GC Influencers
Most Influential GCs - India
Kirti Ram Hariharan of Baring Private Equity Asia Pte Ltd.
Kirti Ram Hariharan is General Counsel at Baring Private Equity Asia. Hariharan graduated from NLSIU Bangalore in 2000 and specialises in corporate, commercial and private equity work. Before joining Baring Private Equity Asia in 2011, he has had a successful private practice career, which included terms at Paul Hastings in Hong Kong and being a partner at Amarchand Mangaldas.
He has played a central role in the firm’s growth in the region and its increasing investment in Asia, advising on major transactions such as its 2013 USD256 million acquisition of a minority stake in Lafarge India and more recently advising on the USD381 million acquisition of a 35% stake in NIIT Technologies.
His influential role within the company is observed by multiple sources, with one describing him as an “extremely competent lawyer who has an edge on Indian transactions and has become, over the years, more and more involved on the business side things, leading some of their significant commercial negotiations.” Another interviewee offers similar feedback: “His breadth of strategic and technical knowledge is extensive, and he can do much more than legal. He is able to offer the strategic input and is able to bring that knowledge to negotiations.”