Cyril Shroff-IIMA GC Academy to focus on leadership beyond law: Paridhi Adani
Ahmedabad, August 10
The Cyril Shroff-Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad GC Leadership Academy will focus heavily on areas beyond law and technical subjects to bridge the gap in training general counsel and in-house legal professionals for the broader leadership roles they play within organisations, according to Paridhi Adani, Founder Family and Partner, of the prestigious Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas law firm.
Cyril Shroff, Managing Partner of Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas (CAM), and the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on August 8 to establish the Cyril Shroff - IIMA GC Leadership Academy - a research and executive development initiative designed to address a critical gap in leadership development for General Counsels (GCs).
Speaking to ANI on the vision behind the academy, Paridhi Adani said, "The GC Leadership Academy which we have 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."
She said that while technical legal subjects are adequately covered through existing training, there remains a significant gap in preparing general counsel and in-house legal professionals for the broader leadership roles they are expected to undertake within organisations.
She emphasized that modern legal leaders operate at the "intersection of finance, capital, technology, policy, regulation, and business," yet there is currently no formal training to prepare them for these multifaceted responsibilities. "We hope to fill that gap with the launch of this academy. We will focus heavily on areas outside of the law and technical subjects to build something that will endure," she added.
As per Paridhi Adani, the academy intends to move beyond traditional classroom instruction, fostering a self-sustaining ecosystem built on both expert guidance and peer-to-peer learning.
"The idea is to have an academy where there is an exchange of ideas and perspectives. You can learn as much from each other as from an instructor," Paridhi Adani said.
Detailing the curriculum, she noted that the program would skip traditional legal subjects in favour of high-impact leadership skills.
Adani expressed hope that the academy would create a legacy of shared knowledge, where each graduating cohort contributes to the growth and learning of the next.
"...whether you take communication and presence, whether you take geopolitics, risk advisory, crisis management, ethics and morality...I mean, it's a long list. But the idea is that all of that blends together in a learning platform, where you learn not only in the classroom but from experiences from others," she said.
The co-founder, Cyril Shroff, is the managing partner of Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas (CAM) with an eminent legal career of more than 40 years.
The ceremony and official launch of the leadership academy was held at the IIM Ahmedabad campus on August 8.
— ANI
Reader Comments
This is such a forward-thinking move. As someone who works in compliance, I see how GCs are now handling everything from data privacy to ESG mandates. The focus on geopolitics and crisis management is particularly relevant in today's volatile world. I wish this kind of program existed when I was starting my career!
The emphasis on peer-to-peer learning is what sets this apart from a typical executive MBA. Legal leaders often work in silos, and having a platform to exchange ideas with counterparts from different industries will be invaluable. I hope they make it accessible for mid-career professionals, not just senior GCs.
While I applaud this initiative, I have a slight concern. At the end of the day, the core of a General Counsel's role is to give sound legal advice. If the curriculum skips "traditional legal subjects" completely, won't we risk creating leaders who are great at business strategy but weak on the actual letter of the law? A blended approach might be stronger.
It's heartening to see Indian institutions and law firms collaborating to bridge the "commercial acumen" gap that many legal professionals have. As Paridhi Adani rightly pointed out, the future of law is at the intersection of finance, tech, and policy. The name "Cyril Shroff-IIMA GC Academy" carries weight, so I expect they will deliver a world-class curriculum.
The focus on building a "legacy of shared knowledge" is a brilliant pedagogical approach. It transforms the academy into a think-tank rather
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