Service: Advisory Services

Special Valuation Branch Assessments

Our SVB Assessment services provide comprehensive advisory and documentation support for customs matters involving related-party imports into India. We assist clients in managing SVB investigations by analysing intercompany relationships, pricing mechanisms, and contractual arrangements to establish arm’s-length compliance under Indian customs law. Our support includes preparation of detailed submissions, responses to authority queries, and guidance on procedural requirements such as PD bonds, zero loading, and provisional assessments. We also advise on aligning intercompany agreements, royalty structures, and management fee arrangements to reduce future exposure. By integrating customs, transfer pricing, and legal perspectives, we help clients achieve clarity, closure, and predictability in complex SVB proceedings.

Our focus areas

Our SVB approach is designed to achieve defensible and sustainable outcomes.

• Relationship and pricing analysis
• Balancing the legally mandatory provisions of Transfer Prices under Direct Tax and Customs Regimes
• Preparation of SVB submissions and documentation (including Annexure A and Annexure B)
• PD bond and provisional assessment support
• Royalty and management-fee evaluations
• Authority interactions and proactive query management with an objective of zero loading
• Process and documentation adjustments

These focus areas reduce uncertainty and future customs exposure.

Our strengths

Our strength is the integration of multiple disciplines into one solution.

• Combined customs, transfer-pricing and legal expertise
• Strong experience with European group structures
• Ability to manage complex SVB reviews
• Clear, well-structured documentation
• Practical resolution-oriented mindset

This ensures efficient closure and long-term compliance.

Advisory Board

Our Advisory Board services support Indian subsidiaries and joint ventures by providing independent, experienced guidance aligned with group governance expectations. We assist in designing advisory boards, defining their mandate, and participating as independent advisers where appropriate. Our role typically includes strategic sparring with management, review of operational performance, and alignment of local decisions with group priorities. Advisory boards are particularly effective in bridging cultural, governance, and execution gaps between European headquarters and Indian management teams. Our advisers bring hands-on experience across India and Europe, ensuring discussions remain practical, commercially grounded, and forward-looking. The objective is to strengthen decision-making, governance discipline, and leadership effectiveness without creating additional statutory complexity.

Our focus areas

Our advisory board engagement focuses on value-adding governance.

• Board composition and role definition
• Charters, agendas and operating frameworks
• Strategic and operational sparring
• Management performance review
• Alignment with group governance expectations
• These focus areas enhance oversight while supporting management autonomy.

Our strengths

Our advisory capability is built on experience and independence.

• Senior advisers with India and Europe exposure
• Objective, non-executive perspective
• Strong understanding of Mittelstand governance culture
• Hands-on, solution-oriented input
• Trusted interface between HQ and local management

This strengthens governance without slowing execution.

Dispute Resolution

Our Dispute Resolution services support clients in managing, resolving, and mitigating commercial, regulatory, and tax disputes in India with a strong focus on business continuity and value preservation. We work closely with management teams to assess the nature and severity of disputes at an early stage, helping clients understand legal exposure, financial implications, and potential reputational risks. Our approach emphasises pragmatic evaluation of litigation and settlement options, enabling informed decision-making before disputes escalate into prolonged and costly proceedings.

We assist in developing negotiation and settlement strategies that balance legal position with commercial realities, often helping clients achieve faster and more cost-effective outcomes. Where specialist legal counsel is required, we coordinate closely with external advisors to ensure a consistent strategy, clear communication, and efficient information flow. Our role extends to supporting documentation, position papers, and internal alignment across finance, tax, and operational teams.

Where disputes proceed to formal litigation or arbitration, we provide structured support in strategy development, evidence preparation, and ongoing coordination, ensuring clarity and control throughout the process. By combining legal understanding with commercial insight and cultural sensitivity, we help clients protect their interests while minimising disruption to their Indian operations and long-term business objectives.

Our focus areas

Our dispute support prioritises resolution over escalation.

• Litigation risk assessment
• Strategy and settlement planning
• Negotiation and mediation support
• Coordination with legal counsel
• Documentation and stakeholder communication

These focus areas help manage disputes pragmatically and efficiently.

Our strengths

Our strength lies in balancing firmness with relationship preservation.

• Culturally sensitive dispute handling
• Multi-disciplinary view on legal, financial and reputational risk
• Experience with European governance expectations
• Focus on commercial outcomes
• Clear communication with management and boards

This protects long-term business interests.

Compliance & Risk Management Audit

Our Compliance & Risk Management Audit services deliver independent and objective assessments of an Indian entity’s compliance framework, internal control environment, and overall risk-management processes. We evaluate how effectively local policies, procedures, and controls align with Indian regulatory requirements, group governance standards, and relevant international best practices. Our reviews go beyond checklist-based compliance to examine how controls operate in practice and how risks are identified, monitored, and managed across the organisation.

Through structured policy reviews, control testing, and stakeholder discussions, we identify compliance gaps, control weaknesses, and emerging risk areas. Each finding is assessed in terms of its financial, operational, regulatory, and reputational impact, allowing management to prioritise remediation efforts effectively. Our recommendations are practical, proportionate, and supported by a clear and actionable implementation roadmap, ensuring that improvements can be embedded into day-to-day operations.

The objective of our audits is not only to highlight deficiencies but to strengthen governance, accountability, and risk awareness at all organisational levels. Our reporting is concise, clearly structured, and tailored for senior management, audit committees, and group oversight functions, enabling informed decision-making and sustained improvement in the control environment.

Our focus areas

Our audits are designed to strengthen control environments.

• Policy and control framework reviews
• Regulatory compliance assessments
• Risk identification and prioritisation
• Remediation recommendations
• Implementation roadmaps

These focus areas enhance transparency and control maturity.

Our strengths

Our strength lies in combining audit rigour with advisory insight.

• Audit and advisory teams working together
• Practical, implementable recommendations
• Clear reporting for audit committees
• Alignment with group risk frameworks
• Business-focused approach

This ensures audits drive improvement, not just compliance.

Internal Audits

Our Internal Audit services deliver risk-based, independent assurance tailored to both group governance standards and the operational realities of doing business in India. We assess key business processes, internal controls, and fraud-risk exposures across functions, locations, and legal entities, with a clear focus on areas that matter most to management and group oversight bodies. Our audits are designed to provide insight, not disruption, and to support stronger decision-making rather than merely identifying non-compliance.

Our methodology is aligned with international internal-audit standards and best practices, while remaining pragmatic, proportionate, and business-oriented. Through process walkthroughs, control testing, data analysis, and targeted interviews, we identify control gaps, inefficiencies, and root causes of recurring issues. Particular attention is given to fraud-risk indicators, segregation of duties, and the effectiveness of management oversight.

Each audit concludes with clear, prioritised findings and practical recommendations that are realistic to implement within the Indian operating environment. We support management through structured remediation plans and follow-up tracking to ensure agreed actions are executed and sustained. Our reporting is concise, structured, and suitable for senior management and audit committees, providing transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement across the organisation.

Our focus areas

Our internal audits focus on risk and value protection.

• Process and control testing
• Fraud-risk assessments
• Operational and compliance reviews
• Follow-up and remediation tracking
• Alignment with group audit plans

These focus areas strengthen internal control effectiveness.

Our strengths

Our audit approach is constructive and solution-driven.

• Alignment with international audit standards
• Multilingual, cross-functional teams
• Strong understanding of Indian operations
• Practical recommendations
• Collaborative engagement style

This ensures audits are effective and well-received.

Financial Due Diligence

Our Financial Due Diligence services support investors, acquirers, and lenders in evaluating Indian businesses across acquisitions, divestments, joint ventures, and strategic investments. We go beyond headline numbers to assess the sustainability and quality of earnings, working-capital dynamics, cash-flow generation, and underlying business drivers. Our reviews identify accounting risks, one-off items, related-party exposures, and areas requiring post-transaction adjustments. We place strong emphasis on understanding local accounting practices and reconciling them with international reporting expectations, ensuring that findings are decision-relevant for European boards and investment committees. Our due diligence outputs are concise, analytical, and clearly prioritised, enabling clients to assess valuation assumptions, negotiate transaction terms, and plan post-deal integration with confidence. The objective is to provide a clear financial picture that supports informed decision-making while avoiding unnecessary complexity.

Our focus areas

Our financial due diligence is designed to deliver clarity and deal certainty.

• Quality of earnings and normalised EBITDA analysis
• Working-capital and cash-flow assessments
• Identification and reporting of ongoing tax defaults, litigations and pending demands
• Accounting policy and financial-reporting review
• Identification of one-off items and adjustments
• Related-party transaction analysis
• Debt, contingencies and off-balance-sheet exposures

These focus areas ensure a robust understanding of financial performance and risk.

Our strengths

Our strength lies in combining analytical depth with decision relevance.

• Strong experience in Indian mid-market transactions
• Alignment with European reporting and governance standards
• Clear, board-ready reporting
• Focus on value drivers and deal implications
• Practical support during negotiations and closing

This enables confident valuation, pricing and integration decisions.

Forensic Audits

Our Forensic Audit services support organisations in identifying, investigating, and responding to suspected fraud, misconduct, financial irregularities, and governance failures within Indian operations. We conduct independent, confidential investigations using structured methodologies that preserve evidence integrity and withstand regulatory or legal scrutiny. Our work typically includes transaction analysis, data review, document examination, and management interviews. We also assist clients in understanding root causes, control weaknesses, and behavioural risks that may have enabled the issue. Our forensic engagements are handled with discretion and cultural sensitivity, recognising the reputational, legal, and operational implications involved. In addition to investigation outcomes, we provide clear recommendations to strengthen controls, improve oversight, and prevent recurrence. The objective is not only to establish facts, but to restore trust and strengthen governance frameworks.

Our focus areas

Our forensic work focuses on fact-finding and risk containment.

• Fraud and misconduct investigations looking for specific evidence or indications of financial manipulation
• Financial irregularity and leakage analysis with focus on finding and recovering funds that have been misappropriated
• Review of internal controls and governance failures
• Evidence preservation and documentation
• Management interviews and reporting
• Remediation and preventive control design

These focus areas support credible investigations and long-term risk mitigation.

Our strengths

Our strength lies in independence, rigour, and discretion.

• Experienced forensic and investigation professionals
• Structured, defensible investigation methodologies
• High confidentiality and sensitivity handling
• Clear, factual and unbiased reporting
• Practical recommendations to strengthen controls

This ensures credible outcomes and improved organisational resilience.

Anti Corruption Audits

Our Anti-Corruption Audit services provide focused and independent assessments of bribery and corruption risks within Indian operations and extended third-party networks. We review policies, internal controls, and day-to-day practices against applicable Indian regulations as well as European and US anti-corruption standards. Our work includes targeted third-party due diligence, transaction and payment testing, and evaluation of training, reporting, and monitoring mechanisms. The objective is to identify vulnerabilities at an early stage and address them before they escalate into regulatory or reputational issues. We place particular emphasis on translating global compliance requirements into practical, workable local procedures that can be embedded into routine business operations without disrupting commercial effectiveness.

Our focus areas

Our reviews focus on prevention and accountability.

• Looking for specific evidence or indications of bribe, kickbacks and manipulation
  – Policy and control assessments
• Third-party risk reviews
• Transaction testing
• Training and awareness evaluation
• Monitoring and remediation measures

These focus areas reduce regulatory and reputational risk.

Our strengths

Our strength is translating global standards into local practice.

• Awareness of EU and US anti-corruption regimes
• Strong understanding of Indian enforcement realities
• Practical, implementable recommendations
• Clear documentation
• Preventive risk mindset

This strengthens compliance culture sustainably.

SAP & IT Solutions

Our SAP & IT Solutions services support the implementation, localisation, and optimisation of ERP and IT systems that integrate Indian entities seamlessly into global platforms. We assist with system rollouts, tax and regulatory localisation, process automation, and the design of robust access and security frameworks. Our approach balances global template adherence with the practical requirements of operating in India, ensuring accurate reporting, strong internal controls, and audit readiness. By combining process, tax, and IT expertise, we help clients achieve stable, compliant, and scalable system environments that support efficient operations while remaining fully aligned with group IT architecture and governance standards.

Our focus areas

Our IT support focuses on integration and reliability.

• SAP and ERP rollouts
• Localisation of Chart of Accounts
• Process automation
• Access and security concepts
• Integration with global templates

These focus areas ensure system effectiveness and consistency.

Our strengths

Our strength lies in bridging IT and compliance.

• Combined process, tax and IT expertise
• Experience with global ERP integrations
• Strong focus on controls and reporting
• Practical implementation support
• Clear coordination with group IT teams

This ensures stable and compliant system environments.

Transaction Advisory

Managing the commercial interactions between a European parent company and its Indian subsidiary requires a delicate balance of operational efficiency and strict regulatory adherence. Our Transaction Advisory service specializes in structuring cross-border operating transactions—ranging from the supply of raw materials and machinery to the provision of high-value technical services and management support. We focus on creating robust frameworks that prevent the accidental creation of a “Permanent Establishment” (PE) in India, a common trap that can lead to significant unintended tax liabilities for the overseas entity. Our advisory encompasses a 360-degree view, ensuring that intercompany agreements are fully compliant with India’s Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) while remaining optimized from both a direct tax (Withholding/DTAA) and indirect tax (GST) perspective. By engineering the transaction flow correctly from the outset, we help European firms minimize tax leakages and regulatory friction. This strategic approach ensures that your operational model is not only commercially viable but also resilient against the aggressive scrutiny of Indian tax authorities, facilitating seamless profit repatriation and transparent group-level financial reporting.

Our focus areas

Our transaction support focuses on informed decision-making and on:
Operating Model Structuring: Designing the flow of goods and services between the HQ and the Indian entity to maximize operational speed while minimizing tax nexus risks.

Permanent Establishment (PE) Mitigation: Conducting rigorous reviews of “Secondment Agreements” and “Service Level Agreements” to protect the European parent from unintended Indian tax exposure.

Direct Tax & DTAA Optimization: Leveraging Double Taxation Avoidance Agreements (DTAA) to optimize withholding tax rates on royalties, dividends, and fees for technical services.

Indirect Tax (GST) Strategy: Structuring import-export transactions to ensure GST compliance and maximize the recovery of Input Tax Credits (ITC), preventing “tax-on-tax” costs.

FEMA & Regulatory Compliance: Ensuring all cross-border payments and capital flows meet the stringent requirements of the Reserve Bank of India, avoiding compounding penalties.

Intercompany Agreement Drafting: Crafting bespoke commercial contracts that are legally enforceable in India and compliant with international transfer pricing standards.

Our strengths

We combine technical legal expertise with deep tax specialization, offering a “one-stop” solution for cross-border engineering. Our team excels at translating complex Indian FEMA and tax codes into actionable strategies that align with European group policies, ensuring audit-proof structures for your international operations.

Workshops & Trainings

Our Workshops are tailored learning sessions designed to equip management and project teams with practical knowledge on India-related legal, tax, cultural, and operational topics. The sessions combine structured insights with real project experience, supporting both market-entry readiness and the effective management of ongoing Indian operations. We focus on practical implications rather than theory, enabling participants to translate learning directly into action. Workshop formats are interactive and adapted to client-specific objectives, seniority levels, and functional needs. All materials are designed for reuse in internal training programmes, helping organisations build lasting in-house capability and alignment across teams working with India.

Our focus areas

Our workshops are designed for immediate applicability.

• Market-entry readiness
• Compliance and governance awareness
• Finance and controlling in India
• Cultural and operational best practices
• Peer learning from European investors

These focus areas support informed and confident teams.

Our strengths

Our strength lies in practitioner-led learning.

• Trainers with real project experience
• Interactive, discussion-based formats
• Practical, reusable materials
• Strong relevance to European teams
• Focus on real business scenarios

This ensures workshops translate into action.