Dr. (h.c.) Mamta Binani
Guiding Light of Indian Corporate Law
With the rare distinction of being the 1st Insolvency Professional in India with two decades of experience as a Company Secretary, Dr. (h.c.) Mamta Binani is the country’s leading Advocate-Consultant on restructuring, corporate and legal matters.
Based in Kolkata, Mamta has been a super achiever all her life. In 1996, she was the All-India Topper in
the Intermediate exam of The Institute of Company Secretaries of India among women and ranked 14th
overall. And in 1997, she received the highest marks across India in the Company Law Paper of the Final
exam of ICSI.
Mamta spent the next 21 years as a Company Secretary and Senior Partner at Mamta Binani & Associates, having her offices in Kolkata, Pune, Chennai, Mumbai and Guwahati. The leading firm provides integrated Corporate, Secretarial and Legal Services, offering a one-stop solution for all Corporate Compliances and Legal Requirements in India and abroad.
Fierce and multi-faceted, Mamta was acknowledged across the country when she was selected as the National President of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India in 2016, becoming only the second woman to hold the post in the history of the institute.
She proved her versatility when she also became the 1st Insolvency Professional in the country to be registered with the Insolvency & Bankruptcy Board of India. This paved the way for her to excel as a Corporate Advocate focused on the space of reconstructing and rejuvenating corporate bodies.
Today, not only is Mamta an elite member of the corporate law fraternity, but also a distinguished Speaker, Writer, Consultant, Trainer and Mentor. She has been a trainer with ICICI Bank and the Unit Trust of India. She writes for leading international journals, magazines and newspapers on varied topics. And above all, she is an inspiring mentor to many young professionals. She regularly speaks on mental health and has delivered more than 4500 lectures on a pro bono basis for the development of skill sets in Gennext.
What are the strengths that drive her, we ask Mamta. “Honesty, perseverance, and a positive outlook,” she answers. She truly believes the adage ‘Perseverance conquers all’, and her ability to be optimistic in the face of challenges helps her balance things with ease. Coming from a progressive Marwari family, she considers family and maintaining healthy relationships a big asset: “My family gave me the courage to follow my dreams. Especially my husband Sumit, who embraced my ambition as his own and stood by me through thick and thin,” she says.
A people’s person, Mamta understands the importance of teamwork and loves to share her mistakes with colleagues, for them to learn from it. She also fosters global connections and exposure to global practices, and takes a keen interest in corporate laws, leadership training, sustainability and CSR issues. To mention a few: She represented ICSI as a speaker at OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) Headquarters in Paris; She was a speaker at the Inter-Governmental meet at the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) forum held in Amsterdam and Madrid on issues of Sustainability; and she was part of the International Corporate Governance Network (ICGN) Annual Conference held in San Francisco on the subject ‘Integrating ESG in strategic investment decision making’.
In addition, she has been covered by BBC World, appeared in Femina Magazine, and featured in a telefilm on her journey ‘Wah Zindagi’, widely viewed on YouTube.
Unmoved by financial compensation, for Mamta, work is worship and every client, God. Her impeccable work ethic has brought her an extensive list of awards, some of which include: Bharat Nirman Award for Excellence in Professional Services; Tejaswini Award for bringing change in the social sector and empowerment of women; The Sculptors Bhavishya Ke Shilpakar Award in recognition of her contribution to the society; Insolvency Law Award Winner (India) 2020 by the International Advisory Experts.
In 2021, she was conferred with the Asian African Leadership Award; became the first Indian to receive the prestigious IWIRC Women of the Year in Restructuring (Asia) Award; and was the Awardee of the AsiaOne Women Empowerment Principles Leadership Award in Dubai.
A respected thought leader in the community, Mamta is a Member, Trustee and Board Director in innumerable Companies, Committees and Task Force. These days, she has made it her sole focus to live a life of purpose: “As a responsible citizen, I believe in interdependence and moving together. I am working through a lot of environmental and health issues, and one of the lead campaigns is minimal use of plastic,” shares the enterprising Mamta Binani.
