The Minds that
Guard India’s
Digital Privacy

28

Founder & Managing Partner

Anandaday Misshra is a technology, data privacy and regulatory lawyer who has spent more than 28 years operating across the full spectrum of Indian and cross-border risk — beginning with GST and tax litigation and evolving into high-stakes domestic and international arbitration, data governance and AI regulation.

Over these decades, one constant has defined his practice: every new wave of innovation ultimately becomes a legal question. Today, the battlefield has decisively shifted. Data is no longer merely an asset — it is a persistent liability that can define reputations, valuations and leadership tenure.

As Founder & Managing Partner of AMLEGALS, a pan-India law firm with 10 offices, and as the architect of the Vibe Data Privacy™ framework, he works with Data Fiduciaries, Significant Data Fiduciaries, global MNCs and technology-led enterprises to design, implement and stress-test data and AI governance across jurisdictions — including DPDPA, GDPR, PDPL and emerging AI norms.

His work is sharply focused on three pillars: De-risking Data Architecture — converting data privacy and AI compliance into a strategic advantage, not a defensive cost; Product & AI Consultancy — using design thinking and the TCL framework to move beyond policy PDFs into live, tech-integrated and scalable solutions; and Boardroom Protection — structuring governance and oversight that shields leadership from avoidable personal and corporate exposure.

He partners with the CEO, GC, CTO, DPO, CFO, CISO and the wider leadership team to align Legal and Regulatory Affairs with business objectives, moving the entire LRA organisation forward with the TCL framework. He has recorded two international podcasts on the EU AI Act and DPDPA with Hong Kong University. His views on AI and data privacy are regularly quoted in leading publications including AIM, CIO, Deccan Herald and The Economic Times.

He publishes the Vibe Data Privacy™ newsletter on LinkedIn, unpacking practical implications of data, privacy and AI regulation for decision-makers. He is the author of the upcoming book Winning with DPDPA, which distils statutory architecture, implementation strategy and boardroom playbooks into a single practitioner reference. He has also learnt coding and developed multiple agentic AI web applications over recent years as part of his deep engagement with the frontier of AI governance.

02

Senior Partner

Pawan Laddha brings over 23 years of professional experience spanning FinTech, AI regulation, data privacy and corporate law across India and South East Asia. As Head of the FinTech Practice at AMLEGALS, he operates at the precise intersection where financial regulation, technology law and data protection converge.

His practice covers the full regulatory spectrum of India's digital financial ecosystem — RBI payment system guidelines, SEBI investment platform regulations, digital lending frameworks, blockchain and cryptocurrency advisory, and DPDPA compliance for FinTech entities. Before AMLEGALS, he held senior legal and compliance leadership roles at MatchMove (SVP – Legal & Compliance), Freecharge (Director – Legal) and other prominent technology enterprises, giving him an operator's understanding of how compliance architecture functions inside high-growth companies.

His unique background as a qualified Company Secretary and Advocate with deep in-house FinTech experience means he advises not from theory but from the operational reality of building compliance programmes that survive both regulatory scrutiny and commercial velocity. He is a member of the Emirates Legal Network and advises cross-border FinTech operations across jurisdictions.

03

Senior Partner

D.S. Mahajani is a rare triple-qualified professional — an Advocate, a qualified Cost Accountant and a Company Secretary — with over 30 years of professional experience heading Indirect Tax, Data Privacy, Company Secretarial and legal functions. He is one of the foundational pillars of the firm's data privacy practice and holds extensive knowledge of data protection legislations across the world.

He is widely known for spreading knowledge across ICSI chapters on tax, corporate laws and DPDPA, making complex regulatory obligations accessible to the professional community. His unique multi-disciplinary background means he can address data privacy not in isolation but in the full commercial context of how organisations actually operate — tax obligations, secretarial compliance and privacy law woven into a single coherent advisory.

04

President — IT & DPO

Salim Sayyad joins AMLEGALS as President — IT & Data Protection Officer, bringing over 26 years of technology leadership across banking, credit bureau and financial services. His mandate sits where the firm's legal advisory meets technical execution — converting DPDPA and DPDP Rules 2025 obligations into engineered controls, security architecture and operational evidence that organisations can run, audit and defend.

He has held senior technology and cyber security roles at Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services (ex Senior Vice President), TransUnion CIBIL — Global Technology (ex Director), Wipro Infotech, ANZ Bank and Volkswagen Financial Services — spanning data-centre consolidation, cloud migration, GRC and 24x7 Security Operations Centre (SOC) leadership. He implemented ISO 27001 and RBI cyber security frameworks and holds a Post Graduate qualification in Cyber Security from IIT Palakkad alongside ITIL and business continuity certifications. His cross-sector tenure in banking, credit bureaus, automotive finance and IT services — each operating under stringent regulatory oversight — gives him deep working expertise across GDPR, PDPL, CCPA and DPDPA, enabling the firm to map multi-jurisdictional data-protection obligations to unified technical controls. As the firm's DPO lead, he anchors DPO-as-a-Service, technical DPDPA implementation, breach readiness and security governance for Data Fiduciaries and Significant Data Fiduciaries.

05

Associate Partner

With over a decade of specialised legal experience navigating India's technology and regulatory landscape, Rohit is a key member of the data privacy practice at AMLEGALS. His expertise centres on guiding domestic and multinational organisations through the complexities of India's DPDP Act 2023, the IT Act and global frameworks including GDPR. Over ten years, he has developed a pragmatic approach that bridges rigorous legal compliance with commercial agility.

His practice covers end-to-end DPDPA implementation, enterprise privacy audits, structuring secure cross-border data transfers, and drafting consent frameworks and data processing agreements. He helps clients build enduring digital trust, proactively mitigate cyber risks, and unlock the full potential of their data-driven initiatives in an increasingly scrutinised digital economy.

06

Principal Associate

Mridusha focuses on data privacy compliance, DPDP Act 2023 implementation and the design of privacy governance frameworks, with particular expertise in consent management, data fiduciary obligations, breach response and privacy-by-design. She also advises on the legal and risk dimensions of AI systems and algorithmic decision-making.

Beyond her core data privacy and AI governance practice, she advises on employment laws, intellectual property, contracts and corporate regulatory strategy — bringing a holistic, business-oriented approach to legal risk management. She is actively engaged in discussions on responsible innovation and the evolving intersection of law, technology, trust and accountability.

07

Senior Associate

Mayur has a developing practice in data privacy, technology law and employment law compliance. He advises clients on data protection requirements, privacy policies and regulatory obligations under evolving Indian legal frameworks, including labour codes. His work includes assisting organisations with data governance practices and reviewing technology and commercial contracts from a privacy perspective.

He also advises on employment law compliance — including statutory obligations and workplace policies — and supports clients in addressing regulatory queries and disputes. His dual focus on privacy and employment law makes him a practical resource for organisations managing both data obligations and workforce compliance in an increasingly regulated environment.

08

Associate

Khilansha advises on the practical implementation of India's DPDP Act 2023 and evolving global privacy standards. Her work moves beyond legal interpretation to help organisations integrate Privacy by Design and robust Consent Management into their core infrastructure — ensuring compliance is embedded in how systems are built, not appended after the fact.

In the area of AI Governance and Ethics, her practice addresses the specific risks of algorithmic transparency and automated decision-making. Her goal is to ensure that technological innovation remains grounded in ethical standards and fully compliant with the evolving regulatory landscape — allowing businesses to leverage data without compromising on integrity.