Alakiri K A

About Alakiri K A

I am a business-focused General Counsel with 15 years of experience building and leading legal functions for high-growth companies across IT, E-commerce, FinTech, EdTech, Construction, FMCG and Defence sectors.Currently General Counsel at Simpl, one of India’s leading e-commerce facilitator, merchant BNPL and checkout platforms, where I partner closely with founders and leadership to drive regulatory strategy, commercial structuring, corporate governance, and risk management at scale.My experience spans both Tier-1 law firm practice at Khaitan & Co and in-house leadership roles, advising on:• Mergers & Acquisitions• Commercial contracts and lifecycle management (CLM)• FDI structuring and India entry strategy• Technology law mandates and regulatory frameworks • Data protection and privacy governance• Employment matters, investigations, ABAC, white-collar, POSH and employment matters• Construction, defence and complex infrastructure contractsI have supported marquee transactions including the Walmart–Flipkart acquisition and advised global corporations across US, EU and ASEAN jurisdictions.Recognised as one of the “Top 10 Chief Legal Officers in India – 2024” by CEO Insights.I enjoy building legal teams from the ground up, integrating compliance into business strategy, and enabling founders to scale responsibly while protecting enterprise value.Open to leadership roles as Executive Director - VP Legal / Head of Legal / General Counsel with growth-stage and private companies.

Experience

1. General Counsel

   Simpl

   Nov 2023 — Present · Bengaluru, IN

   Member of the leadership team for a leading e-commerce facilitator and merchant BNPL platform with merchants and 10Million+ MAUs.• Partner closely with promoters and business heads as lead counsel on strategic transactions, fintech regulatory matters, and enterprise risk.• Represent the company in legal and regulatory engagements with government authorities, industry bodies, e-commerce platforms, and technology partners.• Executed key corporate actions including subsidiary incorporations, business and asset transfers, NCD issuances, business restructuring, etc.• Developed a company-wide contracts playbook and standardized commercial templates across payments and e-commerce verticals.• Implemented employment policy reforms and strengthened labour law and governance frameworks.• Ensured alignment with financial sector regulations, data protection laws, and corporate compliance requirements.• Oversee company secretarial functions and support board-level governance and decision-making.

Education

• World Intellectual Property Organization, Geneva

  Certificate course in Intellectual Property Laws, IPR

  2008 — 2009

• POROS Project, European Public Law Centre, Athens

  Diploma in European Union Laws, EU Laws

  2008 — 2008

• University of Utah

  Diploma in American Civil Procedure, US Civil Procedure

  2009 — 2009

• Asian School of Cyber Laws

  Diploma in Securities and Investment Laws, Corporate Laws

  2010 — 2010

• ILS Law College, Pune

  BSL.LLB., 5 Year Integrated Law Course

  2006 — 2011

• Asian School of Cyber Laws

  Diploma in Cyber Laws, Cyber Laws

  2008 — 2008

• VMJ Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Madurai

  Higher Secondary, Commerce and Business Mathematics

  2005 — 2006

• Symbiosis Law School, Pune

  Diploma in Intellectual Property Laws, IPR

  2008 — 2009

Skills

• International Law
• Technology Laws
• Joint Ventures
• Legal Metrology
• Mergers & Acquisitions
• Food Safety and Standards
• Arbitration
• Due Diligence
• Document Drafting
• Intellectual Property
• Legal Advice
• Defence and Aviation
• Legal Assistance
• Infrastructure and Resources
• Corporate Governance
• Corporate Law