Flipkart V-P and group general counsel Bijoya Roy quits e-commerce giant

Roy has joined French spirits group, Pernod Ricard, as general counsel for South Asia and will take up the new role on April 12, 2021, according to the sources

Flipkart vice-president and group general counsel, Bijoya Roy, has left the e-commerce giant to join French spirits group, Pernod Ricard, as general counsel for South Asia, according to the sources. She will take up the new role on 12th April, 2021.

Roy is an alumnus of Symbiosis Law School, Pune, and holds a postgraduate diploma in EC competition law from King’s College, London. Prior to Flipkart, Roy had led legal operations at organisations such as Tata Housing Development Company, Asian Paints, and Eastman Kodak Company.

In 2008, Roy joined media company Thomson Reuters and was later elevated as general counsel – global growth organization. In 2019, she joined Flipkart and moved from Dubai to Bengaluru after US retailer Walmart acquired Flipkart for $16 billion in 2018. A Flipkart spokesperson confirmed the development.

Roy is an experienced senior lawyer with a demonstrated history of working in the information technology, media and services industries. She is known for her skills in devising legal strategies to fuel sustainable business growth, negotiations and mergers and acquisitions (M&A). She also has expertise in leading global compliance initiatives and partnering with human resources and finance to create a robust corporate framework. 

Roy is qualified as a Solicitor of England and Wales with a dual qualification from India. She also has the expertise in leading teams and supporting global markets spanning Europe, Asia, Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and Russia.

Roy has left Flipkart at a time when the Walmart, Inc-owned e-commerce firm is gearing up for a proposed initial public offering (IPO) this year or 2022. Flipkart had recently appointed Saroj Panigrahi, who was head of JP Morgan’s legal department in India, as its senior vice-president and general counsel. Panigrahi is responsible for all legal matters in Flipkart with a particular focus on board management, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance and regulatory compliance.

Roy, who has led the legal operations of the Bengaluru-based firm since January 2019 was expected to transition into the role of vice president, head of legal for Flipkart Operations and report to Panigrahi, according to an internal email sent by Flipkart Group CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy, to employees in December 2020. “She will dedicate her focus towards overseeing all legal matters towards the operations across Flipkart, Myntra and Flipkart Wholesale,” Krishnamurthy had said in the letter.