The Strategist Behind Global Governance
Neha Sanghavi
Associate Director - Legal and Company Secretary
Liminal Custody
The Strategist Behind Global Governance
Neha Sanghavi
Associate Director - Legal and Company Secretary
Liminal Custody
From Singapore to the UAE and India, Neha Sanghavi has been part of multi-jurisdictional regulatory strategies that empower businesses to enter regulated custody markets with confidence. Her work in designing governance frameworks that align compliance with strategic growth reflects a career built on global insight, legal expertise, and the foresight to transform regulatory challenges into opportunities. As Associate Director – Legal and Company Secretary at Liminal Custody, Neha’s 13-year journey has evolved from meticulous corporate secretarial work to strategic leadership across governance, legal, and compliance functions. Early in her career, she managed statutory compliance, global entity lifecycles, and governance processes for multinational organisations, honing precision, regulatory interpretation, and risk management skills that define her approach to complex legal landscapes today. Neha has applied this expertise across diverse industries, including oil & gas, media, fintech, and Web3. She has successfully led cross-border mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and corporate restructuring initiatives, ensuring seamless compliance with multi-jurisdictional frameworks. Beyond execution, she has built governance systems that uphold international regulatory standards while fostering innovation and sustainable growth. Her rapid ascent at Liminal Custody is marked by two promotions in three years. This underscores her ability to position governance and compliance as strategic enablers rather than administrative obligations. A qualified company secretary from ICSI and Master of Law from Jindal Global Law School, Neha continues to guide organisations through the evolving digital asset ecosystem, creating frameworks that build trust, transparency, and long-term impact. Speaking with TradeFlock, she discusses more about her work.
What are your biggest challenges and how you tackle them?
The biggest challenge in my role is keeping up with how fast regulations are evolving across jurisdictions. In the digital assets space, rules differ widely from country to country, and ensuring we stay compliant without disrupting the business is always top of mind. I tackle this by staying ahead by reading consultation papers, interpreting draft regulations, and sharing feedback to highlight the practical challenges licence holders face. It’s about helping shape policies that work in the real world. Another challenge is making sure governance and compliance are consistent across all our group entities. I focus on building standardised processes and clear reporting structures so that compliance isn’t just a checkbox—it’s uniform, transparent, and always audit-ready.
What key lessons have shaped your career, and how do you apply them today?
Over 13 years, I’ve learnt that governance and compliance are about building trust. Trust with investors, regulators, and internal teams lays the foundation for long-term success. Adaptability is essential: as regulations evolve and business models grow, staying informed and agile ensures opportunities are fully leveraged. In my role, I keep the Board updated, maintain robust compliance systems across jurisdictions, and design governance frameworks that are transparent and scalable. For me, strong governance is a strategic enabler that drives growth, reinforces integrity, and gives stakeholders the confidence to invest, collaborate, and innovate with assurance.
"I focus on building standardised processes and clear reporting structures so that compliance isn’t just a checkbox—it’s uniform, transparent, and always audit-ready."
Leadership often looks effortless; what aspects go unnoticed?
What people often don’t see is the delicate balance leadership in governance demands between legal precision and business practicality. Every decision requires weighing compliance obligations against commercial realities, ensuring that neither is compromised. Governance leaders often serve as the steady voice in the room, guiding growth responsibly while keeping ethics at the heart of every choice. Leadership in this space also demands resilience. Legal and compliance functions frequently operate behind the scenes, navigating complex, high-stakes issues that require calm judgement and clear communication. Staying composed under pressure, interpreting evolving regulations, and steering the organisation through uncertainty with clarity and integrity—this is the side of leadership that rarely gets highlighted but is central to shaping sustainable, trustworthy, and strategically sound businesses.
How has leading legal and governance teams across industries shaped your leadership style?
Working across diverse industries has profoundly shaped how I lead. In oil & gas, I learnt the importance of structure, attention to detail, and disciplined compliance across global entities. Media taught me to balance governance with creativity and speed, navigating fast-moving environments while maintaining controls. Transitioning into fintech and Web3 demanded greater agility, as regulations change rapidly and decisions often need to be made confidently. Over time, my leadership style has evolved to focus on clarity, accountability, and precision. I strive to ensure governance and legal frameworks not only uphold compliance and ethics but also actively support business objectives, enabling teams to operate efficiently and make strategic, well-informed decisions in complex, dynamic sectors.
With work, compliance, and workforce expectations changing fast, how do leaders stay relevant?
Staying relevant as a governance leader means being proactive, curious, and ahead of the curve. I make it a point to study consultation papers and evolving regulatory proposals, not just to interpret rules, but to understand the regulator’s intent and anticipate their real-world impact. This lets us align internal frameworks and stay ready before changes take effect. Equally important is blending technical expertise with practical judgement, anticipating how new regulations, technologies, or market shifts could affect the organisation. In today’s rapidly evolving workplaces, leaders who combine foresight with adaptability don’t just react; they turn compliance into a strategic enabler for growth and innovation.
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