Rabindra Jhunjhunwala

Practice Areas

Corporate & Commercial, Joint Venture & Collaboration, Mergers & Acquisitions, Private Equity, Regulatory

Career

Rabindra Jhunjhunwala is a Partner and a senior member in the Corporate & Commercial Practice Group in the Mumbai office. He started with the Firm in its Kolkata office in 1990 and co-founded the Mumbai office in 2001.

He heads the Firm's IBA, France desk and Germany desk initiatives. He also sits as a Conference Coordinator Asia Pacific on the IBA Corporate and M&A Committee. He has been elected as vice president of the Bar Association of India.

His practice spans a range of areas, including domestic and cross-border M&A, PE investment, transaction documentation work and advises his clients regularly on all aspects of foreign investments (both inbound and outbound) and regulatory approvals. He has advised several multinationals and Indian companies on complex and big-ticket M&A transactions.

Awards & Recognitions:

- Who’s Who Legal has recommended him in their M&A and Governance Global Guide 2020, 2021 & 2023.

- Who’s Who Legal has recommended him as ‘Thought Leader’ for India

- Ranked consistently by Chambers and Partners Asia Pacific 2017-2024 for Corporate/M&A work.

- Ranked by Chambers and Partners Global 2022, 2023 and 2024 for Corporate/M&A work.

- Ranked consistently by Legal 500 for Corporate/M&A work from 2017- 2023.

- Endorsed as a Leading Lawyer in India - Highly regarded by IFLR1000 consistently from 2017- 2023.

- Ranked by Asialaw Leading Lawyers as one of the Leading Lawyers in Mergers & Acquisitions consistently from 2019- 2023.

- Asia Legal Business have listed him as ALB India Super 50 Lawyers 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2024.

- India Business Law Journal lists him as a Legal Icon in The A list of India’s top 100 lawyers consistently from 2016- 2023.

- Law Wiser have listed him as one of the Super 30 Most Influential Law Firm Professionals of 2023.

- Legal Era Leading Lawyer Champion in Corporate & M&A 2022 & 2023.

- Intelligent Legal Solutions (Ipleaders)-recommended him as top ten corporate lawyer in India 2017.

- Lexis Nexis have listed him as 100 Legal Luminaries of India.

- India M&A Atlas Awards who have appraised him and his team as the Private Equity Law Team of the Year.

- Lawyer Monthly who included him in its leading LAWYER 100 list for 2011.

- RSG Consulting who have listed him in the established second generation of Indian Lawyers in the RSG India report 2010 & 2019.

- Asian Legal Business as the only Indian lawyer in the Movers & Shakers section of its cover story, ALB Hot 100: the Hottest Lawyers of 2008.

- Meritas, an international alliance of law firms, has also honoured Rabindra in April 2009 for his distinguished service to the organisation.

Professional Memberships

- Bar Council of Maharashtra & Goa

- Bar Association, Calcutta High Court

- Incorporate Law Society, Calcutta High Court

- High Court Club, Calcutta High Court

- The Trade Mark Registry and The Patent Office, India

- International Bar Association

Publications

Rabindra has authored many articles in various Indian and international legal journals. His contributions include:

- India chapter in Norton Rose Fullbright Autonomous vehicles “Pedal to the Metal or Slamming on the Brakes?” Worldwide Regulation of Autonomous Vehicles.

- Top ten points for Chinese enterprises to bear in mind when they do M&A transactions in India: issues arising from differences of legal and regulatory culture published by International Bar Association (IBA) Legal Practice Division in the China Working Group News.

- Impact of GDPR on M&A transactions in India and Proposed e-pharmacy amendments: Will govt align it with e-commerce rules? in Fortune India.

- India chapter in Meritas Guide - ASIA: A Legal Guide for Business Investment and Expansion - Fifth Edition.

- India chapter in “Getting the Deal Through – Mergers & Acquisitions 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 & 2018 Public M&A” published by Law Business Research, London.

- Regulatory Liberalisation: Driving M&A in India in Corporate Livewire Expert Guide: Mergers and Acquisitions 2018.

- Policy reforms - Spurring M&A deals in India in Corporate Livewire Expert Guide: Mergers and Acquisitions 2017.

- Mergers & Acquisitions in India in Joint Publication between Global Legal Media & Legally India - India Unleashed - 2017 Legal and Investment Guide.

- India chapter in “The Mergers & Acquisitions Review” (2011 ed.), published by Law Business Research.

- India chapter in ‘Mergers and Amalgamations’ (2006 ed.), published by Globe Business Publishing, London.

- India chapter in “Successful Strategies for Doing Business in Asia” published by Meritas, an international alliance of law firms;

- India chapter in “International Encyclopaedia of Agency and Distribution Agreements” (Loose-leaf; updated in October 2006), published by Kluwer Law International.

- India chapter in “Company Formation: A Practical Global Guide” (2006 ed.), published by the Globe Business Publishing, London.

- India chapter of the book “Employees Share Plans: International Legal and Tax Issues” (2008 ed.), published by the Globe Business Publishing, London; and

- Articles published in the Student Advocate, a National Law School of India University (NLSIU) publication, 1997, the March of the Law, a NLSIU publication, 1997 and 1998, Calcutta Law Times, 1999.

Work Highlights

- Schneider Electric Industries SAS (“Schneider”) in signing definitive documents for acquiring a further 55% stake in Planon Beheer B.V. (together with its subsidiaries, “Planon”). Schneider had earlier acquired a 25% stake in Planon in 2020. This strategic investment is expected to further strengthen Schneider’s agnostic software strategy, with Planon’s established and strong footprint in the global buildings market, cloud-based Integrated Workplace Management System offer, and subscription-based software business model well positioned to capitalise on the fast-growing smart building software market.

- Komatsu Limited on acquisition of 100% shareholding of GHH Group GmbH (“Target”) and inter alia its Indian subsidiary GHH India Mining and Tunnelling Equipment Private Limited (“GHH India”), from German-owned Schmidt Kranz Group under a share purchase agreement. Komatsu aims to expand its offerings by adding GHH’s factories and rebuild facilities in key markets in Europe, South Africa, India and Chile and also aims to strengthen production and service capabilities for its customers.

- Hitachi Rail Limited (“Hitachi”) with respect to carve-out transaction. Hitachi has completed the acquisition of the Ground Transportation Systems activities of Thales SA for total aggregate consideration of about USD 1.66 billion. With this acquisition, Hitachi, has expanded its business to 51 countries.

- Ara AG on the sale of Lloyd Shoes GmbH to Arklyz AG. As part of the transaction, Arklyz AG has acquired Lloyd Shoes GmbH, along with its subsidiaries including Lloyd Shoes India Private Limited. The aim of the sale to Arklyz is to develop Lloyd into a global footwear and lifestyle brand with high visibility.

- Munters AB in their 100% acquisition of Zeco Aircon Limited. This acquisition is one of the largest in the Air Handling Unit Segment.

- Diageo India in their investment (22.5% stake) in Nao Spirits & Beverages Private Limited.

- ZF Friedrichshafen AG on the Indian law related aspects of its partnership with Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn) enabling a strategic partnership that will further grow opportunities for ZF Chassis and widen new perspectives for Foxconn in the automotive sector.

- Metro AG on the India leg in relation to on a slump sale/asset transfer deal between Wipro and Metro AG.

- GEA Group in the Indian leg of the global transaction pertaining to sale of refrigeration compressor manufacturer Bock business of GEA entities spread across the world to Nord Holdings, Germany.

- Ensono LP on the Indian law aspects in relation to divestment of Wipro Limited’s hosted data center services business to Ensono LP for USD 405 million.

- Tenneco Inc. on the Indian law aspects in relation to its acquisition of Federal-Mogul group.

- iGATE Corporation on acquisition of Patni Computer Systems Ltd., with a deal value of USD 1.25 billion.

- Merck & Co. Inc., USA on a merger transaction with Schering-Plough Corporation which has been renamed Merck & Co. Inc.

- Total SA., France on sale of businesses of coatings resins of Cray Valley (Europe, Asia, South Africa) and Cook Composite Polymers (United States), as well as the photocure resins of Sartomer (Europe, United States, Asia) to Arkema S.A., France, with a deal value of USD 720 million.

- Hutchinson Telecommunications International Limited on sale of stake in Hutch–Essar to Vodafone, plc, with a deal value of USD 11.1 billion.

- Mysore Cements Limited on sale of its business to Heidelberg Cement, Germany, with a deal value of USD 117 million.

- Suzlon Energy Limited on acquisition of REPower, with a deal value of USD 1.03 billion.

- Fives Group on their acquisitions in India.

- CEAT Limited on acquisition of stake in Associated CEAT Holdings Company (Pvt.) Ltd., a Sri Lankan company.

Expert in these Jurisdictions

India

Languages Spoken

English, Hindi

Education