Team size: Six

What are the most significant cases, projects or transactions that you and your legal team have recently been involved in?

The MAPFRE Chile legal team is actively involved in important new product development, negotiation of T&C with partnerships of other important insurance or financial institutions, transactions and operations, including purchases, acquisitions, management of labour causes, fraud and significant claims. Also, we are in charge of the crime prevention system and the proper execution of the annual compliance plan. Currently, our team is working on the improvement of the corporate governance internal rules, data protection law fullfilment, following of the financial crime law, advisory on cibersecurity new law, assistance on ESG matters and relevant proyects like the new Bank-insurance alliance with Banco Internacional.

As you can see over the past year, MAPFRE Chile’s legal and compliance team has been involved in various strategically important initiatives. I would like to highlight that one of the most notable projects has been the review and adaptation of internal processes in preparation for the upcoming reform of Chile’s Personal Data Protection Law. This work has required cross-functional coordination between the legal, technology, and business departments, with the goal of preparing for more demanding standards in data governance, privacy by design, and compliance aligned with international frameworks. These efforts have been guided by the head office’s Data Protection team, who have extensive experience in this area and the local specialist team. This has facilitated communication channels and preparation for the entry into force of this Law.

Furthermore, the completion of the Bank-inssurance alliance with Banco Internacional has marked a milestone for the company. This is its first alliance of its kind in Chile, adding the local operation to other MAPFRE operations around the world in these field, which have years of experience in this area. The Legal team was able to work closely with our main law firm in Chile and the corporate legal team in Madrid. It was undoubtedly an enriching project for all of us who had the opportunity to participate.

Finally, the implementation of Circular No. 62 of the Financial Analysis Unit has also been a significant project during the first half of 2025, as it allowed us to challenge our system for preventing and detecting money laundering, terrorist financing, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

How do you approach managing legal aspects during periods of instability or crisis to ensure the organisation’s resilience? 

We approach periods of instability or crisis with a preventive, proactive, and strategic legal mindset, always aligned with the company’s overall risk management framework at the local level and as established by our guidelines at our headquarters in Madrid, Spain.

First and foremost, our role is to anticipate legal, regulatory, and compliance risks that may arise in uncertain contexts. For this reason, we maintain ongoing, fluid, and challenging communication with the Legal and Compliance team, encouraging each team member to provide their input and ensuring we can observe with all the potential we have at home.

Then, in these types of situations, we strengthen internal coordination between the different business units and ensure the timely and clear delivery of legal guidance to support agile decision-making in compliance with the national legal framework and MAPFRE Group guidelines.

Furthermore, the MAPFRE Group includes training programs in compliance and internal controls, ensuring that the values of integrity and responsibility remain strong even under pressure. This integrated approach allows us to protect the interests of all stakeholders involved in the company.

What factors influence your team’s decision to use external legal services versus handling matters in-house, and what criteria are used to evaluate their performance?   

The decision to engage external legal services is based on a combination of factors: firstly, the required specialisation; secondly, the technical complexity of the matter; thirdly the need for an independent perspective; and fourthly the handling of specific workloads that exceed internal capacity.

While we prioritise in-house attention in daily management, regulatory compliance, and matters requiring close ties to the business, there are certain projects or corporate needs that compel us to retain external counsel, such as labour lawsuits, workplace/sexual harassment investigations, fraud complaints, tax matters, relevant litigation, complex regulatory matters, or issues involving multiple jurisdictions.

Currently, our legal and compliance department closely monitors the performance of our external law firms, paying special attention to their technical quality, compliance with deadlines, efficiency in the use of resources, understanding of the business, and ability to anticipate risks.

Finally, I would like to emphasise that we strive to ensure that our relationships with our external offices foster collaborative and transparent work.

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?  

Our team acts as a strategic business partner, anticipating legal and regulatory risks, ensuring local and corporate regulatory compliance, and promoting a culture of ethics and integrity in our businesses, which strengthens our corporate reputation. In my role as legal counsel to senior management and the board of directors, I can contribute my perspective from the outset to each project, which facilitates the working groups and eventual implementation of certain initiatives. Some examples I can highlight include the discussion on project planning related to the new Data Protection Law, new product development, and governance in the new Bank Insurance alliance, among others.

Additionally, we have implemented artificial intelligence in certain processes to improve our response times, meet deadlines, and standardise criteria for various claims against the company.