This episode of Soulful Conversations with Bithika Anand features Tejal Patil, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Wipro Limited.
Tejal leads the Legal, Compliance, Data Privacy, Intellectual Property and Government Affairs functions at Wipro Limited and is a member of the Wipro Executive Council.
A qualified Solicitor of Bombay Incorporated Law Society, Law Society of England and Wales and certified six sigma green belt, Tejal worked at General Electric (GE) for over 18 years across Asia Pacific as General Counsel for its Consumer, Industrial, Aircraft Engine Services and Healthcare businesses and as Group General Counsel, GE South Asia, prior to working at Wipro Limited.
She is a member of the CII Sub-Committee on Integrity and Transparency in Governance, Member CII National Committee on Legal Services, FICCI Corporate Laws Committee and a member of the Executive Committee at NASSCOM, as well as a founder member of the General Counsel Association of India.
Speaking of the values that guide her, she says,
“When you move in-house, the one thing you shouldn’t forget is whose interest you represent. I’ve always maintained that I’m the General Counsel for the company. It’s not about an individual or the management, but what I always do is in the best interest of the company. That has kept me focused and steady, and I never had to waver in the kind of advice I give – because I am very clear who the client is – the client is the company.”
Speaking about things she has enjoyed doing as a General Counsel, she mentions she loved looking at the larger problems, not just legal, and solving them. As a General Counsel, one has to look at the risk and applicability as a bigger picture. When you are just advising on the law, you may be looking at a narrow piece. But General Counsel look at the entire business, its impact in the short-term and the long-term!
In her advice to the new generation of lawyers, she says,
“Don’t take shortcuts. The new generation is really bright, the evolution is amazing, but sometimes there’s also this desire to have instant gratification. Don’t take shortcuts. Work hard – there’s no substitute for that. And be authentic.”
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The Soulful Conversations series looks into lawyers' lives beyond the law - their experiences, personal journeys, values and beliefs that have made them true achievers.
The series is presently in its second season. The last episode featured Vineet Vij, Global General Counsel and Chief Legal Officer of Tech Mahindra and its group companies.
The sixth episode featured Rajendra Misra, Executive Vice President & General Counsel of the Indian Hotels Company Limited, South Asia’s largest Hospitality group
The fifth episode featured Mayur Vasani, Head of Legal – India and affiliates, Indonesia, and the Philippines at Kenvue (formerly Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health Division).
The fourth episode of the second season featured Dr. Akhil Prasad, the Country Counsel-India and Company Secretary with Boeing India.
The third episode featured Group GC at HDFC Bank, Sudhir Kumar Jha.
The second episode featured Deepak Acharya, Chief Legal Officer of Aditya Birla Group, while the first episode of the second season featured Dr Sanjeev Gemawat, Managing Director and Group General Counsel at Essar Group.