Key team members:

Patrícia Mendes, Head of Legal, Compliance and HR

Liliana Cotrim, Team Leader Legal & Compliance

Marta David, Legal & Compliance

Kamila Panisson, Legal & Compliance

Ana Rapoula, Legal & Compliance

Team size: Five

Major legal advisors: PLMJ, VdA, SPS, Morais Leitão, Pérez-Llorca

Jurisdictions your role covers: Portugal

How does your team contribute to the overall business strategy of the company? Can you share an example of a recent legal-led initiative that had a significant impact?

The legal team knows and contributes to the VWFS Strategy, namely by supporting the company’s multiple projects and initiatives. Legal has defined the legal and compliance strategy for the next five years based on three main pillars: team empowerment; efficiency; Digital & AI. On top, the legal department is also driven by innovation and news ways of working, for example, the Agile Methodology implemented by 2023, and we as a team are referred as a good example within the organisation. We are also evaluating the implementation of AI tools to support the department.

What are some of the biggest legal or regulatory challenges currently facing your industry, and how is your team preparing to address them?

Our main challenges are the number of international and local projects requiring resources and dedication, the growing number of regulatory load and legislation and respective supervision for Banking, Financial and Insurance sectors. Also to be pointed out the new challenges brought by AI and ESG.

How do you approach talent development and knowledge sharing within your legal team? Are there any specific practices or programmes in place?

We focus on training and attendance at conferences or seminars on relevant legal matters. Legal and compliance implemented a few years ago the “Knowledge Sharing” initiative where each team member presents a new legal topic. In fact, we are a pivot department.

We would like to highlight an initiative that Legal offered to the organisation – the “Random Act of Kindness” that helps other teams in legal recurrent (or not) matters and gives them better tools to solve it. The “Random Act of Kindness Hour” fosters a culture of collaboration and empathy across teams, which directly supports our ability to deliver exceptional value to customers. By dedicating one hour each month to assist a randomly chosen team, we break silos and strengthen internal alignment, ensuring that every part of the organisation works together more effectively to serve our customers.

In what ways does your legal team promote diversity, equity, and inclusion, both within the department and in your external legal partnerships?

Our legal team is currently composed entirely of women. Moreover, our department includes professionals from different national backgrounds, enriching our collective perspective and strengthening our ability to work in multicultural environments.