• Founding Partner

Marked by his sagely aura, Ashok leads Cignas as a founding partner of the firm. With a strong legal and tax background with over 48 years of experience, Ashok was at the helm of affairs at N A Shah before Cignas. Heading the firm’s Tax Advisory, Estate and Trust Planning and Family Settlement/Mediation practice, he became over the years a trusted voice to go to for a number of family businesses. His reputation preceded him in most of these discussions, as businesses trusted his advice to be holistic, fair and well balanced. His sharp memory from a vast reservoir of past experiences often provides unconventional insights to clients- helping him devise out-of-the-box tax strategies.

Over the years he has helped scores of private equity funds, domestic and multinational corporations in areas ranging from designing efficient operating and tax structures, corporate reorganizations, M&As, etc. Ashok also has a rock-solid reputation in managing estate and trust planning. He also contributes significantly to the social ecosystem in the field of education and is currently Co-Chair of Muktangan Education Trust. He has a degree in Law from the Mumbai University and qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1977.

Areas of specialisation

• Transaction Advisory
• Tax Advisory
• Business Restructuring
• Estate and Trust Planning
• Mediation and Family Settlement
• Family Governance