Vanathi Ray
Director
Vanathi is a Director of the firm. Vanathi has over a decade of experience handling complex international arbitration and commercial litigation cases over a broad spectrum of areas such as corporate governance, infrastructure, commodities and hospitality. She has represented a wide range of clients including multinational corporations, public-listed companies and high-net worth individuals. Her special interest is in corporate governance disputes, especially claims of minority oppression and breaches of director’s duties.
She has represented clients at all levels of the Singapore Supreme Court, as well as before the SIAC and LCIA, and obtained negotiated settlements for her clients via private mediation. Prior to joining Providence Law Asia LLC, Vanathi practised for 6 years at a leading local firm where she worked with Senior Counsel.
Vanathi has been recognised as “Future Star in Commercial & Transactions” in Benchmark Litigation Asia-Pacific Guide 2024. She was also named “Rising Star” in Asian Legal Business 2023.
Vanathi graduated with an LLB (Hons) from the National University of Singapore. During her time there, she won the Advocacy Cup and went on to become the first and only Singaporean to win the Witness Examination Competition at the Australian Law Students’ Conference. Vanathi also took part in the Jean Pictet Humanitarian Law Competition 2008 where her team emerged as semi-finalists.
Vanathi teaches the Advocacy module every year at the Singapore Institute of Legal Education’s bar exam course, and has taught Trial Advocacy at the National University of Singapore. Vanathi’s desire to serve the community also led her to move to Kolkata, India for 1 year to volunteer as a Legal Fellow with International Justice Mission, an international NGO, working to protect vulnerable persons from human trafficking and prosecute perpetrators.
Vanathi is fluent in English and Tamil.
Admissions
- Advocate and Solicitor, Supreme Court of Singapore
Professional Experience
- Acted for several Korean global contractors who are involved in a US$6 billion oil refinery construction project in the Middle East in an application before the Singapore International Commercial Court to challenge a negative jurisdictional ruling made by an arbitral tribunal in arbitration proceedings arising out of a services agreement related to the project.
- Acted for Singapore public-listed company, Sembcorp Marine Ltd, against a joint venture partner in a seminal case on the interpretation and implication of terms in a contract at both the High Court and Court of Appeal. See Sembcorp Marine Ltd v PPL Holdings Ltd & Anor [2013] 4 SLR 143.
- Acted for the directors and shareholders, at both the parent and subsidiary company levels, in multiple lawsuits for minority shareholder oppression, breaches of fiduciary duties and claims for shares, arising from the acquisition of a SGD 200 million hotel in Sentosa island, Singapore.
- Successfully represented a Mauritius asset management and equities investment company in an application before the Singapore International Commercial Court to resist the setting aside of a multi-party SIAC arbitration award for approximately USD 24.5 million. See Gokul Patnaik v Nine Rivers Capital Limited [2020] SGHC(I) 23.
- Acted for a private individual in the High Court of Singapore in respect of a dispute arising from an investment project in an Indonesian coal mine valued at SGD 4.5 million, and successfully negotiated a favourable settlement via private mediation.
- Acted for a base metals trader in the appeal to the Court of Appeal arising from its claim for approximately USD 1.1 million from its insurers, arising from the theft of four shipments of iron ore.
- Acted as lead counsel for a Singapore-based IT services company to defend a claim by a UK-based cyber security company arising from an alleged breach of a distributorship agreement, including before the Singapore Court of Appeal on a jurisdictional point. The claim was worth approximately USD 240,000.
- Successfully represented an Australian lawyers and high-roller in his claim against a subsidiary of a Malaysian gaming and casino giant for assault, battery and false imprisonment in the first known case of its kind in Singapore seeking civil damages for intentional torts.
- Represented a passenger in a motor accident claim that left the passenger with spinal injury and quadriplegia, successfully procuring a multi-million dollar mediated settlement.
- Represented a high-profile surgeon who was involved in a motor accident resulting in injuries that would affect the client’s ability to perform surgeries in the future.
- Acted for one of the largest privately owned investment groups in China in an SIAC arbitration arising from claims by minority shareholders of oppression and breaches of a shareholders’ agreement in relation to a US$2 billion company.
- Successfully represented an Australian company in an SIAC arbitration against a state government for breach of an infrastructure-building contract for an immigration system worth over US$100 million.
- Acted for one of the largest Bruneian marine offshore support companies in the oil and gas industry in a SIAC arbitration against an American-based global investment management company in relation to two joint venture agreements valued at approximately US$120 million.
- Acted for one of India’s largest manufacturer of industrial chemicals and fertilisers in a multi-party LCIA arbitration arising from the sale of shares in one of the largest producers of phosphate fertilizer products in sub-Saharan Africa for US$50 million.
- Acted for the directors and shareholder of one of the largest Bruneian marine offshore support companies in the oil and gas industries in a multi-party SIAC arbitration, in respect of a shares dispute brought by a former director and shareholder of the company with a claim value pleaded at approximately US$13.8 million.
- Acted for a Singapore contractor in an SIAC arbitration against a government-linked South Asian company for repudiating an agreement for the construction of residential towers where the claims and cross-claims were pleaded at approximately US$8.5 million.
- Acted for an Indian stevedoring firm in an SIAC arbitration commenced by a Singapore-based international commodity trading house for a claim in excess of US$1.6 million arising from the sale and purchase of a cargo of coal.
- Advised two senior managers who were terminated from their positions in a US-based international bank due to allegations of misconduct and assisted in exit negotiations with the bank’s solicitors.
- Advised the regional head of a Japan-based based international bank on internal investigations conducted against him and his exit from the bank, as well as on a criminal complaint arising from the same conduct.
- Advised a senior broker of a US-based global financial services company on disciplinary proceedings undertaken against him and his exit from the company.
- Advised two senior ex-brokers of a US-based global financial services company on allegations of breach of non-compete clauses.
- Advised an international travel company on Singapore employment law for the purpose of defending an action brought by an ex-executive in Spain for wrongful termination.
- Advised a billion-dollar Japanese company on internal investigations for potential corruption-related offences.
- Advised a management consulting firm regarding cross-border investigations against it for possible corruption-related offences.
- Successfully represented a casino in Southeast Asia in procuring the release of funds seized during investigations for cheating.