What are the key projects that you have been involved in over the past twelve months?

Over the past twelve months, the role of the Legal Affairs function has been critical to securing the company’s strategic and operational objectives. During this period, Las Bambas has consolidated its position as the largest copper producer in Peru in 2026, a milestone that required sustained legal leadership to ensure the timely securing of all necessary permits, authorisations and legal rights essential for uninterrupted operations. This has included comprehensive regulatory and legal defence, as well as close coordination with internal stakeholders to manage complex legal, environmental and social interfaces, while maintaining the highest standards of legal excellence and compliance in line with corporate governance requirements.

In parallel, the Legal Affairs team played a key role in obtaining critical permits for the development of two exploration projects within existing mining concessions, which are strategically important to extending the mine’s operational life. These projects involved navigating complex regulatory frameworks and ensuring full alignment with applicable legal and corporate standards. Overall, these initiatives reflect the Legal Affairs function’s role not only as a risk manager, but as a strategic enabler of long-term value creation for the business.

A modern in-house counsel must combine technical excellence with strategic judgement and business acumen. Strong legal expertise remains essential, but it is no longer sufficient on its own. In-house counsel must be able to translate legal risk into business terms, anticipate impacts on operations and support decision-making rather than merely react to issues.

Sound risk management and prioritisation skills are also critical. The ability to distinguish between manageable risk and material risk — particularly in complex, highly regulated environments — is what allows the business to move forward with confidence.

A deep understanding of the business and its operating context is equally indispensable. Effective in-house counsel must remain close to operations, understand regulatory, social and geographic complexities, and align legal advice with corporate objectives and standards.

Leadership and judgement under pressure are also key attributes. This includes managing multidisciplinary teams, coordinating external counsel selectively, and maintaining high performance and ethical standards even in high-stakes or ambiguous (‘grey-area’) situations.

Finally, a modern in-house counsel must demonstrate integrity, independence and credibility, acting as a trusted adviser to senior management while safeguarding compliance, governance and the company’s long-term licence to operate. In short, the modern in-house counsel is not merely a legal technician, but a strategic partner and value enabler for the business.

Are there any key trends that you think in-house lawyers should be monitoring over the next year?

Yes. Over the coming years, there are two structural trends that in-house lawyers — particularly in the mining sector — should monitor very closely, as they will directly shape the regulatory framework for the use of natural resources.

First, the accelerated adoption of AI is transforming how companies manage data, operations, compliance and decision-making. For in-house counsel, this creates new legal challenges around data governance, cybersecurity, intellectual property and regulatory oversight. In the mining context, the use of AI in exploration, operational optimisation, environmental monitoring and predictive maintenance raises questions regarding regulatory responsibility, transparency and liability, particularly where existing legal frameworks were not designed for automated or data-driven decision systems.

Second, the energy transition is redefining the strategic importance of mining. Copper and other critical minerals are central to decarbonisation, electrification and renewable energy infrastructure. This places mining companies at the intersection of resource development, environmental regulation, climate policy and social matters. In-house lawyers must closely follow evolving regulations related to permitting, water use, environmental standards, carbon management, community engagement and ESG disclosure, as governments increasingly adjust legal frameworks to balance resource exploitation with sustainability and climate commitments.

Together, these trends mean that the role of the in-house lawyer is shifting from reactive compliance to anticipatory regulatory strategy. The key challenge will be to help the business navigate regulatory uncertainty while enabling responsible resource development that aligns with both technological innovation and the global energy transition.