Tapan Pati of Johnson & Johnson joins Godrej & Boyce as group general counsel

Tapan Pati, former director legal for the South Asia region at Johnson & Johnson is set to join Indian engineering conglomerate Godrej & Boyce as their group general counsel and senior vice president.

Pati will be responsible for overseeing all corporate, compliance and regulatory issues for the over 125 years old Indian company that has diversified businesses including aerospace engineering, home appliances, security solutions and precision engineering.

“Tapan brings 23 years of rich experience advising MNC companies in diverse sectors like Manufacturing, Food, Hospitality, Retail, and Pharmaceuticals on a wide range of corporate and commercial transactions, legal compliances, and litigation across the South Asian market. In this capacity he worked closely with senior business leaders across functions and geographies,” said the company in its response to ET’s query.


He will lead the legal team comprising over 30 lawyers. In his role as the General Counsel of Godrej & Boyce, Pati will report to Nyrika Holkar, Executive Director at Godrej & Boyce.

An alumnus of the National Law School of India University from the 2000 batch, Pati started his career with Andersen Legal. Subsequently, he worked with two other firms including Luthra & Luthra Law Offices before joining the India unit of the NYSE-listed Yum! Brands in 2007 as their lead lawyer for India, the Middle East and North Africa.

Later, in June 2010, he joined Hilton Worldwide as director and legal counsel for India. In March 2015, he joined the US-pharmaceutical major Johnson & Johnson which is the largest healthcare company in the world.

At Johnson & Johnson’s India pharmaceutical business (Janssen), he handled legal affairs related to the entire South Asia market and was responsible for managing contracts, compliance, regulatory affairs and litigation. He was also a member of the J&J India board of directors.

When contacted, he declined to divulge any details, citing it as an internal matter.

“The trend of conglomerates recruiting senior legal and governance experts has gained momentum in recent times. Tapan is a highly respected and seasoned general counsel,” said Karl Fernandes, Partner and Head of the In-House Practice Group at Vahura. “Tapan's impressive track record, strong business acumen, and extensive experience make him a valuable addition to the growth and success of Godrej & Boyce.”