Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas and the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad signed an August 8 Memorandum of Understanding to launch the Cyril Shroff – IIMA GC Leadership Academy, creating a specialized executive education program designed to prepare general counsels and in-house legal leaders for enterprise strategy and boardroom leadership.
The newly formed academy addresses a widening gap in corporate training as in-house legal professionals face demands that extend far beyond traditional litigation oversight and contract reviews. According to Paridhi Adani, Founder Family and Partner (Head – Gujarat) at Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, modern legal leaders operate at the intersection of complex disciplines without the benefit of formalized preparation for those multifaceted roles.
Paridhi Adani, Founder Family and Partner (Head – Gujarat), Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas noted that the GC Leadership Academy launched in partnership with IIM Ahmedabad is designed to help legal officers, general counsel, and other legal leaders within organizations prepare for enterprise-level leadership.
Curriculum Focus Beyond Traditional Law at IIM Ahmedabad
The executive program deliberately skips standard legal subjects to focus on high-impact leadership skills, board governance, and risk management. Founders describe the venture as a philanthropic initiative rather than a commercial one, combining the business school’s case-based teaching methods with the law firm’s industry insights.
- Boardroom and enterprise leadership strategies
- The integration of finance and business strategy into legal decision-making
- Preparedness for artificial intelligence and other emerging technological risks
- International peer networking among senior general counsels
Speaking about the partnership, Prof. Bharat Bhasker, Director at IIMA, emphasized the changing scope of the profession.
Prof. Bharat Bhasker, Director, IIMA stated that this partnership and the academy signify their shared commitment to foster leadership for global institutions at the intersection of law, business, and governance.
Institution-Building and the Shift to Enterprise Strategy
The official signing ceremony took place on August 8 at the IIM Ahmedabad campus. Cyril Shroff, managing partner of Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas with a legal career spanning more than 40 years, framed the initiative as a contribution to the long-term stewardship of the legal community.
Cyril Shroff, Managing Partner, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas expressed that great professions are shaped not only by individual excellence, but by institutions that endure, adding that the Cyril Shroff – IIMA GC Leadership Academy is a deliberate step towards institution-building for the legal profession and long-term stewardship of the in-house counsel community.
The academy relies on peer-to-peer learning alongside faculty instruction, designed so that participants can exchange perspectives on communication, geopolitics, risk advisory, crisis management, and ethics. Organizers intend for each graduating cohort to contribute to a self-sustaining ecosystem of shared knowledge.
Institutional Background of the Founding Partners
The collaborative venture joins two established entities in Indian education and legal practice. Founded in 1961, IIMA is ranked first among Indian institutions in the government’s National Institutional Ranking Framework for 2025 and maintains an alumni network exceeding 47,000 graduates. Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas employs more than 1,500 lawyers, including 250 partners, operating out of nine offices across India, Singapore, and Abu Dhabi.
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