Ashwath Rau is and has been on various committees, including as (i) a Member of the Regulatory Affairs Committee of the Indian Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (2018 – Present); (ii) an Invitee to the SEBI Working Group on redrafting the SEBI (Foreign Portfolio Investors) Regulations, 2014, under the Chairmanship of Shri Harun R. Khan (2018); (iii) an Invitee to the SEBI Working Group to reconcile the SEBI (Mutual Funds) Regulations, 1996 with the Companies Act, 2013 and the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 (2018 – Present); and (iv) a Member of the International Bar Association’s Investment Funds Committee (2014–2018).
Ashwath has earned several accolades for his expertise. He is ranked a ‘Band 1’ lawyer for Corporate / M&A by Chambers Global (2017–2020); and a ‘Band 1’ lawyer for Corporate / M&A and Private Equity by Chambers Asia–Pacific (2017–2020). He is recommended in the RSG India Report (2017 & 2019) and Recognised as a ‘Distinguished Practitioner’ for Corporate and M&A, Investment Funds and Private Equity by Asialaw Profiles (2020). IFLR1000 recommends Ashwath as ‘Highly Regarded’ for Investment Funds (2020), M&A and Private Equity (2018–2019). He has also been recognised as one of the ‘Best Practitioners in India’ by IFLR 1000 Asia Best Lawyers (2019).
Additionally, Ashwath was named a ‘Leading Practitioner’ for M&A and Governance (2018–2019), Corporate (2019) and Private Equity (2019) by the International Who’s Who Legal. The Legal 500 Asia Pacific also names Ashwath a ‘Leading Lawyer’ for Investment Funds (2015–2018 & 2020). Ashwath has also featured on the ‘Forty Under 40 Business Leaders Lawyers’ lists in India and Asia (ex–China), published by the Economic Times and Asian Legal Business (Thomson Reuters) (2016).
Ashwath Rau, a Senior Partner in the Mumbai office, specialises in M&A, investment funds and asset management, private equity, joint ventures, financial regulatory, corporate governance and general corporate advisory. Chambers Global, 2019, describes Ashwath as “fantastic and highly knowledgeable,” a practitioner who is “well regarded for his expertise in handling big–ticket M&A transactions and private equity investments.” Additionally, Chambers Asia–Pacific, 2016, describes Ashwath as a “fantastic lawyer” who is extremely highly rated for his capabilities in private equity, particularly in connection with fund structuring.
