Zia J. Mody, Co–Founder and Managing Partner, is one of India’s foremost corporate attorneys. She began her career as a corporate associate in the New York office of Baker & McKenzie, where she worked for 5 years before moving to India to establish the Chambers of Zia Mody, which became AZB & Partners in 2004. Her key practice areas include M&A, Private Equity, Restructuring, General Corporate, Compliance & Investigation, Dispute Resolution and Regulatory & Securities Law.

It has been said that few of Zia’s peers can match her skills when it comes to acquisitions, joint ventures, company restructuring, foreign inward investment related practice and corporate law.

Previously, Zia has, amongst others, served as –

• Special invitee of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs to the Competition Law Review Committee, constituted to review the need for amendments to the Competition Act (2018)
• Member of the Committee on Corporate Governance, formed by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (“SEBI”) under the chairmanship of Uday Kotak (2017)
• Panellist on the expert committee set up by the Law Commission of India on “Amendment to the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996”, to review the provisions of the Act in view of the several inadequacies

observed in its functioning (2014)

• Member on the Reserve Bank of India (“RBI”) Committee on Comprehensive Financial Services for Small Businesses and Low–Income Households, chaired by Dr. Nachiket Mor (2013)
• Vice President and Member of the London Court of International Arbitration (2010 –– 2013)
• Member of the World Bank Administrative Tribunal, Washington D.C. (2007 – 2012)
• Member of the Godrej Committee on Corporate Governance, set up by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (2012)
• Member of the Raghuram Rajan Committee on Financial Sector Reforms (2007).

Zia is widely acknowledged for her expertise, ranking No. 1 in Fortune India’s “India’s 50 Most Powerful Women in Business” list in 2018 & 2019, on which she has consistently ranked in the top 10 since 2011.

She has been ranked an –

• “Eminent Practitioner” (2023 – 2024) for Corporate / M&A by Chambers Global
• “Eminent Practitioner” (2023 – 2024), for Corporate / M&A by Chambers Asia–Pacific
• “Eminent Practitioner” for Private Equity by Chambers Asia–Pacific (2018 – 2024).