Leaders

Raji Vishwanathan: Steering Organizations Through Complex Legal Landscapes

Raji Vishwanathan
Group General Counsel, Centrum Group

AGGC or GC and team, is a key resource of an organization or group who is expected to appraise and mitigate risks of the businesses within her purview and strive continuously to ensure that the organization or the group is compliant with laws, regulations and internal policies. In the current complex regulatory context, risk is imminent, and companies/groups want to spot every possible real risk.

Raji Vishwanathan, Group General Counsel of Centrum Group, has 37 years of corporate experience spanning a diverse range of industries. She worked in prominent companies such as Britannia Industries, Batliboi Environmental Engineering and Jain Irrigation Systems. She continued her journey with Larsen and Toubro from 2001, with 61/2 years with Engineering and Manufacturing, IT and ITES businesses and thereafter in Banking and Financial Services where she served as Group General Counsel for L&T Financial Services for 10 years until retirement in June 2016. She held the responsibility for the legal function encompassing Wholesale and Retail banking, Capital Markets Wealth-Family Office and Succession planning, Real Estate and Housing Finance, Infrastructure Projects Finance, Mutual Fund, AIFs and Insurance businesses. She was also a member of the board and committees of various financial services business entities in the LTFS group of companies.

Embarking in an engaging interaction with Women Entrepreneurs Review magazine, Raji shares the details of her journey as one of the influencing leaders in the country. Let’s delve into it.

Could you tell us about your journey at Centrum Group?

I joined Centrum Group in March 2017, with the responsibility of the Legal, Secretarial and Compliance functions. In addition to the functional deliverables, I was an integral member of the team responsible for the acquisitions of two Microcredit businesses and a Vendor Finance business. I have also been a part of the set-up and operationalization of asset management business entities and International Services. I have led the initiative to digitize the secretarial, compliance and legal functions, drafted policies, SOPs and employee stock option schemes. I also look after Litigation strategy and management.

What are the key responsibilities you shoulder as the General Counsel at the Centrum Group?

As GGC, my responsibilities include driving legal, secretarial and compliance initiatives towards attainment of business objectives, drafting policies, framing corporate governance processes, recruitment and team building, mentoring and training.

What have been the most critical challenges that you encounter in your current role? How do you overcome the said roadblocks?

We are a part of an industry that is ever-changing. Adherence to law and regulatory compliance is the order of the day for any group or organization to grow and re-invent itself to remain contemporary and relevant.

Sustainable growth & value creation for stakeholders is ensured through continuous learning, leveraging technology, fostering transparency, ethics & good business practices

We leverage technology to streamline compliance and governance. We collaborate and maintain open communication with the business teams and regulatory authorities and implement continuous learning and professional development sessions for the in-house team. This ensures that we are well-equipped to handle emerging challenges and risks and further business.

Tell us about the most important professional milestones you have achieved through your professional journey.

My professional journey is divided into pre-L&T, L&T/ LTFS and Centrum Group. I held the responsibility for deliverables of the business verticals i.e., Engineering and Construction, Electronics and Electrical, Heavy Engineering, IT and ITES and Strategic Projects relating to acquisitions and significant divestments including the demerger of the Cement manufacturing business and the sale of Ready-mix Cement Business.

At LTFS, from the incorporation of the several entities comprised in the group and listing the holding company, compiling the business transaction documents, SOP’s, policies, team building and the rapid inorganic acquisitions of businesses, my involvement has been hands-on – real-time.

At the Centrum Group, recently, I held the responsibility from the outside for the deliverables of the legal (including advisory) and compliance functions, in connection with the end-to-end initiative to obtain a license for a small finance bank ('SFB') beginning with bid submission, satisfaction of license conditions, setting-up of a dedicated company for issue of the final license/Scheme of Amalgamation- Banking Regulation Act, 1949. This strategic project and team were led by J.S. Bindra- Group Chairman. It was my privilege to participate in the real-time translation of the belief and conviction to reality.

How can General Counsels ‘future-proof’ their respective organizations?

The GGC/GC should adopt a strategic and business-focused approach to legal and compliance management. Keep one's finger on the pulse of regulatory evolvement. Identify and evaluate possible legal risks that are present in or develop within business operations and processes. Keep decision-makers informed of the evaluation, probability of occurrence of an event, its potential consequences and risk mitigation actions.

A business leader you admire: Madam Zia Modi, for her Leadership, Foresight and Vison, Client commitment and Ethics.

Advice for aspiring women entrepreneurs and business leaders:

Believe in yourself. The journey may be arduous, but the learning, experience and achievement will be enriching.

Raji Vishwanathan, Group General Counsel, Centrum Group

Raji holds a BSc in Microbiology, Diploma in Business Management and a Master's in Constitutional and International Law. At Birla Precision Technologies, Raji is an Independent Director on the Board, Chairperson of the Audit Committee and member of the NRC and Stakeholder Relationship Committee. She is a Whole-time Director on the Board of Centrum Finverse Limited.