commercial advisory support on a consulting retainership basis to a telecom and managed services technology business, supporting operations across APAC and MEA regions, including cross-border engagements with mobile operators and enterprise clients. Key Responsibilities and Contributions: • Managed end-to-end contract lifecycle for 250+ global technology, telecom and procurement agreements annually across APAC, UK, US and MEA jurisdictions. • Drafted, reviewed and negotiated complex commercial and technology agreements, including MSAs, SaaS agreements, cloud services agreements, software licensing, outsourcing, consulting and procurement contracts. • Partnered with business, procurement, compliance and delivery stakeholders to support commercially viable, risk-aligned and operationally efficient contract execution. • Advised on software licensing (proprietary, free and open-source software) and intellectual property matters, including compliance, risk mitigation and IP protection strategies. • Supported compliance with data privacy and cross-border regulatory frameworks, including GDPR and related contractual obligations. • Conducted contract risk assessments, gap analysis and remediation reviews, providing actionable legal and commercial recommendations. • Collaborated with cross-functional teams to strengthen contract governance, workflow efficiency and execution processes. • Supported post-acquisition contractual restructuring following acquisition by Cisco, aligning customer and vendor agreements with revised commercial and operational frameworks. • Contributed to legal operations and CLM process optimisation initiatives, including workflow standardisation, template management, contract automation and AI-assisted contract review processes. • Exposure to workflow-driven contracting practices, including contract data extraction, obligation tracking and process optimisation initiatives supporting scalable contracting operations.
Worked as a Legal Manager in the Contract & Compliance business, acting as an extension of the in-house commercial contracts legal team of one of the world's largest banks based in UK, enabling technology, outsourcing, and consulting engagements in a regulated environment. Key Responsibilities: •Managed and negotiated 200+ high-value technology procurement, SaaS and outsourcing agreements annually. •Negotiated complex technology procurement, SaaS, outsourcing and professional services agreements supporting a major UK-based global banking client. •Supported legal advisory within a highly regulated financial services environment, working closely with compliance and risk teams •Partnered with business, risk and delivery teams to enable compliant deal execution and contract governance •Collaborated with cybersecurity, privacy, compliance and procurement SMEs to align contractual frameworks with regulatory and operational requirements. •Conducted contract risk assessments, deviation analysis and remediation reviews for high-value commercial engagements in regulated financial services environments. •Supported third-party risk assessments and vendor contracting initiatives in regulated financial services environments. •Delivered contract risk assessments and deviation reports to senior stakeholders, supporting informed decision-making. •Led quality assurance and process optimisation initiatives that improved contracting consistency and reduced review turnaround timelines. •Mentored and trained team members, ensuring consistent contract quality and knowledge development. •Utilised AI-enabled legal research and drafting tools, including Lexis+ AI to support legal analysis, contract review and compliance research.
Provided legal and commercial advisory support to a telecom and managed services technology business across APAC and MEA regions, supporting cross-border engagements with enterprise clients and mobile operators. Key Responsibilities: • Managed commercial contracting activities across technology, telecom and procurement agreements spanning APAC, UK, US and MEA jurisdictions. • Drafted, reviewed and negotiated commercial and technology agreements, including SaaS, cloud services, software licensing, outsourcing and consulting contracts. • Supported business and delivery teams on contractual risk, compliance and cross-border regulatory considerations. • Advised on software licensing and intellectual property matters, including open-source software compliance and risk mitigation. • Contributed to contract governance, legal operations and CLM process optimisation initiatives, including workflow standardisation and AI-assisted contract review processes. • Supported post-acquisition contractual restructuring following Cisco’s acquisition of IMImobile, aligning customer and vendor agreements with revised commercial frameworks.
Cisco Systems acquired the cloud division of IMImobile, a UK-based cloud communications software provider in December 2020. It was subsequently restructured and renamed as IMImobile Cloud Communications (India) Pvt. Ltd., before being integrated with Cisco Systems. The telecom division of IMImobile was separately restructured and renamed as Digitral Pvt. Ltd. I was part of the legal team supporting the cloud communications and telecom technology business, including post-acquisition integration into Cisco. Key Responsibilities: •Managed end-to-end contract lifecycle for cloud communications, telecom and digital platform services across multiple regions •Negotiated cloud communications, telecom, SaaS and platform services agreements across multiple international jurisdictions. •Supported business teams on contractual, commercial, and cross-border regulatory considerations, advising on alignment with applicable legal and compliance requirements •Developed contract templates, playbooks and governance frameworks improving consistency and contracting efficiency. •Advised on contractual risk, compliance requirements, and commercial structuring across jurisdictions •Collaborated with global legal, compliance, and cross-functional teams on legal and operational matters •Supported post-acquisition legal integration following Cisco’s acquisition of IMImobile, including harmonisation of legacy customer and vendor agreements with global contractual frameworks.
Served as an individual contributor, Subject Matter Expert (SME), and team lead supporting complex commercial and strategic sourcing contracts. Key Responsibilities: •Supported strategic sourcing and vendor contracting initiatives in a highly regulated banking and financial services environment. •Negotiated procurement, licensing, outsourcing and technology agreements while ensuring alignment with risk, compliance and regulatory frameworks. •Performed contract gap analysis and risk assessments against updated templates and regulatory requirements; supported risk mitigation initiatives •Supported geo-compliance and offshore contracting reviews by assessing contractual geographic and usage rights •Served as SME for complex contractual escalations, risk mitigation and geo compliance assessments. •Led work allocation, supervision, training and quality audits for the team, ensuring consistent contract delivery standards •Managed stakeholder interactions and supported special projects and process improvements in contract management •Led the transition of contract management operations from the U.S. to India, including hiring and onboarding of team members