Blackstone-backed ASK Group appoints Nehal Shah as Group Head of Legal, Compliance and Secretarial

Mumbai: ASK Asset & Wealth Management Group, the Blackstone-backed investment firm, has appointed Nehal Shah as group head of Legal, Compliance & Secretarial, strengthening the group’s leadership across legal, regulatory compliance, and corporate governance.

“Nehal Shah brings over two decades of leadership experience across legal, compliance, corporate governance and risk management within the financial services and capital markets ecosystem,” said the company in its statement. “Her experience spans asset management, investment banking, wealth management, institutional equities and broking, private equity, & NBFC operations. She also brings international exposure, having worked with regional and global teams and overseen governance matters involving multiple jurisdictions,” stated the company.

Sameer Koticha, founder & chairman, ASK Group, said, “As our businesses continue to grow, evolve & diversify, strong governance, regulatory stewardship and institutional rigour remain fundamental to the way we operate. “Nehal’s breadth of experience across financial services, coupled with her deep understanding of legal and regulatory frameworks, will further strengthen these capabilities across the Group. We look forward to her leadership and contribution to ASK’s next phase of growth,” added Koticha.


Shah joins from Ambit Group, where she served as executive director and group head of legal and compliance. She has also held senior roles at Deutsche Asset Management India, YES Asset Management and CARE Ratings Ltd, a mix of global banking, domestic fund management and credit-rating experience uncommon in a single legal career.

Her experience includes advising Boards and senior management on regulatory and governance matters, managing regulatory interactions and investigations, developing governance and compliance frameworks, and providing legal and regulatory support for strategic transactions. She has also worked extensively on SEBI regulations, capital markets, corporate restructuring, and regulatory change management, the company said in its statement.

“I look forward to partnering with the leadership and businesses across the Group to further strengthen its legal, compliance and governance framework while supporting sustainable growth and maintaining the highest standards of regulatory and ethical conduct,” said Nehal Shah.

An alumna of Mumbai University and also a member of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI), Shah began her career with Aditya Birla Group and also worked at Fidelity India.

“Nehal has worked across the breadth of the capital markets and wealth management business, and has handled significant advisory and transactional work through varying market cycles,” said Sandeep Parekh, Managing Partner, Finsec Law Advisors. “She combines a sound understanding of regulation with a clear commercial sense,” he added.

The development 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.

Recently, Barclays' local unit appointed Sonali Sharma as managing director, head of legal (including the Global Capabilities Centre) and lead for regulatory and government relations. Earlier, Apeksha Sawant joined Allianz Jio Reinsurance Ltd as Chief Legal & Compliance Officer. In April, Unity Small Finance Bank appointed Mukesh Kumar Choudhary as National Head - Legal (Litigation & Non-litigation), Business Banking Group.