Pooja Bedi

As the General Counsel for our regional operations at Mondelēz International, I am at the forefront of shaping and executing legal strategies for our USD 1.7 billion FMCG business. I serve as Chief Counsel on the Country Leadership Team, working directly with the CEO and senior executives to provide expert guidance on critical governance matters, strategic decision-making, and organisational effectiveness. My responsibilities extend to proactively managing high-stakes litigation, navigating complex enforcement actions, and championing robust compliance initiatives, all with the paramount goal of mitigating financial and reputational risks to our business.

Built Best-in-Class Legal, Compliance, Governance, Risk, Company Secretarial & CSR function

Played key role in shaping growth footprint for top markets within the executive leadership team

- Chief Legal advisor to the Board of Directors, CEO & leadership

- Consumer & Regulatory Opportunities Assessment

- Crafted and executed adaptable legal plans to counteract regulatory headwinds

Associate Counsel at Argentum Law, an International Law Firm based in Dubai (UAE) & USA, aspiring to be a global legal industry disruptor offering general counsel and transactional services

Their motto: We are your “OUTSIDE IN-HOUSE COUNSEL”

Offered Industry Expertise in :

-Franchising, Agency & Licensing

-Hospitality, Food & Beverage

-Privacy & Risk Management

-Start-ups

Member of APAC international expansion team, responsible for all legal and compliance affairs for India/Southeast Asia and parts of EMEA business

- Strategic lead on market entry of electronic cigarettes through legislation and/or jurisprudence

- Functional lead for setting up for commercial business operations, route to market, employment law related processes

Advising Founders of an open-source SaaS product and other technology services companies

- Advising on employment law matters, equity, tax structuring, regulatory issues business structures and route to market compliance with law

- Advising on ethics and corporate compliance function

- Intellectual property portfolio, including trademark/copyright/ patents protection

- Drafting & negotiating partnership agreements, government tenders, MSAs, licenses & approvals management

Leader, business manager who led the successful transition from minority Joint Venture to independent AB InBev business positioned to deliver growth “the right way”

- Recruited, developed and set up for success a 20+ talented group of legal, compliance and corporate affairs professionals in India and SE Asia

- Post-merger integration synergy champion for LCA function (> 5M$)

- An advocate for winning with integrity, drafted, implemented and lived- by-everyday

- Ethics & compliance framework and protocols customized for BU operations

- Legal lead for setting-up AB InBev Global Capability Centre (Captive ++ > 3000 seats)

One of the founding members of the legal team since 2002

- Seagram take over by Pernod Ricard India & FDI/RBI Compliance

- Consolidation of entities through 6 merger, slump sale and asset sale

- Alco bev legal framework development (ATL/BTL/ Surrogate)

- Managed Excise & Licensing challenges (7 Sub leased Units)

- Direct/Indirect Tax matters and litigation

- Oversaw 5 Mio $ acquisition of brewery in Rajasthan

- Managed over 25 Third parties Units

- Led the Corporate Social Responsibility (International Award)

- Recognized for outstanding performance with a gold medal (2013)

Spearheaded IPO-related processes and ensured adherence to listing compliance standards.

-Directed board governance strategies to enhance shareholder engagement and ensure SEBI compliance.

-Developed a robust understanding of corporate governance principles and securities law frameworks.