“Vikram is the most commercially astute lawyer I have come across. He is able to combine a good understanding of the numbers and an innate understanding of many different types of businesses with a deep understanding of the law. He is thus able to boil down complex commercial disputes into clear-cut legal matters for the tribunal or court to decide. He is particularly strong on cross-examination with both experts and witnesses.” – The Legal 500 Asia Pacific
Vikram is qualified in both Singapore and English law and specialises in international arbitration and commercial and corporate litigation with particular experience in handling complex, multi-jurisdictional disputes in sectors such as banking, finance, oil & gas, manufacturing, mining, construction and property development.
As a student, Vikram was educated at Trinity College at Cambridge University, where he won the Lizette Bentwich Prize for law in 2002. He was also Director of Debating at the Cambridge Union Society and ranked amongst the top debaters at international competitions.
Vikram has previously worked as a management consultant in McKinsey, in the dispute resolution team of an international law firm and the litigation team of another major Singapore firm. His work experience has focused on the South East Asian region, especially in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.
With extensive experience in the South Asia region, Vikram has been recognised for his legal finesse and excellence in cross-border (India Desk) work at the Legal Era Global Achievers Awards 2022 and 2024, and has also been named as one of the top 100 foreign lawyers for India-related matters for consecutive years from 2018 to 2022 in the International A-List published by India Business Law Journal.
Vikram is also Member of Parliament for Sembawang GRC. He is Chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Defence and Foreign Affairs and Chairman for the Parliamentary Friendship Group for India.
EXPERIENCE
Litigation
- Acting for two companies in resisting a winding up application by a shareholder on just and equitable grounds. The case was the first written decision involving section 254(2A) of the Companies Act.
- Acting for an international bank in its successful defence of a claim for conspiracy and breach of mortgagee’s duties exceeding $500 million arising from the mortgagee sale of a coal mine.
- Acting for a large charity in its successful claim against its former CEO and some of its former board members for, inter alia, breach of fiduciary duties.
- Acting for a firm of brokers in its defence of a claim of around $50 million for alleged poaching of employees from a competitor.
- Acting for a former CEO and managing director of a subsidiary of a listed company in his dispute with the parent company arising from alleged breach of his obligations under the management contract.
- Acting for a shareholder and senior employee in a privately held engineering company in a shareholder dispute relating to the transfer and acquisition of shares.
- Acting for religious association in a claim under constitutional law in relation to a land acquisition decision.
International Arbitration
- Acting for a party to a pipeline development joint-venture agreement in a dispute with a fellow investor against whom winding up proceedings had been commenced in a foreign jurisdiction.
- Acting for a multi-national in its successful defence of a claim exceeding US$ 600 million, in an UNCITRAL arbitration governed by Thai law, following its termination of a co-manufacturing agreement.
- Acting for a foreign investor in its claim of around US$60 million, in an SIAC Arbitration, against an Indonesian property developer for breaches of a JV agreement in relation to a property development in Jakarta.
- Advising on potential claims for an investor against a state under applicable Bilateral and Multi-lateral Investment Treaties.
- Advising a party to a JV agreement in a dispute of around US$ 10 million, subject to SIAC arbitration, following the sale and purchase of a business in the shipping sector.
- Advising a fund manager in relation to a dispute with a counter-party under an ISDA agreement.
Projects and Construction
- Advising a party in a pipeline development dispute with claims taking place in multiple jurisdictions.
- Acting for an investor against an Indonesia property developer in a claim for US$60 million in an SIAC Arbitration.
- Advising a Singapore company in relation to a dispute over the construction of a water purification plant.
- Advising a Singaporean company in relation to various potentially fraudulent ship building contracts with a shipyard in China.
- Acting for a Singapore contractor in obtaining an injunction against the call of a performance bond by the developer of a condominium project.
- Acting for a Singapore contractor in a claim in negligence against a quantity surveyor following the termination of its contract.
Injunctions
- Acting for a party in a shareholder dispute to obtain an injunction to prevent dissipation of the company’s assets pending resolution of the dispute.
- Acting for a party to a construction dispute in obtaining an injunction against the call of its performance bond.
- Advising on an Erinford injunction application for a party seeking to keep an interim injunction in place pending appeal after its discharge in an inter partes hearing.
- Acting for an international ratings agency in obtaining a discharge of an injunction against publication of its rating for a Singapore company.
- Advising a Singapore company in relation to its application for a freezing order (Mareva Injunction) and a search order (Anton Piller Order) against its counter-party it was defrauded by.
- Advising a Singapore company in relation to its application for a Mareva Injunction and Anton Piller Order against a ship builder that had embezzled its moneys.
Internal Investigations
- Advising a European commodity producer on its internal investigations which revealed evidence of bribery and corruption amongst employees in some of its Asian offices.
- Advising an American multi-national on its internal investigations following the arrest of some of its company officers for bribery in an Asian country.
Advice/ Opinions
- Advising an international organization on its personality under international law
- Advising an oil tanking company on its obligations under various international conventions and Singapore environmental law in relation to its plans to recycle a floating storage platform
Selected Reported Judgments
- da Silveira, Virgilio Tarrago and another v Hashstacs Pte Ltd and another[2024] SGHC(I) 32
- Asia-Euro Capital SPV I LLP v Regulus Advisors Pte Ltd and others[2024] SGHC 279
- Nimisha Pandey and another v Divya Bothra[2024] SGHC 88
- Farzin Ratan Karma v Helen Campos and others[2024] SGHC 41
- Arif Rahim Valibhoyv Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (Mohamed Shariff Valibhoy and others, non-parties) [2024] 4 SLR 726; [2023] SGHC 341
- Nimisha Pandey and another v Divya Bothra[2023] SGHC 332
- Rashmi Bothrav SuntecCity Thirty Pte Ltd and others[2023] 2 SLR 535; [2023] SGCA 38
- RB Investments Pte Ltd v Kardachi, Jason Aleksander and others[2024] 4 SLR 229; [2023] SGHC 274
- Kallivalap Praveen Nair v Glaxosmithkline Consumer Healthcare Pte Ltd[2023] 3 SLR 922; [2022] SGHC 261
- Energy Resource Investment Pte Ltd v International Golf Resorts Pte Ltd[2022] SGHC 134
- Phua Seng Hua and others v Kwee Seng Chio Peter and another[2022] 2 SLR 98; [2022] SGHC(A) 11
- Meow Moy Lan and others v Exklusiv Resorts Pte Ltd and another[2021] SGHC 155
- Griffin Real Estate Investment Holdings Pte Ltd (in liquidation) v ERC Unicampus Pte Ltd and another appeal [2019] 2 SLR 690; [2019] SGCA 57
- Swee Wan Enterprises Pte Ltd v Yak Thye Peng[2019] SGHC 149
- Asplenium Land Pte Ltd v Lam Chye Shing and others[2019] 5 SLR 130; [2019] SGHC 41
- Griffin Real Estate Investment Holdings Pte Ltd (in liquidation) v ERC Unicampus Pte Ltd[2019] 5 SLR 105; [2018] SGHC 273
- Ho Yew Kong v ERC Holdings Pte Ltd and another[2019] 5 SLR 83; [2018] SGHC 258
- Foo Peow Yong Douglas v ERC Prime II Pte Ltd and another appeal and other matters [2018] 2 SLR 1337; [2018] SGCA 67
- Capital Springboard Ltd and 45 others v Vangard Project Management Pte Ltd and another[2018] SGHC 29
- Swee Wan Enterprises Pte Ltd v Yak Thye Peng[2017] SGHC 313
- Foo Peow Yong Douglas v ERC Prime II Pte Ltd[2017] SGHC 299
- Sakae Holdings Ltd v Gryphon Real Estate Investment Corp Pte Ltd and others (Foo Peow Yong Douglas, third party) and another suit[2017] SGHC 100
- Sakae Holdings Ltd v Gryphon Real Estate Investment Corp Pte Ltd and others (Foo Peow Yong Douglas, third party) and another suit[2017] SGHC 73
- Ting Shwu Ping (Administrator of the estate of Chng Koon Seng, deceased) v Scanone Pte Ltd and another appeal [2016] SGCA 65
- Ting Shwu Ping and another v Autopack Pte Ltd; Ting Shwu Ping v Scanone Pte Ltd [2016] SGHC 07
- CKR Contract Services Pte Ltd v Asplenium Land Pte Ltd and another [2014] SGHC 266
- Beckkett Pte Ltd v Deutsche Bank AG and another [2009] 3 SLR(R) 452; [2009] SGCA 18
- Beckkett Pte Ltd v Deutsche Bank AG and another [2008] 2SLR(R) 189; [2007] SGHC 153
- Eng Foong Ho and Others v Attorney-General [2008] 3 SLR 437; [2008] SGHC 69
MEMBERSHIPS / DIRECTORSHIPS
- Member of Parliament, Sembawang GRC (since 2011)
- Chairman, Government Parliamentary Committee for Home Affairs and Law (Since 2025)
- Chairman, Government Parliamentary Committee for Defence and Foreign Affairs (2015 to 2025)
- Chairman, Parliamentary Friendship Group for India
- Chairman, Sembawang Town Council
- Director, Asian Healthcare Specialists (2018 to 2022)
- Advisor, Metal Industries Workers Union
- Advisor, Singapore Tamil Teachers Union
- Advisor, Singapore Teacher’s Union
PUBLICATIONS
- Justice Denied? The Rule on Exhaustion Of Local Remedies and ICSID Arbitrations, Singapore Institute of Arbitrators Newsletter, August 2009
