Trailblazing Legal Leader: Richa Singh’s Courage & Impact 2025

As one of the most recognized general counsels in India, Richa Singh’s influence is far-reaching and widespread today.

Beyond her position as the General Counsel at Medanta Group of Hospital, Global Health Limited, Ms. Singh is endorsed as one of the Finest General Counsel in India by Legal Era (2023) and a Corporate Grand Master by Witness Magazine (2023).

The SILF Society of Indian Law Firms lists her as a Leading Female General Counsel in India (2024), and Business World Legal ranks her as one of the Top 100 General Counsel in India (2024).

Fortune Favours the Determined

Ms. Singh’s 20 years of experience in the legal world began quite surprisingly. In many ways, it is her belief that the law chose her, rather than the other way around. As a first-generation lawyer, it wasn’t a path she meticulously planned from the beginning, but rather one that unfolded naturally, drawing her in with its sense of purpose, complexity, and impact.

Ms. Singh belongs to Bhopal, a city known for its natural beauty and lakes. She was fortunate that the National Law Institute University was established in Bhopal around the same time she was graduating from school. Being a first-generation lawyer, she didn’t know much about the legal profession. However, she was sure about one thing: she wanted a career, not just a job, and the possibilities in law fascinated her.

Making an Adept Legal Mind

Right after law school, in 2004, Ms. Singh joined the Delhi office of the law firm Amarchand Mangaldass Suresh A. Shroff (now Shardul Amarchand Mangaldass). Her years at AMSS were immensely enriching and fulfilling professionally.

Not only did she get to work with the best legal minds in the business, but she also got to work on some of the pathbreaking deals/projects of the time. Of course, it was a lot of hard work, but hugely motivating and rewarding.

Experiencing the Full Circle of Life

In 2009, Ms. Singh joined Medanta Hospitals, helmed by the renowned Dr. Naresh Trehan. At that time, Medanta was a startup, and she was the sole legal resource. This gave her a unique opportunity to experience the ‘full circle of life’ for an organization. From inviting PE investors/ lenders in its initial stages to interacting with regulatory authorities. From policy drafting to standardization of legal documentation. From enabling the IPO to facilitating the future growth and expansion. She got to experience it all firsthand.

A Distinctively Exciting Voyage

Ms. Singh’s journey to becoming a General Counsel has been a unique and exciting mix of law, business strategy, and ethics. That blend really resonates with her. Even today, she is drawn to the opportunity not only to provide legal insight but also to act as a strategic advisor, helping shape the direction of a company while upholding its values. It’s been a challenging and rewarding path, and one she is proud to have pursued.

Empathetic, Purpose-Driven Leadership

Ms. Singh’s leadership is grounded in empathy, clarity, and purpose. Her approach is centered on leading by example, empowering the team, and ensuring that every legal decision contributes toward organizational growth while balancing risks.

Accessible, Transparent, and Collaborative Leadership Style

As a leader, she strives to be accessible, transparent, and values-driven. For team building, she focuses on creating a collaborative environment where every member of the legal team feels respected, supported, and heard. Ms. Singh encourages ownership and continuous development, ensuring that legal professionals not only understand the law and legal requirements but also business requirements and operations.

Legal as a Business Growth Partner

She believes that the Legal Department must act as a partner in growth. By striving to be solution-oriented, she encourages her team to become facilitators of business and not be seen as a barrier. Ultimately, her leadership philosophy is centered on aligning the legal function with business and operations, and leading by example.

Balancing Innovation with Legal Boundaries

The essence of the legal industry, according to Ms. Singh, lies in bringing innovation and advancements to the niche. Striking a balance between legal limitations and stakeholder expectations is an important and often delicate challenge. For her, the key lies in balancing innovation and stakeholder expectations within the legal framework—especially in the healthcare sector, where innovation and Artificial Intelligence advancements are rapidly transforming areas like patient data privacy, telemedicine and clinical protocols.

A Strategic Enabler of Innovation

To bridge this gap, Ms. Singh focuses on being a solution enabler rather than a gatekeeper. This means engaging early with cross-functional teams—understanding what they want to achieve, identifying legal risks upfront, and working together to develop compliant but creative pathways forward. For example, when implementing a new digital health platform or AI-based diagnostic tool, her team doesn’t just flag legal risks—they work collaboratively to design frameworks for informed consent, data protection, and ethical use so that innovation can move forward responsibly.

Legal as a Strategic Partner

Ultimately, it’s about creating a culture where legal is seen as a strategic partner—one that respects regulatory boundaries but is equally committed to enabling progress.

Embedding Sustainability into Legal Leadership

According to Ms. Singh, sustainability and environmental responsibility are no longer optional. They are integral to how modern businesses and organizations must operate. As a legal and administrative leader, she sees it as her responsibility to embed these values into both policy and practice—not only to meet compliance standards but to drive meaningful change.

Beyond Compliance: Integrating Green Practices

From a legal perspective, Ms. Singh and her team start by ensuring full compliance with environmental regulations related to biomedical waste management, water usage, and emissions. But compliance is just the baseline. They take it a step further by drafting and enforcing internal sustainability policies so that environmental responsibility is built into every contract and operational decision.

Leading a Landmark IPO: A Legal and Cultural Milestone

One of the most transformative and rewarding projects in Ms. Singh’s professional journey has been leading her organization into its Initial Public Offering (IPO). Taking an institution to the public markets is not just a legal milestone—it’s a defining moment that reflects the organization’s maturity, transparency, and long-term vision.

Precision, Coordination, and Strategic Foresight

The IPO process required meticulous legal diligence, cross-functional coordination, and a deep understanding of both regulatory compliance and investor expectations. From reviewing corporate structures, licensing, and statutory compliances to ensuring full disclosure under SEBI and Companies Act norms, every step demanded legal precision and strategic foresight. This project wasn’t just a legal achievement—it was a cultural shift.

Driving Post-IPO Growth with Legal Stewardship

After the IPO, Ms. Singh’s focus has been facilitating continuous growth and expansion by way of acquisitions, joint ventures, and collaborations—while ensuring legal compliance and corporate governance, especially considering the responsibilities of being a listed entity.

Technology as a Legal Enabler

In the realm of legal systems, Ms. Singh believes technology has truly become an indispensable part of modern legal practice. She sees technology not just as a tool for efficiency, but as a strategic enabler that helps deliver faster, smarter, and more secure legal services.

Tech-Enabled Legal Transformation

Her team has leveraged technology in multiple ways to optimize legal functions. For instance, they’ve implemented contract lifecycle management systems. Additionally, they use AI-powered legal research tools to stay updated on regulatory changes, case law, and healthcare policies—helping them respond proactively to shifting legal landscapes.

Building Legal Literacy and Ensuring Data Protection

Internally, Ms. Singh conducts virtual legal trainings and e-learning modules to raise awareness and ensuring legal literacy. They are in the process of assessing, implementing, and adopting secure digital platforms to ensure alignment with data privacy laws such as the DPDP Act and other sector-specific mandates. These systems not only improve accuracy but also reduce legal risk significantly.

Navigating Unprecedented Challenges: The COVID-19 Test

Challenges are part of the journey, and they often bring out the best in a team. One instance that truly tested their resilience and ingenuity was during the COVID-19 pandemic—particularly in the early phases when understanding of the disease was limited, regulations were evolving daily, and Ms. Singh’s organization, being a healthcare institution, was in the front line and under immense pressure. Additionally, the ongoing research and clinical trials on COVID-19, as well as navigating their legal and contractual framework, proved to be a significant learning experience.

On a personal level, Covid-19 brought its own set of challenges. For Ms. Singh, the risk was more immediate. Since her organization operated from a hospital, she was visiting the hospital (where the corporate office is located) almost daily, exposing not just herself but her family to the risk of contracting the virus. That time was emotionally overwhelming, as she witnessed colleagues and friends succumbing to Covid-19 while on duty.

What stood out during that crisis was the spirit, passion, teamwork, and sense of purpose exhibited by everyone in the organization. That experience reinforced her belief that excellence is not just about knowledge—it is about adaptability, empathy, and unwavering commitment in the face of adversity.

Driving Gender Equity in the Legal Profession

Gender equality is indeed a vital and timely conversation—not just in the legal sector, but across all industries. According to Ms. Singh, the Women’s Reservation enactment represents an important step toward more inclusive and balanced representation. She believes it has the potential to drive a seismic shift towards women empowerment and increased political representation. It will also act as a catalyst towards a cultural shift by opening more leadership opportunities for women in India.

In her experience, meaningful change goes beyond legislation—it requires proactive commitment to fostering an inclusive culture. Within her team, women have equal access to growth opportunities and decision-making roles. Being a woman herself, Ms. Singh has lived through the unique challenges women face in the workplace and has, therefore, implemented policies that enable a supportive environment and work-life balance for all team members.

Beyond her organization, she advocates for greater awareness and collaboration across the legal community to drive systemic change. For Ms. Singh, the Women’s Reservation is a catalyst, but sustained progress will come only from everyday actions and leadership commitment.

Guiding the Next Generation: Advice to Young Lawyers

According to Ms. Singh, young lawyers today are already knowledgeable, smart, agile, and well-adapted to the evolving world—far better suited than previous generations. However, she offers a few guiding principles:

Build a Strong Legal and Business Foundation

Cultivate a strong understanding not just in law, but also in the industry you wish to serve. Knowing your business environment is as critical as mastering legal concepts—it builds trust and enhances your effectiveness.

Embrace Lifelong Learning

The legal field is ever-evolving, especially with rapid changes in technology, policy, and global regulations. Ms. Singh encourages continuous learning and a curious mindset to stay ahead.

Sharpen Soft Skills

Law is about people as much as it is about statutes and contracts. Empathy, communication, and collaboration are essential—whether advising management, negotiating contracts, or handling crises.

Seek Mentorship and Build Networks

Be open to feedback, learn from seasoned professionals, and nurture your professional network for long-term growth.

Stay Passionate and Resilient

Above all, Ms. Singh emphasizes the importance of staying passionate, resilient, and pushing boundaries.

Shaping the Future: A Vision for Legal Foresight

Looking to the future, Ms. Singh’s vision for the Indian legal landscape is notably pragmatic. She observes its rapid evolution, driven by transformative business opportunities, significant regulatory changes, and the advancements brought forth by artificial intelligence. Against this backdrop, Ms. Singh firmly believes that the legal function can play a pivotal role by contributing to ethical, forward-looking corporate governance and fostering a more agile, inclusive, and tech-enabled legal ecosystem.

A Pragmatic Strategy- A seat on the decision making table.

Her concerted effort would be to promote a culture of legal foresight in business decisions. This, she contends, can only be achieved by transforming the legal function from a reactive support role into that of a strategic business partner, thereby shifting from a system of compliance under duress to one of compliance by design.

Maximizing Impact: Bridging Regulation and Practicality

Ms. Singh is convinced that legal teams possess a crucial voice in shaping the laws that govern them. She actively seeks to contribute constructively to new policy frameworks, particularly in areas such as data privacy, ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance), and AI, through active engagement with regulatory bodies, industry associations as well as public consultations. This proactive involvement will help bridge the gap between regulatory intent and operational practicality, ultimately leading to the creation of laws that are not only robust but also business-friendly.

Legal Leadership as a Force for Innovation and Integrity

Ultimately, Ms. Singh aspires to ensure that legal leadership in India transcends mere risk minimization, instead focusing on maximizing impact, enabling innovation, and upholding values that strengthen both institutions and society as a whole.