Baker McKenzie has appointed Mini Menon vandePol as the new Chair of the Firm’s Global India Practice. She succeeds Singapore-based principal Ashok Lalwani, who served in the role for 12 years, and will continue to serve as a member of the India practice’s Steering Committee. Ashok will be relocating to the Firm’s Dallas office next year, where he will be focused on supporting the Firm’s clients with their US-India opportunities and building out the US-India practice.
Born in India and raised in Australia, Mini joined Baker McKenzie’s Melbourne office in 1998 and relocated to the Hong Kong office in 2014. She is the Asia Pacific Head of Baker McKenzie’s Investigations, Compliance & Ethics Group, and has served on the Firm’s India Practice Group Steering Committee since 2018.
Mini has played a key role in driving the India strategy, advising both multinational and Indian clients on their inbound and outbound expansion activities. As Chair, she will continue to drive this work, while spearheading the Firm’s efforts to prepare for the liberalization of India’s legal market. Mini is widely recognized as a leading investigations lawyer with a career that spans 30 years.
“I am very excited to take on the leadership of our Global India Practice and feel privileged to contribute to India’s dynamic and exciting economic vision. India’s fast-growing economy, expansive and young workforce, aspirational consumer base, and increasing relevance in global supply chains have accelerated India’s economic development and foreign direct investment. Bringing global best practices and experience will be integral in supporting our international and domestic clients to leverage these trends and grow their businesses,” Mini commented.
Peerapan Tungsuwan, Global Executive Committee Member with responsibility for India, said, “Baker McKenzie has a long history of working on India-related matters, and Mini has been at the forefront of helping our global clients achieve their strategic objectives. She is the perfect fit to continue to drive our India practice forward, alongside our Steering Committee members and India-focused lawyers, as we prepare to open an office in India as soon as we are permitted to. Huge congratulations to Mini on this very well-deserved appointment. I would also like to thank Ashok for his terrific leadership of this group over the years and ongoing commitment to the practice.”
