Cyril Shroff Scholarships instituted at University of Oxford

Commemorates 40 years of legal career of Cyril Shroff with fully funded research scholarships in climate change and sustainability related research in law and public policy at Oxford India Centre for Sustainable Development, University of Oxford

Vision to build a broad long-term relationship, create a pipeline of future leaders in law and public policy, and enable �brain gain” for India

OXFORD, England & MUMBAI, India–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#BrainGain–To commemorate 40 years in legal practice of India’s leading corporate lawyer, Cyril Shroff, Managing Partner, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas; and the Oxford India Centre for Sustainable Development (OICSD) based at Somerville College, University of Oxford, will be instituting the “Cyril Shroff Scholarships”. The fully funded scholarships seek to encourage research in pressing global issues involving law and policy, with a special emphasis on climate change and sustainability and seek to support “brain gain” in India by developing a pipeline of highly skilled talent and their research. This initiative is the first in plans for wider engagement over time.

From 2023, the new Cyril Shroff Scholars at OICSD, University of Oxford will spearhead the shared values of the [Shroff Family] and Somerville College. The scholarship – three in the first instance, with ongoing discussions for the future – will be selected for their clear-sighted ambition to create change in India through law and public policy, with a lens on tackling the climate crisis.

Outlining the vision behind Cyril Shroff Scholarship, Mr. Cyril Shroff, Managing Partner, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, said, “On my 40^th professional anniversary – I have commenced my ‘giving journey.’ I believe that life is divided into 3 parts – learning, earning and giving. Learning is lifelong, and in recognition of this, my giving journey commences with the scholarship instituted at Somerville College, University of Oxford. It is my ardent belief that law and public policy scholars at Oxford will be instrumental tackling the intractable challenges facing India, particularly the existential challenges of climate change. I also hope that this will be ‘brain gain’ for India. Somerville College at the University of Oxford is a perfect partner for our giving journey – given their storied history of inclusion, their India connection and empowering Indian scholarship since the very first Indian woman to study and practice law. This blends perfectly with our own ethos of creating the finest lawyers for a just world.”

Mr. Cyril Shroff recently completed 40 years in the profession. His career has spanned some of the most distinguished corporate, financial, and commercial matters in the country, that have been pivotal in building a global reputation for himself, and for Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, India’s largest law firm that he leads as its Managing Partner. He was also an important force in reshaping and professionalising the legal profession and law firms in India and the adoption of legal tech. At CAM, Mr. Shroff pioneered and incubated several industry leading practices, most recently, ESG, in recognition of the climate crisis and its intersection with economic development and business. Over the years, his passion for a just world, blended with a keen sense of fairness and empathy has helped CAM firmly establish itself as a trusted advisor to its clients.

Ms. Jan Royall, Principal of Somerville College, University of Oxford, visited India and shared her views on the occasion, “I’m proud to see these scholarships become a reality. They will not only change the lives of the students who receive them, but go some way towards honouring and repaying the historic contribution made by Indian scholarship to our foremost universities and businesses, creating a brain gain for India, rather than a brain drain. Having spent time with Cyril Shroff in Mumbai, I can see his strong commitment towards a more sustainable world and deep intellectual curiosity on these critical issues. We are grateful for his philanthropic pledge to this endeavour.”

Ms. Royall has had a distinguished career in politics, notably serving as Chief Whip in the House of Lords and then as Leader of the House from 2008-2010. She also served as Shadow Leader of the House of Lords from 2010-2015. Prior to her parliamentary career, she was a senior adviser in the European Commission before heading its office in Wales. In 2004 she was appointed to the Lords as Baroness Royall of Blaisdon and in 2005 became a Government Spokesperson for Health, International Development, Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. Ms. Royall works with governments, political parties and NGOs in many countries on democracy building, leadership, nurturing civil society and women’s empowerment.

Mr. Cyril Shroff has over 40 years of experience in a wide range of practices areas, including corporate and securities law, disputes, banking, bankruptcy, and infrastructure. A thought leader and a visionary, Mr. Shroff has consistently been ranked as “Star Practitioner” in India by Chambers Global. Widely regarded as the “M&A King of India”, he has advised many first of the kind transactions in India. He has also been very active on the public policy front, and has helped craft fundamental reform, draft critical legislations, and regulations. He serves as the Chair of the SES ESG Advisory Board, FICCI Corporate Law Committee, the CII National Committee on Regulatory Issues for the Financial Sector and has served on multiple committees of the Securities and Exchange Board of India, including Uday Kotak Committee on Corporate Governance and SEBI Committee on Insider Trading. Mr. Shroff is also a Member of the Advisory Board of the Centre for Study of the Legal Profession established by the Harvard Law School. He also serves on the Board of Krea University.

CAM is the largest full-service law firm in India with a global reputation of being a trusted adviser. The Firm has 1000 lawyers and 160 Partners located across seven offices in India and in Singapore. The Firm recently received “Innovation in Advancing Markets” award at the FT Innovative Lawyers Asia Pacific 2022 Awards and the “National Law Firm of the Year: India” award at the IFLR Asia Pacific 2022 awards ceremony.

Somerville College, a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England, was founded in 1879 as Somerville Hall, one of its first two women’s colleges. Among its alumnae have been Margaret Thatcher, Indira Gandhi, Nobel Laureate Dorothy Hodgkin. Somerville College plays a major role in relations between Oxford and India. Cornelia Sorabji, born in the Bombay Presidency of British India, became the first Indian woman to study at any British university, when she came to Somerville in 1889 to read law, while Indira Gandhi, India’s first female prime minister, read Modern History at the college in 1937. In 2012, the college and Oxford University announced the Oxford India Centre for Sustainable Development (OICSD). It combines research, scholarships and engagement to study the complex challenges and opportunities posed by sustainable development in India. About 50 students have already been supported by the programme and are now contributing to India’s sustainable development.

Contacts

CAM Media Contact:
Madhumita Paul

Dy. Chief Marketing Officer – Marketing & Communications

madhumita.paul@cyrilshroff.com
+91 98338 18006

Rahul Gossain

Head – Marketing Communications, and Delhi Region BD

rahul.gossain@cyrilshroff.com
+91 98731 54228

Somerville College Contact:
Vinita Govindarajan

vinita.govindarajan@some.ox.ac.uk
+44 7879201518

Matthew Phipps

communications.manager@some.ox.ac.uk
01865 270600