Madan Mohan K.R. Amalgamating The Rudimentary Elements Of Business Dynamics & Legal Expertise
Madan Mohan K.R.
Director - Legal and Compliance
Madan engages in an exclusive interaction with CEO Insights.
Having more than 30 years of experience, what drives you today as an industry leader?
As usual, the Chief Legal Officers are sandwiched between the legal, compliance, and regulatory requirements on the one side and the business needs and compulsions on the other side. You are expected to find a legal solution and not be a show stopper to the business needs. So, to be at the right place and at the right time, to give the right advice, you will require a typical skill set or knowledge that can address the business challenges aligned with legal and
regulatory requirements.
Since what the law says is different from what you will actually be experiencing in real life situations, sometimes you will find yourself in sticky situations where your management wants to have a quick solution to a particular business problem without breaking or bending the legal requirements. In contrast, the legal system may not allow you to have such a quick fix. You are always faced with different challenges and are expected to innovate and come out with out-of-the-box thinking solutions to solve such problems. Whenever you are undersome new situations, whether it is about recoveries of large dues, bidding for new projects in the global market,during contract negotiations with international customers & lawyers, trying to get out of potential litigation, or even while taking the shelter under force majeure, there are so many such issues that constantly keep me challenged. So, that’s the real challenge that keeps me driving and motivated.
How would you define the organization you work for and its position in the market? What is the unique proposition that your organization offers to its customers?
Air Liquide is a French multinational company with more than 20 billion Euro turnover as of 2020 and is a leader in Gas Production. The company has different business verticals like Large Industries, Industrial Merchant, Electronics, Healthcare, Global Markets, Technologies, Engineering, and Construction. I belong to the Engineering and Construction business vertical. The company has unique advantages which allow them to have a long-term vision of its performance. The group is deeply committed to climate and energy transition and fully believes in playing a major role in decarbonization solutions and particularly hydrogen that will develop a low-carbon society. The Healthcare division, which has reached a new level during the health crisis, also represents one of the focuses of the company’s future growth.
Did you face any challenges initially while establishing yourself as a successful leader in the legal domain?
Yes, certainly. There were never
Since what the law says is different from what you will actually be experiencing in real life situations, sometimes you will find yourself in sticky situations where your management wants to have a quick solution to a particular business problem without breaking or bending the legal requirements. In contrast, the legal system may not allow you to have such a quick fix. You are always faced with different challenges and are expected to innovate and come out with out-of-the-box thinking solutions to solve such problems. Whenever you are undersome new situations, whether it is about recoveries of large dues, bidding for new projects in the global market,during contract negotiations with international customers & lawyers, trying to get out of potential litigation, or even while taking the shelter under force majeure, there are so many such issues that constantly keep me challenged. So, that’s the real challenge that keeps me driving and motivated.
It’s very important that if you want to be a successful Corporate Lawyer, you should live up to the expectations of the business needs and the people you are interacting with
How would you define the organization you work for and its position in the market? What is the unique proposition that your organization offers to its customers?
Air Liquide is a French multinational company with more than 20 billion Euro turnover as of 2020 and is a leader in Gas Production. The company has different business verticals like Large Industries, Industrial Merchant, Electronics, Healthcare, Global Markets, Technologies, Engineering, and Construction. I belong to the Engineering and Construction business vertical. The company has unique advantages which allow them to have a long-term vision of its performance. The group is deeply committed to climate and energy transition and fully believes in playing a major role in decarbonization solutions and particularly hydrogen that will develop a low-carbon society. The Healthcare division, which has reached a new level during the health crisis, also represents one of the focuses of the company’s future growth.
Did you face any challenges initially while establishing yourself as a successful leader in the legal domain?
Yes, certainly. There were never
ending challenges that I had to face, but to be frank, as time passed, it made me stronger. I planned my voyage in such a way that I faced the challenges beforehand and was able to hone my skillsets accordingly. Instead of practicing as a lawyer in the courthouse, I ventured into the corporate domain to understand the business expectations. As I proceeded in my career, I got better acquainted with business orientation and corporate dynamics. I was able to carve a balancing proposition vis-à-vis my role, and business needs bought me promising career growth. It was never easy to play the role of a legal professional in the business arena. The aim was to become a business enabler rather than a hinderer. It’s very important that if you want to be a successful Corporate Lawyer, you should live up to the expectations of the business needs and the people you are interacting with. You may have to take a tough stand at times to get things right.
How do you keep yourself up to date with ongoing trends of the legal sector to steer the organization towards the future?
As a Lawyer, if you are not updated on the latest trends, you are outdated. It is therefore imperative for a Lawyer to remain updated. I have subscribed to various online portals where I get to know the latest developments in the legal field, be it Supreme Court and High Court Judgements or regulatory notifications or something else. Moreover, I am also a member of various legal professional bodies/groups were we discuss the latest legal developments and requirements that affect the industry in general. Certainly, I will be more focused on the industry I work for. I generally use my weekends to read articles, judgments, and regulatory notifications, and it has become a routine affair, like having a cup of tea in the morning. Also I like to watch TV business channels and read business magazines and newspapers to get a business update across the Industries.
What would be your advice to young lawyers and aspirant leaders?
My advice to young lawyers is that while developing yourself as a professional lawyer, don’t forget to be practical, tactical, diplomatic, and business oriented. Be a business enabler.
Madan Mohan K.R., Director - Legal and Compliance, Air Liquide Global E&C Solutions India
With more than 30 years of experience in different fields such as Legal, Regulatory, Company Secretarial, Insurance, Compliance and Commercial (contracting and support during execution), and so on, Madan is playing a prominent role as the Director - Legal and Compliance and Member of the Executive Board for Air Liquide Global E&C Solutions India.
How do you keep yourself up to date with ongoing trends of the legal sector to steer the organization towards the future?
As a Lawyer, if you are not updated on the latest trends, you are outdated. It is therefore imperative for a Lawyer to remain updated. I have subscribed to various online portals where I get to know the latest developments in the legal field, be it Supreme Court and High Court Judgements or regulatory notifications or something else. Moreover, I am also a member of various legal professional bodies/groups were we discuss the latest legal developments and requirements that affect the industry in general. Certainly, I will be more focused on the industry I work for. I generally use my weekends to read articles, judgments, and regulatory notifications, and it has become a routine affair, like having a cup of tea in the morning. Also I like to watch TV business channels and read business magazines and newspapers to get a business update across the Industries.
What would be your advice to young lawyers and aspirant leaders?
My advice to young lawyers is that while developing yourself as a professional lawyer, don’t forget to be practical, tactical, diplomatic, and business oriented. Be a business enabler.
Madan Mohan K.R., Director - Legal and Compliance, Air Liquide Global E&C Solutions India
With more than 30 years of experience in different fields such as Legal, Regulatory, Company Secretarial, Insurance, Compliance and Commercial (contracting and support during execution), and so on, Madan is playing a prominent role as the Director - Legal and Compliance and Member of the Executive Board for Air Liquide Global E&C Solutions India.