Ashutosh Senger (PFM 2012-14) is an environmental policy researcher turned lawyer. He is currently serving as the Legal Counsel of HAS Group and is based in Gurgaon, Haryana. HAS Group comprises three entities namely Athena Education, Hora.AI, and Sitare Foundation. A brief about these entities are as follows:
- Hora.AI is a multi-million dollar tech fintech startup;
- Athena Education is an education management company that helps students do better and be better through holistic education; and
- Sitare Foundation is a registered NGO that is working towards providing the most talented underprivileged children in society access to high-quality education.
In his current role, Ashutosh leads the legal vertical of the HAS Group. As part of his current role, in addition to litigation, he also works on legal strategy, legal compliance, stakeholder management, government affairs, and risk management.
As a lawyer, Ashutosh specializes in dispute resolution and has a keen interest in legal and policy aspects associated with the environment, child rights, ESG, fintech, and cryptocurrency. He has been active in representing corporate clients in a variety of sectors, as well as governmental units and other public sector entities before courts and tribunals. Previously, Ashutosh worked in the Environmental Law Practice at Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co, a leading law firm in India. He was empaneled by the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) as their empaneled Advocate and has also served as an independent legal consultant with the WWF India.
Prior to the law, Ashutosh worked with The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI). At TERI, he was involved in multi-disciplinary assignments involving policy research and advocacy on green growth, climate policy, and sustainable development goals (SDGs).
Social Media:
LinkedIn ID: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashutoshsenger/
Twitter: @ashsenger25
Instagram: @senger.ashutosh | @lawyer_foodie
FB: https://www.facebook.com/ashutosh.senger
Q.How has been your journey from IIFM to this role?
A. From undertaking intensive fieldwork in villages of Punjab to representing corporate clients before the Supreme Court of India, my journey from IIFM to this role has been exploratory yet super exciting. I have transitioned from being a policy researcher to a lawyer.
During IIFM, one of the fields that intrigued me was policy research. In fact, if I am honest, as a student, I envisioned the thought of working for an environmental think tank as an exciting prospect. While at IIFM, I was fortunate to secure an off-campus placement with TERI, and therefore, post-IIFM, I immediately joined them. At TERI, my work focused on multi-disciplinary initiatives involving policy research, advocacy, and capacity building on green growth, climate policy, and sustainable development supported by agencies such as Asian Development Bank (ADB), Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), Department for International Development (DFID), among others.
Working at TERI was an enriching experience. In fact, working at TERI helped me appreciate the intersection between law & policy; the importance of rule of law in sustainable development; and further made me realize that I have a genuine interest in a rights-based approach. With the aforesaid realization, I took a leap of faith and joined the Faculty of Law, University of Delhi to pursue a degree in law. As a law student, I had the privilege to intern with some of the best legal minds of this country such as Gopal Subramanium, Senior Advocate and Former Solicitor General of India, and Sidharth Luthra, Senior Advocate and Former Additional Solicitor General of India. Assisting these legal eagles introduced me to the various facets and opportunities that this field entails and made me fall in love with the legal profession.
I graduated in law in 2018 and since then I have been practicing law before the courts and tribunals in India. Readers who may be familiar with the legal sector or have friends/family members as lawyers would appreciate it when I say that I am a “first-generation lawyer”. The past 3.5 years have certainly been tough, but, immensely enriching. It has seen me (a) run my own legal practice as an independent lawyer; (b) work for one of the leading law firms, and (c) hold a leadership position in my current role at HAS Group. I must take a pause here and convey my sincere gratitude to several IIFM alumni who have directly and indirectly supported me in this journey.
The law impacts all sectors, therefore, as a lawyer, I have had the opportunity to work with people from diverse sectors and learn about something new every day. Though most of my work has been litigation-focused, my interest in brands made me do a fair bit of intellectual property rights work as well, particularly on trademarks and patents. As much as I enjoy working on civil commercial and criminal law, my interest in sustainability and learnings at IIFM has genuinely helped me specialize in environmental law. I have worked on several environmental law disputes and have appeared in environmental law disputes before the Supreme Court of India, High Court of Delhi, National Green Tribunal (NGT) Principal Bench, and NGT Western Zone Bench.
In 2018, I was empaneled by the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) to represent DCPCR and its officials before courts and tribunals. As a lawyer, I have assisted DCPCR in drafting a bill on early childhood development. I have also had the honor to assist the officials of the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) in drafting the proposal for considering zoos on forest land as ‘forestry activity’.
Prior to my current role, I was working with the Environmental Law Practice at Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co, a leading law firm in India where my work focused on assisting clients on environmental law advisory and disputes.
Q. What were some of the key milestones/learning in this journey that you would like to share with us?
A. Key milestones
- Starting my first job at TERI was a Big Step!
- Publication of my first newspaper article in October 2016.
- Becoming an Advocate, a leap of faith: After having worked for close to three years at TERI and having a resume that was heavy on environmental policy work; I decided to study law: I threw myself, heart and soul, into a dream to become an Advocate.
- Arguing my first legal case as an Advocate.
- Successfully becoming a Patent Agent: I am an authorized Patent Agent by the Government of India. As a Patent agent, I am a professionally licensed practitioner to practice before the patent office of India.
Key Learnings
- Master the art of multitasking;
- Learn to say “No”;
- Switch off your work phone once a while, if possible;
- Become an active listener; and
- Don’t network for the sake of it, but, build valuable connections with other people
Q. What is the most satisfying part of your current role?
A. My current role as the Legal Counsel of the HAS Group allows me to work at the intersection of law, business, and government affairs. Hence, it is a very eclectic role.
One of the most satisfying parts of my current role is that I am “more than just a lawyer”. In my current role, in addition to the deep knowledge of the law and regulations, I also have to draw upon the broader business knowledge and a wider skill set on ethics, policy, and risk. Interestingly, in this role, my financial acumen is improving, and one may even say that I am a fully functioning member of the senior leadership team who “just happens to be a lawyer”.
Another aspect that I find satisfying about my role is that I get to offer advice not just on law and related matters, but, also help shape discussion and debate around business issues.
We do some very interesting and innovative work at HAS Group. One of the assignments which I am grateful to be part of at HAS Group is “Florence Capital”. Florence Capital is the flagship product of Hora.AI and it is India’s first FinTech lending product designed exclusively for women. Assisting the team in expanding Florence Capital is immensely satisfying as through it we are in a way contributing to a future in which all Indian women are financially independent and redefining financial freedom for women.
Q. Has your learning at IIFM helped in shaping how you approach your professional roles?
A. IIFM taught me the art of multitasking. The learnings at IIFM have significantly helped me appreciate the underlying socio-economic aspects of legal or policy issues. Further, the learnings at IIFM have also genuinely helped me in appreciating the complexities involved in any environmental law matter.
I am most grateful to several IIFM alumni for their support, especially during my career transition from a policy researcher to a practicing Advocate.
Q. Who (or what) are the biggest influences or drivers in your careers. What would be your advice to freshers and IIFM graduates who are looking to choose similar sectors/roles?
A. Several people (including friends and family members); and the opportunity to do meaningful and satisfying work are the major drivers of motivation for me in my career.
For freshers/graduates interested in pursuing a career in the field of environmental policy, my advice to them would be to learn the art of communicating complex information clearly. In my humble opinion, if one is interested in entering the field of environmental policy, it is not important that one is an extraordinary expert, but, certainly one must have a research aptitude and a tenacity to work in the fast-evolving space of environment.
Should anyone be aiming to pursue a legal education or a legal career, please feel free to reach out to me and I will be happy to help you navigate the realm of the legal field.
Q. What are your favorite memories during your IIFM days?
- Rappelling during fieldwork;
- Visiting grassland;
- Hostel life and mess food needs a special mention; and
- Playing tennis
Q.In hindsight, what was the biggest contribution (courses, faculty, library, friends, and alumni. Anything else!!) or takeaway from IIFM that you think played a critical role in shaping you as an individual or professional?
A. IIFM presented a lot of new experiences to me: living away from home, meeting new people, and managing my time. Some of you may agree with me that two years of residential campus life teaches one some of the most significant skills such as direct communication, conflict managements, the need to compromise, etc. I believe, all the aforesaid skills made me a better professional.
Very few people know, but, one of my primary areas of specialization as a lawyer is direct tax litigation. I believe, the comfort with which I am able to handle direct tax matters is because I studied courses on financial management and accountancy at IIFM. In fact, the core management courses have also helped me interact with corporate clients and understand the business needs while assisting them with legal/policy assignments.
Q. The best friends / seniors /faculty at IIFM? Some memorable tidbits that you like to share.
A. I have found some nice friends from IIFM and I am glad we have been able to stay in touch even till today. Koushtubh Joshi (my roommate), Tushar Chauhan, Abhishek Roy, Henna Jesingh, Saranya Manas and Pragati Mandloi always had my back.
Among seniors I have genuinely enjoyed interacting with Soumitri Das, Mili Ghosh, Akanksha Tiwari, Swapan Mehra, Arun Sreekumar, Mohammad Aatish Khan, and Narendra Mohan.
Among faculty members, I enjoyed interacting with Prof. Bhaskar Sinha Sir, Prof. Ujjal Sarma Sir, Prof. Yogesh Dubey Sir, Prof. AK Dharni Sir, Prof. Amitabh Pandey Sir, Prof. Madhu Verma ma’am, and Prof. Parul Rishi ma’am.
Q. As an alumnus, what is your advice to freshers or those are joining IIFM to get best out of the 2 years there?
A. My primary advise to freshers would be to focus on building social capital. Interact with people (seniors, juniors, faculties and staff) at the campus as embracing diversity opens one to a wealth of ideas, and being comfortable with it is a strength in just about any workplace or career.
Addressing the elephant in the room: Anxiety and depression are common in college campuses these days, and unfortunately, several students encounter them. My request (not advice) to freshers would be to keep a lookout for signs of anxiety/depression and take necessary mitigating steps.
Q. What is your typical day at the office?
A. Since the nature of my work is extremely varied, no two workdays are the same. At times, I have to work under significant pressure to respond to matters urgently and there is a lot of putting out fires. However, on a daily basis my ‘business as usual’ work comprises of the following tasks:
- Attending to legal requests from various departments;
- Drafting and/or reviewing agreements (as the case may be);
- Negotiating agreements;
- Advising on legal compliance matters;
- Status reports on cases;
- Legal and policy mapping; and
- Everything in between the above-mentioned tasks.
Q. And how about weekends, Hobbies, Family, and anything else you want to add
A. My weekends are an important time to unplug from the day-to-day and get a chance to spend time with family and friends. So, a typical weekend of mine will involve a combination of family activities, errands, meeting friends, and watching movies. I attend one movie night every weekend.
I ensure to take my dog for walks on weekends. Walking with my dog helps me clear my mind and create fresh ideas.
As much as I refrain from working on weekends, I will be honest, at times I have to attend to urgent matters on weekends as well. However, I consciously try to take at least one full day off every week, usually a weekend day.
Once the sky is clear, I plan to restart playing golf and lawn tennis on weekends.
Q.Favorite Books, movies, authors.
A. Given the nature of my work, I read a fair bit every day and most of my reading is pertaining to law. Apart from legal readings, I do enjoy reading articles on ESG and fintech.
Movies: Some of the movies which I enjoyed watching are Moneyball, Django Unchained, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, The Imitation Game, The Intern, The Proposal, Drishyam, and The Da Vinci Code.
TV Shows: Some of the TV shows which I enjoyed watching are Suits, Money Heist, How to Get Away with Murder, Designated Survivor, House of Cards, Shitts Creek, Aranyak, Arya, Scam 1992, Mirzapur, and The Family Man.
Q. IIFM is driven by alumni’s passion and commitments towards its goal. How would you like to contribute to IIFM or IIFM alumni, students?
A. I am genuinely interested in academic initiatives and have been associated with educational institutions/NGOs for such initiatives. In fact, as one of the resource person for the BECSR Elective Course I delivered guest lectures on “Legal Dimensions in CSR and Corporate Governance” to IIFM students in September, 2019. Therefore, I would be happy to take sessions for current students on courses pertaining to environmental law/policy or on legal framework of any topic which may be of mutual interest.
Further, I would be happy to share my experience with current students on ins and outs of starting their career, traversing the job market, resume writing, drafting cover letter, networking etc.
Ashutosh having Onam dinner with students at IIFM in September 2019
Q. What do you think is different at IIFM now vs when you studied there? What do you think is a positive change and what is not?
A. Some of the welcoming positive changes are the registration of the IIFM Alumni Association; increase in the social media footprint of IIFM; organizing of the IIFM Leadership Dialogues, and the launch of the IIFM Consulting Club. Kudos to everyone behind the aforementioned initiatives.
Q. Any suggestions on who you want to get profiled/interviewed here?
A. Rajaram Sankaran, Soumitri Das, Paul Basil, Santosh Singh, Swapan Mehra, and Mohammad Aatish Khan.