Equity Partner & National Head – Funds, Investments, Advisory Mumbai, India
Areas of expertise | Funds, Private Equity, Tax Structuring
Qualifications | LL.B (2002),
Chartered Accountant (FCA) (1998), and Company Secretary (2003)
Member | Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa, India
Shagoofa has 20 years of post-qualification experience across structuring funds, managed accounts, fund documentation, private equity, acquisitions / exits / restructuring / joint ventures and strategic initiatives, international taxation and planning, corporate and commercial laws, business advisory, compliance and ethics advisory, audit and finance. She was in-house counsel, for 10 years, with leading Indian corporate houses.
She was Senior Vice President & Head – Legal at Kotak Investment Advisors Limited (KIAL), a subsidiary of Kotak Mahindra Bank and its alternate assets management platform. As in-house counsel, she led due diligence, negotiation and documentation for several investments and exits as well as developing litigation strategy for execution and recovery of investments through enforcement of contracts against promoters and portfolio companies. At Kotak, she was also member of the core team that structured, negotiated and implemented the strategic infrastructure fund management joint venture between Kotak, SMBC Japan and Brookfield Asset Managers, Canada. Further, she was also responsible for compliance and regulatory matters on account of which she oversaw compliance and administration of funds and investment vehicles set up in Mauritius, Singapore and Cyprus and led negotiations with all institutional LPs in the funds.
Prior to joining Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, Shagoofa was Senior Director and Head of Legal & Compliance with IDFC Alternatives Limited, the alternate assets manager of IDFC group. Prior to IDFC, she was Vice President (Group Legal Team) and reported into the Group General Counsel of Tata Sons Limited. Prior to Kotak, she was Head - Real Estate Funds practice and advised several offshore and domestic funds as well as Head - International Tax Policy practice at Nishith Desai Associates, a leading Indian law firm.
Her recent transactions at CAM included advising CPPIB on its platform JV with Phoenix Mills Limited for retail/mixed-used mall assets, advising CPPIB on its platform JV with Indospace group for developing modern logistics facilities, industrial and logistics parks in India, and advising CPPIB on its investment in IndInfravit (an infrastructure investment trust (InvIT) sponsored by L&T Infrastructure Developments Limited), the first private placement of an InvIT. She also advised Valiant Partners in their investment in Reliance Nippon Life Asset Management Co Ltd and acted as Indian counsel to General Electric Pension Trust (represented by State Street Global Advisors) on its investment in Pepperfry.
Shagoofa has been recognized under the “Leading Individuals” listing of Legal 500 (2019) for Investment Funds practice.
Shagoofa has been recognized in 2017, 2018 and 2019 by AsiaLaw Leading Lawyers -The Guide to Asia-Pacific’s Leading Lawyers, (2017, 2018 & 2019), Legal Media Group, Asia Law & Practice, as Leading Lawyer for Investment Funds and for Corporate/M&A.
The Firm’s Funds practice has been ranked as “Outstanding” in the AsialawProfiles 2019 Rankings and Cyril Amarchand
Mangaldas is the only law firm in the outstanding rank for this practice area for India. Further, the Firm was awarded Asian-mena Counsel’s "In-House Community Firm of the Year 2017" from India for “Alternative Investment Funds (including private equity)”.
