Head Legal Company Secretary

Head – Legal & Company Secretary

Role Overview

We are looking for a senior legal and secretarial professional to lead the Legal, Compliance and Corporate Secretarial function for a large consumer retail organization with a strong offline and online presence.

The role will be responsible for ensuring robust legal governance, statutory compliance, risk mitigation, contract management, litigation management, board governance, corporate secretarial compliance, regulatory advisory and protection of the organization's business interests.

This is a senior leadership role requiring strong business understanding, sound legal judgement, high integrity, and the ability to work closely with promoters, board members, CXOs and external legal advisors.

Key Responsibilities

1. Corporate Secretarial & Board Governance

• Act as the Company Secretary and ensure full compliance with the Companies Act, 2013 and other applicable corporate laws.
• Manage Board, Committee and Shareholder meetings, including notices, agendas, minutes, resolutions and statutory records.
• Ensure timely filing of all statutory forms, returns and records with MCA and other regulatory authorities.
• Maintain statutory registers, corporate records, shareholding records and secretarial documentation.
• Advise the Board and senior management on governance matters, corporate law requirements and regulatory obligations.
• Ensure compliance with Secretarial Standards and applicable corporate governance norms.
• Coordinate with auditors, consultants, regulators and external advisors on corporate and secretarial matters.

2. Legal Advisory & Risk Management

• Provide strategic legal advice to the management team on business decisions, transactions, disputes, policies and operational matters.
• Identify legal risks across business functions and recommend practical mitigation strategies.
• Review business processes from a legal and compliance perspective.
• Support leadership in decision-making by providing legally sound and commercially practical solutions.
• Ensure the organization's interests are protected in all legal and contractual matters.

3. Contract Management

• Draft, review, negotiate and finalize commercial contracts, vendor agreements, service agreements, franchise agreements, lease agreements, supply agreements, distributor agreements, licensing agreements, NDAs, MOUs and other legal documents.
• Build and standardize contract templates, approval matrices and contract management processes.
• Ensure contracts are legally enforceable, commercially balanced and aligned with organizational policies.
• Maintain proper contract repository and renewal tracking mechanism.
• Work closely with Finance, Retail, Business Development, Sourcing, E-commerce, HR, IT and Operations teams for contract closure.

4. Retail, Real Estate & Franchise Legal Support

• Review and negotiate lease deeds, leave and license agreements, mall agreements, franchise agreements and related commercial documentation.
• Support store expansion, renewals, closures, relocations and property-related legal matters.
• Advise on legal issues relating to franchise partners, landlords, malls, vendors and business associates.
• Ensure documentation is properly structured to minimize commercial and legal exposure.

5. Litigation & Dispute Management

• Manage civil, commercial, consumer, labour, employment, property, recovery and other litigation matters.
• Coordinate with external counsels, law firms and consultants for legal strategy and case management.
• Draft and review legal notices, replies, pleadings, settlement documents and correspondence.
• Track litigation status, maintain case records and provide periodic updates to management.
• Work towards reducing litigation exposure and resolving disputes in a commercially sensible manner.

6. Compliance Management

• Lead the organization-wide compliance framework and ensure adherence to applicable laws and regulations.
• Monitor compliance under corporate laws, labour laws, shops and establishment laws, consumer protection laws, data protection laws, intellectual property laws, environmental regulations and other relevant statutes.
• Build systems for compliance tracking, reporting, escalation and documentation.
• Conduct compliance reviews and ensure timely closure of gaps.
• Work with internal teams to ensure statutory licenses, registrations and renewals are completed on time.

7. Employment & HR Legal Matters

• Advise HR and management on employee relations, disciplinary matters, terminations, settlements, employment contracts, workplace investigations and labour law matters.
• Review HR policies, appointment letters, separation documents, warning letters, show cause notices and settlement agreements.
• Support the organization in handling sensitive employee-related matters with legal prudence and fairness.
• Advise on POSH, misconduct, performance exits, redundancies and employment disputes.

8. Intellectual Property & Brand Protection

• Manage trademarks, copyrights, brand protection and intellectual property-related matters.
• Coordinate trademark filings, renewals, objections, oppositions and infringement matters.
• Support action against counterfeit products, brand misuse, unauthorized sellers and IP violations.
• Work with external advisors and enforcement agencies where required.

9. Data Privacy, Digital & E-commerce Legal Support

• Advise on digital business, marketplace operations, website terms, privacy policy, data protection and customer-related legal matters.
• Support compliance with applicable data protection and digital commerce regulations.
• Review technology agreements, SaaS agreements, platform agreements, digital marketing contracts and customer-facing terms.
• Provide legal guidance on online sales, marketplace disputes and consumer complaints.

10. Leadership & Stakeholder Management

• Lead the legal and secretarial function with strong ownership and accountability.
• Work closely with promoters, board members, CEO, CFO, CHRO and other functional heads.
• Manage relationships with law firms, external counsels, consultants, regulators and statutory authorities.
• Build a proactive, business-oriented and solution-driven legal culture.
• Mentor and guide team members within the legal and compliance function.

Desired Candidate Profile

Education

• Qualified Company Secretary from ICSI is mandatory.
• Law degree, preferably LLB, is strongly preferred.
• Additional qualifications in corporate law, governance, compliance or risk management will be an advantage.

Experience

• 15–20 years of relevant experience in legal, compliance and company secretarial functions.
• Prior experience in retail, fashion, consumer goods, FMCG, e-commerce, real estate-heavy businesses or multi-location organizations will be preferred.
• Strong experience in board governance, corporate secretarial compliance, contracts, litigation, retail leases, franchise agreements and employment law.
• Experience working with promoters, boards and CXO-level stakeholders is essential.

Key Skills & Competencies

• Strong knowledge of Companies Act, corporate governance and secretarial compliance.
• Excellent drafting, reviewing and negotiation skills.
• Strong understanding of commercial contracts, retail leases and franchise documentation.
• Ability to balance legal risk with business practicality.
• Strong litigation and dispute management experience.
• High integrity, confidentiality and sound judgement.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial and growth-oriented environment.
• Strong leadership, ownership and problem-solving approach.

Reporting Relationship

The role will report to the senior leadership/promoter group and will work closely with the Board and CXO team.

Location

Corporate Office, Gurgaon