Devandran Karunakaran

Devandran Karunakaran was born and raised in Singapore, home to one of the world's busiest and largest ports. This backdrop of a bustling urban society based on practical import and export economics was an initial factor in his decision to concentrate his early legal career on advising offshore and renewable energy companies and representing clients in ship financing transactions.Mr. Karunakaran was raised in a happy and loving home, where his mother specialized in preparing authentic Southeast Asian cuisine, and his father was the headmaster of an international school. The majority of his extended family still resides in Singapore.After completing his mandatory 2-and-a-half-year national service at 21, he moved to the United Kingdom to declare independence and launch his career.Devandran Karunakaran studied law at the University of Leicester. The university is renowned for providing students with advanced learning opportunities as one of the top research universities. He excelled at contract law, which governs, enforces, and interprets legal and commercial business agreements.Additionally, he had a keen interest in public international law, also known as The Law of Nations. This body of law contains the set of rules and regulations that govern and control international relations.Karunakaran fondly recalls the diverse backgrounds and ethnicities of the students he met and befriended during his time at Leicester University. Numerous of these enduring friendships still exist today. For instance, his college roommate served as best man at Devanand Karunakaran's wedding to his wife.During his time at university, Mr. Karunakaran competed at the university level as a rugby team member. Devandran moved to London to begin his legal career after completing his post-graduate studies and securing a training contract with a well-known international law firm headquartered in the United Kingdom.The trainee solicitor market in the United Kingdom is highly competitive, and training contracts are scarce. However, this training program is required to become a UK solicitor. Devandran Karunakaran was fortunate to obtain a training contract with a prestigious UK law firm. This was an opportunity that he could not pass up. Therefore, following graduation, he moved to London instead of Singapore.Mr. Karunakaran lived in London for nearly thirteen years and now considers it his second home. In addition, he made numerous professional and personal connections that led him to work for two international law firms and spend time living and working in Piraeus, Greece.Karunakaran, known and respected for his technical legal knowledge, chose to specialize in ship finance law, offshore energy, and renewables. In these roles, he strives to integrate his technical legal knowledge with commercial and business acumen for the benefit and profit of his clients.Eventually, in 2020, he joined PT Indo Energy Solutions as an all-encompassing advisor to the board of directors. While the company's headquarters are in Indonesia, Devandran maintained his residence in Singapore and commuted to various regions of Indonesia as the job required.Devandran Karunakaran met his future wife, Cornelia, after returning to Singapore in 2015. At the time, Cornelia was working in Germany and was on secondment to Singapore. She is from Halle, Germany, now Devandran's second city.He enjoys cooking and being close to and attentive to his parents. He inherited a passion for culinary arts from his mother, aunts, and grandmother, who are all excellent cooks. He desires not only to prepare the dishes he enjoyed as a child but also to do so in a healthy and balanced manner.Cornelia and Devandran are extremely concerned about the state of the global environment. They practice sustainable living whenever possible to leave their daughter with a healthy environment. He has set a personal objective to engage in more environment-related volunteer work in the coming years. He is currently engaged in volunteer work related to food security because, in his opinion, no one should go hungry in this day and age.Travel is another interest shared by Devananda and his family. Together, he and his wife had visited Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Switzerland, and Australia, where their respective jobs took them before they met. Their goal is to instill a passion for travel and discovering new places in their young daughter.