Zia Jaydev Mody (born 19 July 1956) is an Indian corporate lawyer and businesswoman. She is the oldest daughter of Soli Sorabjee, a former Attorney General of India, and has three brothers, Jehangir, Jamshed, and Hormazd.

Zia Mody
Born (1956-07-19) 19 July 1956 (age 68)
Alma materUniversity of Cambridge
Harvard Law School
OccupationCorporate lawyer
OrganizationAZB & Partners (Founder & Managing Partner)
SpouseJaydev Mody (Chairman of Delta Corp)
FatherSoli Sorabjee
RelativesHormazd Sorabjee (editor at Autocar)

Zia is one of the founding partners of AZB & Partners, an Indian premier law firms.[1] She advises large private equity houses such as KKR, Bain Capital, and Warburg Pincus. She has been ranked No. 1 in Fortune India's India's 50 Most Powerful Women in Business list in 2018 and 2019.[2]

Biography

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Mody's initial education was at Elphinstone College, Mumbai.[3] She studied law at Selwyn College, Cambridge, in 1978 and was enrolled as an Advocate with the Bar Council of Maharashtra & Goa in 1978. She secured a master's degree from Harvard Law School and was then admitted as a member of the New York State Bar in 1980.[4]

She is dually licensed to practice law in India and the United States. She worked for five years with Baker McKenzie in New York City before returning to India.[3] Her husband, business tycoon Jaydev Mody, is the chairman of Delta Corp. They live in Mumbai, Maharashtra, and have three daughters, Anjali, Aarti, and Aditi.[5] She started her own practice, Chambers of Zia Mody, in Mumbai in 1984. She practiced in the Indian courts for over 10 years as a counsel. She then merged with other firms to form AZB & Partners.[3][6]

Zia is a Baháʼí by religion.[7] Her mother, Zena Sorabjee, who introduced her to the faith, was appointed by the governing institution of the religion as Counsellor for South Central Asia. Zia Mody has stated that her father is a Zoroastrian.[7]

 
Zia Mody in Japan

Memberships and affiliations

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She is an Independent Director (2018–present), Member of Audit & Risk Committee (2018–present), and Member of Investment Committee (2019–present) of Ascendas Property Fund Trustee Pte. Ltd.[8]

She has been or is a member of the Reserve Bank of India (2012), the Confederation of Indian Industry National Council (2015–present), the Committee on Corporate Governance formed by SEBI (2017), and Maharashtra's Economic Advisory Council (2023). She has been the Vice President and member of the London Court of International Arbitration (2010–2013).

Charitable work

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She has contributed to the Jai Vakeel Foundation[9] and the Baháʼí fund.[7]

References

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  1. ^ "RSG India - Law Firm Rankings". Archived from the original on 9 August 2020. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  2. ^ "India's Most Powerful Business Women in 2019". Fortune India. Archived from the original on 6 March 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  3. ^ a b c Amarnath, Nichinta; Ghosh, Debashish (2005), "A Mind of Intellect", The Voyage To Excellence: The Ascent of 21 Women Leaders of India Inc, Delhi: Pustak Mahal, ISBN 81-223-0904-6
  4. ^ Perkins, Christine (Spring 2006). "Profile: A Passage in India". Harvard Law Bulletin. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
  5. ^ Saxena, Aditi. "Law bores me, says Zia Mody's daughter Anjali". The Economic Times. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  6. ^ "Chambers & Partners - Zia Profile". Chambers & Partners. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  7. ^ a b c Zia Mody (3 October 2014). "Zia Mody-My giving is determined by my religion". livemint. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
  8. ^ "Board of Directors | Our Board of Directors - Ascendas India Trust".
  9. ^ "Supporters - Jai Vakeel Foundation".