The local unit of British banking major Barclays has appointed Sonali Sharma as managing director, head of legal (including the Global Capabilities Centre) and lead for regulatory and government relations. According to reports from The Economic Times, Sharma will oversee legal operations across Barclays India's operations while managing regulatory and government relations functions. The appointment comes as several companies in the banking, finance and capital markets sector ramp up their legal and compliance teams to stay agile in an ever-evolving regulatory environment.
Sharma brings extensive experience from the financial services sector, having previously served as head of legal and general counsel at Bank of America. As reported by The Economic Times, her career began as a trainee at Mulla & Mulla before moving to Juris Corp in 2001, where she rose from associate to partner position. She later joined Standard Chartered Bank's local unit as Senior Legal Counsel in 2015 and served as head of legal and general counsel at Avendus from 2022. Prior to joining Barclays India, she held the position of head of legal (India) and general counsel at Bank of America.
According to The Economic Times, Sharma is an alumna of the Government Law College and a member of the Bombay Incorporated Law Society. Jayesh H, co-founder of law firm Juris Corp, noted that Sharma has amassed experience across various segments of capital markets and financial services, with significant cross-border transactional work and extensive experience in risk management and advisory aspects. A managing partner of a Mumbai-based law firm described her as a team player with a blend of legal acumen and commercial wisdom, which makes her a very result-oriented lawyer.
The appointment reflects broader industry trends, as reported by The Economic Times, with several companies in the banking, finance and capital markets sector bolstering their legal and compliance teams to stay agile in an ever-evolving regulatory environment. Recent developments include Apeksha Sawant joining Allianz Jio Reinsurance Ltd as Chief Legal & Compliance Officer and Mukesh Kumar Choudhary's appointment as National Head - Legal at Unity Small Finance Bank in April.
