Head of Legal India & Company Secretary

About the job

Our Team:

The legal team at Sanofi is focused on collaborating with our businesses to find effective and efficient solutions to fit their commercial needs. As trusted advisors seeking to foster innovation and advancing company strategy, our lawyers are engaged in supporting on matters ranging from risks, transactions, contracting, general advisory, litigation, public policy initiatives to transformational and transversal projects within and outside of Sanofi.  

As the Head of Legal India , you will be expected to play a key role in partnering with the business to enable competitive growth for Sanofi in India to provide prompt and thorough advise on topics ranging from complex, sensitive to routine matters in a timely and thoughtful manner. You will also be expected to lead and collaborate, both within the India legal teams as also with the global Legal teams to maximise on the team’s potential to grow and deliver on the Company’s strategy and goals.

As the Company Secretary, you will be expected to provide and perform effective Corporate Secretary  function for all Sanofi Group companies in India (Sanofi India Limited and Sanofi Healthcare India Private Limited ) and  ensure compliance with the requirements of the Indian Companies Acts and other related rules and regulations that apply to companies.

Main responsibilities:

• Lead initiatives to grow the business and manage organisational risk in line with organisational strategies.
• Challenge and shift mindsets in defining clearly, allocation of roles and responsibilities in line with Global Legal department vision to be able to focus on value-added work in a collaborative manner with relevant teams
• Support strategically and operationally on transformation projects for the territories within scope of responsibility.
• Partner with business heads in development and execution of business plans and legal implications of these for our businesses in India.
• Identify, evaluate and address risks thoughtfully on business initiatives and provide quality, practical, expert legal advice and support to the business and functional teams.
• Design and implement strategic legal initiatives and solutions for India while maintaining a right balance with local laws, regulations and company protection.
• Help build and strengthen risk assessment processes for existing business in countries within scope by directing, developing, finalizing control measures, systems and processes on legal issues and procedures towards bettering risk management.
• Prepare, negotiate and manage key contracts and other documentation governing commercial relationships with third parties.
• Evaluate, advise, interpret and disseminate information on any significant changes in law and support with required compliances.
• Identify key legal issues and principles and how they relate to markets, relationship types, products, services.
• Liase and/or represent the company with the regulatory or statutory authorities as and when required.
• Structure and negotiate complex transactions with speed and efficiency.
• Strategise to prevent, mitigate and address potential litigation.
• Manage existing litigation work, external lawyer engagement and court processes in keeping with organisational policies.
• Align with and participate actively in assigned cross-functional projects and initiatives.
• Render required training to business stakeholders and support in gap assessment initiatives
• Demonstrate initiative, drive, proactiveness and agility with work.
• Escalate issues on timely basis where needed and seek guidance to ensure parity in management of legal topics.
• Gauge, develop and retain talent in the team. Continually review existing resources and their utilization by delineating work within the team. Ensure awareness of company policies and procedures and support the team with enhancing the same and assuring compliance with these. Implement and strengthen optimal ways of working within the team.
• Act with transparency ensuring the highest ethical standards

• Work closely with the Managing Director and other Whole time and Independent Directors of the listed company to ensure smooth functioning of the Board of Directors.
• Advise the Managing Director and CFO, if required, on company law matters related to Sanofi India Limited and Sanofi Healthcare India Private Limited
• Liaise with relevant stakeholders, including Share Transfer Agents, for compilation of appropriate information and timely reporting as per statutory requirements
• Review Risk Assessment for the listed company with the India Country Council and present the same to the Audit Committee and Board of Directors of Sanofi India Limited ( listed company)
• Review and revise, if required, the Company’s policies and processes.

Process

• Report to the Board of Directors about compliance with the provisions of the Companies Act, the rules made thereunder and other laws applicable to the company
• Ensure that the company complies with the applicable secretarial standards
• Ensure records of the companies are maintained in compliance with all statutory and legal requirements through timely review and updating of such records.
• Administer, attend and prepare minutes of Board proceedings and ensure the timely preparation and dispatch of all Board papers to the Directors to facilitate the smooth conduct of its affairs
• Contribute to the planning and preparation for the Board Meetings, Various Committee meetings, Annual General meeting and other shareholder meetings from the perspective of specific points to be made to convey to the financial/ investment community information needed
• Apprise Board of Directors about shareholder grievances and redressal of same.
• Ensure that all filings required to be made with Stock Exchanges and Registrar of Companies are done in time
• Chief Investor Relations Officer of Sanofi India Limited ( listed company) (under the Code of Practices and Procedures for Fair Disclosure of Unpublished Price Sensitive Information)
• Secretary of the Audit Committee, Stakeholders Relationship Committee, Nomination and Remuneration Committee and Corporate Social Responsibility Committee of the Board of Directors of the listed company
• Coordinate with the Group/ lawyers on corporate legal aspects of Projects such as re-structuring

Customer

• Oversee the effective resolution of investor problems and questions other than those relating to the company operations and finances, see that the latter type of inquiry is promptly referred to the relevant functional departments for disposal.
• Provide guidance to the Chairman and the Board on their responsibilities under the rules and regulations to which they are subject and how those responsibilities should be discharged to ensure Board procedures are followed and regularly reviewed.
• Interact with the Audit Committee, Nomination and Remuneration Committee and Corporate Social Responsibility Committee and apprise them of the requirements to be complied with under the Listing Agreement and Companies Act
• Interact with SEBI/ Stock Exchanges on all investor grievances and Corporate Governance requirements

About you

Experience:

• 15+ years of in-house legal experience and/or law firm experience.
• At least 12++ years of work experience with substantial exposure to working in a listed company
• Previous life sciences / pharmaceutical industry experience preferred
• Substantial previous commercial legal experience, including commercial drafting
• Experience in litigation management or advisory

Soft skills:

• Able to work effectively within a team and independently where required
• Driven, motivated, engaged and capable of managing own workload, with flexible approach to changing priorities
• Calm and effective under pressure
• Good influencing skills and have experience in effective relationship building, networking & management

Technical skills:

• Fluent in English with strong communication skills, written and verbal
• Analytical skills with good ability to undertake research on legal and non-legal aspects relevant for resolution of matters
• Exceptional legal drafting skills
• Demonstrate sound legal judgment and business acumen
• Good knowledge of Indian pharma laws
• Company Law
• SEBI Regulations
• Conduct of Board meetings / AGM
• Corporate Governance regulations

Education/Qualifications:

• Law degree from a recognised university in India
• Member of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India with a Law Degree

Team spirit

Pursue progress, discover extraordinary

Better is out there. Better medications, better outcomes, better science. But progress doesn’t happen without people – people from different backgrounds, in different locations, doing different roles, all united by one thing: a desire to make miracles happen. So, let’s be those people.

At Sanofi, we provide equal opportunities to all regardless of race, colour, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, or gender identity.

Watch our ALL IN video and check out our Diversity Equity and Inclusion actions at sanofi.com!