Leaders
Excellence is never an accident; it is a result of sincere effort, endurance, intention , and skilful execution. For IPR expert Kushbu Vijayvargi, excellence is a way of life. An accomplished Company Secretary (CS), she is a national rank holder in CS course, a certified diamond grader, lawyer, POSH expert and much more. Every endeavour in Kushbu’s life has been driven by her determination and desire to excel.
Kushbu’s career began at the young age of 21 when she worked at a firm after clearing CS exams. However, she was always driven to establish something of her own which resulted in her co-founding M&K Associates in 2017 along with a senior colleague. The firm serves as a one-stop legal shop for businesses across diverse industries including IT, healthcare, manufacturing, hospitality, automobile, telecom, banking and startups.
Kushbu brings to the table her multifaceted expertise in corporate law compliances, IPR, management litigation, mergers and acquisitions, legal drafting, court appearances, HR advisory and POSH compliance.
What led you to specialise in IPR?
Hailing from a family of jewellers and being a diamond enthusiast, my passion for IPR stemmed from my eye for detail and an appreciation for originality.
Working with brands right from inception, scaling up and commercialization fascinated me. While working as a trainee at a firm, I noticed that the entire IPR segment was outsourced. At one point, I questioned why we couldn’t manage IPR ourselves. I took up the initiative, convinced my seniors, and accepted the challenge of managing the firm’s IPR needs despite having no prior experience in the field and made it a success.
Since then, my journey in IPR has been incredible. It’s more than just a business - it's something that deeply resonates with me as it embodies originality, creativity, and uniqueness. I believe passion is essential in any venture, and my love for vibrancy of diamonds and detailing of jewellery now reflects in the uniqueness of the brands and patents we work on.
Women deserve an environment where they can explore opportunities, harness their potential, and achieve the goals they have aspired for
Take us through M&K Associates foundation journey. What key roles do you shoulder at the firm?
M&K Associates was co-founded in 2017. Starting from scratch was daunting, but I had a supportive business partner.
The firm’s philosophy is simple-businesses should focus on their growth while we handle their legal and compliance needs. We provide a one-stop solution, ensuring clients don’t have to juggle between multiple professionals.
My primary role at the firm is to bring in and manage clients. Since our office handles diverse assignments, I strategize the approach for each project, oversee execution, ensuring on-time delivery and error-free work.
Another key responsibility is training young professionals. Beyond technical skills, I ensure they gain practical insights into the competitive landscape and develop the resilience needed to navigate challenges.
Being a POSH expert, can you highlight the work that you do in the ambit of POSH?
POSH is beyond a legal compliance for me. I understand the challenges women face when stepping into the workforce and hence, I believe they deserve an environment where they can explore opportunities, harness their potential, and achieve the goals they have aspired for.
With the platform and voice, I’ve today, I ensure top management listens. I work with leading financial institutions, IT companies, and government corporations across India and conduct awareness sessions for management, employees and capacity building sessions for IC members to sensitise them to implement small yet impactful policies including gender neutral policies that foster safer and more inclusive workplaces.
What are some challenges you encounter and how do you overcome these roadblocks successfully?
The major challenge I have encountered is preconceived notion about young professionals, their experience and gender bias.
Overcoming these required taking action, putting myself out there, being assertive, and augmenting my knowledge. Instead of questioning why others hold biases, I focused on sharpening my skills, which made the real difference and led me to my success mantra which is Do it until it is done.
Another challenge was handling stress, pressure and saturation during the growth phases. That’s when having the right team, aptitude, and motivation became crucial. I’ve been fortunate to have supportive parents, mentors and colleagues who played a key role in helping me navigate through these moments.
Which pivotal moments in your professional journey have significantly shaped the trajectory of your career?
I believe that moments of self-realization are crucial in shaping an individual's career. My life’s first turning point was when, as a student, I realised the power of perseverance. As a CS, I had to pass three stages: Foundation, Executive, and Professional. I secured 24th AIR in the Foundation stage and 7th AIR in the Professional stage. I expected that I would ace the Executive stage as well, however, a month before the exam I met with an accident which derailed my exam prep. Falling short of time, I was demotivated and that’s when my mother stepped in and reminded me that the limitations are in my thoughts and that I still had both 15 days and nights to prepare. Determined, I pushed through and, while I didn’t secure a rank, I cleared the exam in the first attempt.
Another defining moment was when a client approached me to solve a brand trademarking conundrum, which was considered impossible by many experts in the field. The client had invested heavily in launching a brand without checking the trademark availability. I took up the challenge and successfully registered the trademark.
More recently, I took on a high-stakes management litigation case against a senior lawyer with three decades of experience. It was an arduous challenge, but I gave it my all. Winning key aspects of the case and earning the respect of senior professionals reaffirmed that while age and experience matter, determination and effort can bridge the gap.
While there’s still a long way to go, these experiences define who I am today and the rewards of dedication and perseverance have been truly fulfilling.
Kushbu Vijayvargi, Managing Partner
Kushbu Vijayvargi is a seasoned industry leader with expertise in corporate law compliances, intellectual property rights (IPR), management litigation, POSH compliance, amongst others. Driven by her determination and desire to excel, she is an accomplished Company Secretary, lawyer and a certified diamond grader.
