About Us
From the desk of Founder & Chair person
From the desk of Mrs. Rashida Adenwala, Founder & Chairperson On the 17th Foundation day of R & A Associates
23rd October, 2013
My dream from the inception of R & A has been to take it to the level of being one of the top corporate legal service firms in India in the mid-market segment servicing clients in India and Internationally.
Today,I am very happy to state that with the support of my excellent team of partners, associates and trainees since the past 16 years, I am inching closer to making that dream into a reality.In its journey so far, R &A, has made significant achievements, and is now being reckoned in the Industry as a trusted Corporate Legal Services firm.
Since 1997, when R & A Associates was founded by me and Raghu Babu, as a Company Secretaries firm, much has changed in the profession, industry and the world at large. It has been a challenging time for an evolving organization like R & A which had a very humble start. I am honoured to mention that R & A has steadily grown in stature and size and today we are a family of over 40 members and also have branches in Delhi and Chennai.
I also feel very proud to state that since inception we have trained 60+ number of trainees, many of them are holding very honourable positions as Company Secretary in large organizations or are well established practicing Company secretaries.
“Everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you’re climbing it.” – Andy Rooney
Our scope of work encompasses matters relating to Corporate Secretarial Services, Audit & Assurance (Secretarial Audit, Foreign Exchange Audit., Social Audit etc.,), Regulatory Approvals & Representation, Corporate Governance, Legal Due Diligence and Transaction Documents, FEMA & RBI Compliances, Joint Ventures, Mergers, Amalgamations and Acquisitions, Employees Stock Based Compensation, Intellectual Property Rights, Advisory on Capital Raising, Services to Lending Institutions, Export Oriented Units etc.,
Our Mission is to deliver outstanding client services; to provide fulfilling careers and professional satisfaction for our people; and to achieve growth &financial success so that we can reward ourselves and fulfil our corporate social responsibilities.
We have always strived to attain perfection in all the services rendered to our clients as a result of which we have been successful in earning their trust and confidence which is most valuable. Inspite of today’s fiercely competitive business environment, we have endeavoured to be dynamic and to change as per the changing needs. To ensure potential is reached and growth is sustained, we have aimed at training our people to make a positive difference and contribute to the organization through a collaborative approach.
“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” – Charles Darwin
Considering the business landscape which has changed radically in the last 60 years, the replacement of Companies Act, 1956 was pertinent. The new Act will allow corporate’s to enjoy greater freedom but with severe consequences for non-compliance. Organizations which can promote the interest of all stakeholders will lead. The new Act not only strengthens the position of the Company Secretary, but also elevates its role to management level.
R & A has been privileged to serve more then 120+ clients from various industry be it Information &Technology, E-commerce, Animation & Multimedia, Retail, Manufacturing, Power, Infrastructure, Microfinance, Banking, Pharmaceuticals, to name a few.
R & A is also conscious of its responsibilities towards the society and has undertaken a number of CSR initiatives such as its active association with Abhaya Foundation, an organization which aims at improving the quality of life of the under privileged, contribution to Akshaya Patra, Child Rights and You, DQ Foundation etc. On every Foundation day of R & A, members of the family of R & A donate blood as part of its CSR activities.
R & A partners and some of the core team members are regular speakers at various forums and have delivered lectures on various topics such as IPO’s, Secretrial Audit, Shareholder Activisim, VC & PE investments, Legal Due Diligence, GDR’s Joint Ventures, Directors Rights and Responsibilities, Capital Structuring, The Companies Act, 2013 etc., The partners of the firm have been closely associated with the Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI). I was honoured to be nominated as a member of the Secretarial Standards Board constituted by ICSI and I am a certified trainer on Corporate Governance, an initiative of the International Financial Corporation. My co-founder Raghu was a member of Secretarial Standard Board, Expert Advisory Board, faculty and an office bearer at Hyderabad Chapter of the ICSI. Ramakrishna Gupta, partner of the firm is presently the Chairman of the Hyderabad Chapter of Company Secretaries.
The knowledge sharing initiatives of the firm includes publication of monthly newsletter ‘Knowledge Connect’, interactive programmes in the form of Knowledge Sharing Sessions, Circle Time, Topic specific presentations etc., for the benefit and enrichment of the R & A team, our clients, well-wishers, fellow professionals, ex-employees, friends, business associates etc.. The R & A blog titled ‘rnaknowledgebanyan’ is an excellent platform to share professional knowledge, views, make comments, raise queries on any issues related to corporate laws or any matter in general and is very actively being used for the benefit of one and all.
On this 17th Foundation day, I would like to thank from the depth of my heart:
My Partners Raghu Babu, Ramakrishna and Bhavani for sharing and helping me in realising my dream.
My core team members, Vanaja, Prashant, Vaishali, Surya Prakash, Khusboo, Smita, Ramesh, Manisha, Madhavi, all my other staff and my trainees for their dedication, commitment, hard work and diligence in ensuring timely and quality services to our esteemed clients.
All our clients and business associates for the confidence and trust reposed in us and giving us an opportunity to be of service to them and
All our past employees and trainees who have contributed significantly in the journey of R&A so far
As we now begin a new Era under the genesis of the Companies Act 2013, R & A is all set to take off as a Corporate Legal Services firm who has a close understanding of the fact as to where we have come from, how we havegrown and how these achievements can be built on in the future.
As it is said, Never forget your past, it’s the foundation that built your existence and the secret to your future.
Best Regards,
Rashida Adenwala