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

Over the past year, I have been involved in several strategic regional initiatives across Central America and the Caribbean, including complex M&A transactions, corporate restructurings, operational simplification projects, and business integrations.

These matters required the coordination of legal work across multiple jurisdictions, the management of complex stakeholder relationships, and the securing of corporate and regulatory approvals, including board approvals involving a publicly listed company.

The success of these projects has been the result of a truly collaborative effort. I have had the privilege of working alongside an outstanding legal team, as well as colleagues from Commercial, Senior Management, Corporate Communications, Global M&A, Finance, Tax, HR, and Operations. This close cross-functional collaboration has been instrumental in aligning business objectives, navigating complex legal and regulatory challenges, and executing strategic initiatives effectively.

My role has been to provide practical, commercially focused legal advice, coordinate legal work across jurisdictions and help translate legal complexity into solutions that enable informed business decisions while maintaining strong governance and compliance standards.

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

During periods of uncertainty, my first priority is to understand the impact on the business and its needs before providing legal advice. Effective legal support during a crisis requires a proactive rather than a reactive approach.

I focus on identifying the most significant legal and operational risks, establishing clear communication with key stakeholders, and providing practical recommendations that enable the business to continue operating while remaining compliant.

I also believe that resilience comes from preparation. Investing in well-drafted contracts, robust governance frameworks and strong cross-functional collaboration enables organisations to respond more effectively when unexpected challenges arise. My role is not only to minimise legal exposure, but also to help the business make informed decisions with confidence.

General Counsel often speak of the need to be strategic to reach the pinnacle of the profession. What does being strategic mean to you?

To me, being strategic means understanding that legal advice should not only protect the business, but also help drive it forward. A strategic in-house lawyer takes the time to understand the company’s objectives, anticipates legal and commercial challenges, and provides practical, risk-based advice that enables informed decision-making rather than slowing it down.

It also means building trust across the organisation. The most effective legal teams are those viewed as true business partners, working alongside Commercial, Finance, Operations and leadership teams from the early stages of a project. By collaborating across functions, we can identify opportunities, manage risk proactively and help the business achieve its goals with confidence and integrity.

What do you think are the most important attributes for a modern in-house counsel to possess?

A modern in-house counsel needs much more than strong legal knowledge. Commercial awareness, sound judgement, adaptability and the ability to communicate clearly are essential to delivering advice that is both legally robust and commercially practical.

Equally important is the ability to build relationships and collaborate across functions. Some of the most successful projects I have been involved in have required close coordination between Legal, Commercial, Senior Management, Corporate Communications and global teams. Creating alignment, understanding different perspectives and helping teams navigate complex decisions together are just as important as providing legal analysis.

Finally, curiosity and a commitment to continuous learning are indispensable. The rapid evolution of artificial intelligence, digital tools and the broader business environment requires in-house lawyers to embrace innovation responsibly, continually adapt to new ways of working and help their organisations leverage technology while maintaining strong standards of governance, ethics and compliance.