Head Legal

1. Role Purpose

The Head – Legal will be responsible for protecting Stove Kraft Limited’s legal and commercial interests across its manufacturing, sales, procurement, real estate, employment, intellectual property and international business activities.

The incumbent will lead the Legal function and act as a business-oriented legal advisor to the Managing Director and senior management, with particular emphasis on preventing litigation, strengthening contracts, reducing legal exposure and ensuring timely resolution of disputes.

The role will work closely with the Company Secretary & Compliance Officer while maintaining clear responsibility for operational and commercial legal matters.

2. Key Responsibilities

A. Contracts & Commercial Legal

* Draft, review, negotiate and approve commercial agreements including:

    * Vendor and supplier agreements

    * Distributor/dealer agreements

    * Modern trade and e-commerce agreements

    * Manufacturing and OEM agreements

    * Import/export agreements

    * Technology and software agreements

    * Marketing, advertising and agency agreements

    * Logistics and warehousing agreements

    * Lease, leave & licence and property agreements

    * NDAs, MoUs and term sheets

    * Consultancy and service agreements

* Develop standard agreement templates and contractual clauses across the organisation.

* Establish a Contract Lifecycle Management system with centralised storage, renewal alerts and approval workflows.

* Ensure commercial contracts adequately protect Stove Kraft on liability, indemnity, warranty, IP, confidentiality, termination and dispute-resolution matters.

B. Litigation & Dispute Management

Take end-to-end ownership of all litigation involving Stove Kraft, including:

* Commercial disputes

* Vendor/customer disputes

* Consumer cases

* Product liability matters

* Employment and labour disputes

* Property and land matters

* Recovery proceedings

* Arbitration

* Intellectual property disputes

* Regulatory proceedings

Maintain a central litigation dashboard covering case status, financial exposure, next hearing, external counsel, strategy and expected outcome.

Actively drive settlement of commercially viable cases rather than allowing litigation to remain pending indefinitely.

C. Manufacturing & Regulatory Legal

Provide legal support to Stove Kraft’s manufacturing operations, including matters relating to:

* Factories and industrial regulations

* Pollution/environmental regulations

* Labour and employment laws

* Legal metrology

* BIS/product compliance

* Consumer protection

* Product liability

* E-waste and environmental obligations

* Fire and safety regulations

* Industrial land and factory approvals

* Licences and statutory permissions

Work with functional heads to identify legal risks before they result in notices, penalties or litigation.

D. Intellectual Property

Develop and implement a comprehensive IP protection strategy for:

* Pigeon

* Gilma

* BLACK+DECKER rights applicable to Stove Kraft

* Product designs

* Patents

* Trademarks

* Copyrights

* Packaging and trade dress

Monitor infringement and counterfeit products in India and overseas and initiate appropriate enforcement action.

Maintain a complete IP register showing registrations, applications, renewals and infringement actions.

E. Real Estate & Property

Lead legal due diligence for:

* Purchase of land

* Factory expansion

* Warehouses

* Offices

* Retail/EBO properties

* Long-term leases

* Industrial land allotments

Review title documents, encumbrances, conversion, zoning, approvals and contractual risks before any property transaction is committed.

Coordinate with external lawyers for title verification and property documentation.

F. M&A, JV and International Business

Provide legal support for:

* Acquisitions

* Joint ventures

* Strategic investments

* Overseas subsidiaries

* China operations/JVs

* UAE and other international operations

* Technology collaborations

* International sourcing arrangements

Lead or coordinate legal due diligence, transaction documentation, shareholder agreements, JV agreements and closing documentation.

Work with local counsel in overseas jurisdictions where required.

G. Employment & HR Legal

Advise HR and management on:

* Employment contracts

* Senior management appointments

* Termination and separation

* Confidentiality

* Non-solicitation

* Employee misconduct

* POSH-related legal aspects

* Labour disputes

* Contractor arrangements

* Employee claims

Ensure appropriate documentation and legal risk assessment for sensitive employee matters.

H. Corporate Governance Support

Work closely with the Company Secretary & Compliance Officer on matters requiring legal interpretation under:

* Companies Act

* SEBI Regulations

* Listing Regulations

* Insider Trading Regulations

* Related Party Transactions

* Corporate governance requirements

The Company Secretary will continue to own statutory secretarial and stock-exchange compliance; the Head – Legal will provide legal support and interpretation wherever required.

I. Legal Risk Management

Create a formal Legal Risk Register for Stove Kraft.

Conduct periodic legal audits covering:

* Major contracts

* Litigation

* Property

* IP

* Employment

* Regulatory exposure

* Product liability

* International transactions

Escalate material legal risks to the MD/CFO and management.

3. Key Deliverables / KPIs

Performance should be measured through clearly defined KPIs:

Litigation

* Reduction in number and value of outstanding cases

* Closure/settlement of legacy litigation

* No adverse orders arising from missed hearings or procedural lapses

Contracts

* Standard contracts: 48-hour turnaround

* Complex contracts: 5 working days

* 100% central repository for material contracts

Legal Risk

* Quarterly Legal Risk Dashboard to MD

* Zero major regulatory/legal surprises

* 100% tracking of material legal notices

Intellectual Property

* 100% timely renewal of trademarks/designs/patents

* Active monitoring and enforcement against infringement

External Legal Cost

* Annual legal budget and counsel-wise cost monitoring

* Reduction in unnecessary dependence on external lawyers

* Defined panel and negotiated fee structure for external counsel

4. Candidate Profile

Qualification

Essential:

* LL.B. from a recognised university

* Enrolled with a State Bar Council

Preferred:

* LL.M. / Company Secretary qualification would be an advantage, but not mandatory.

Experience

15–20 years of relevant experience, preferably including significant experience in a listed manufacturing/consumer products/FMCG/durable company.

The candidate should have strong experience in:

* Commercial contracts

* Manufacturing-related laws

* Litigation

* Corporate law

* Employment law

* Intellectual property

* Property transactions

* M&A/JV documentation

Experience handling international contracts, imports/exports and overseas subsidiaries/JVs will be strongly preferred.

5. Ideal Candidate

The preferred candidate should be a commercially minded General Counsel rather than a purely litigation-oriented lawyer.

He/she should:

* Understand business and manufacturing operations

* Be comfortable taking decisions rather than merely identifying risks

* Provide practical solutions to management

* Negotiate strongly with counterparties

* Have excellent drafting skills

* Be capable of personally handling complex contracts

* Manage senior external lawyers effectively

* Be comfortable interacting directly with the MD, Board members and senior management

* Have high integrity and confidentiality

• Qualification: LL.B. mandatory; LL.M./CS preferred.
  
• Experience: 15–20 years of relevant legal experience.
  
• Experience in commercial contracts, litigation, corporate law, employment law, IP, property transactions and M&A/JV documentation.
  
• Experience in a listed company, manufacturing, consumer products, FMCG or durable industry preferred.
  
• International contracts, imports/exports and overseas JV/subsidiary exposure preferred.
  
• Strong drafting, negotiation, stakeholder management and business advisory skills.
  
• Should be commercially oriented and capable of working directly with the MD, Board and senior management.