Superintendente legal and cumplimiento | Sinchi Wayra
Abogado pleno | Itacamba Cemento
Ariane Augsten Roldán, graduated from the Private University of Santa Cru de la Sierra (UPSA), with a postgraduate degree in Corporate Law from the NUR University, and a Master’s in...
Head of legal Bolivia – legal integrated gas LNG West | Shell Bolivia Corporation, Sucursal Bolivia
Jefe legal y administrativo | Banco Ganadero
Bergman Balcazar Roca, a qualified lawyer with a degree in legal sciences from the Universidad Privada de Santa Cruz de la Sierra, is currently completing the final module of the...
Gerente de asuntos corporativos y legales | Quantum Motors
General manager and principal legal counsel | Gutierrez Energy & Oil - GEOIL
Claudia is a multilingual seasoned legal professional with a passion for navigating complex legal landscapes. Her expertise ranges across diverse sectors including oil and gas, mining, renewable energy, lithium, aeronautics...
Gerente ejecutiva de asuntos corporativos | Alicorp Bolivia
Cynthia Valencia Canedo is the executive manager of corporate affairs at Alicorp Bolivia, where she is responsible for the public affairs, legal, sustainable development, and communications departments. Previously, she served...
Gerente legal and compliance | Grupo Linde (Praxair)
Director de Asuntos Jurídicos | Cámara de Industria, Comercio, Servicios y Turismo de Santa Cruz (CAINCO)
Asesor legal comercial y soporte concesionarios | Imcruz Comercial - Inchcape
Jefe de la unidad de asesoria legal | Universidad Católica Boliviana - Sede Santa Cruz
Jefe del centro de conciliación y arbitraje comercial | Cámara de Industria, Comercio, Servicios y Turismo de Santa Cruz (CAINCO)
Directora de asuntos juridicos | Compañia Industrial Comercial Hermanos Vicente
Responsable asuntos corporativos | Grupo Mamut
Gerente legal | Entidad de Depósito de Valores de Bolivia (EDV)
Guido Emilio Franco Cordero is a highly regarded lawyer specialising in securities law, banking, commerce, and business organisation. With extensive academic qualifications, including master’s degrees and various certifications, he has...
Gerente de asuntos institucionales | Fexpocruz
Manager of legal affairs for the Eastern region | Banco Nacional de Bolivia
Director legal | Huawei Technologies (Bolivia)
Gerente legal nacional | Embotelladoras Bolivianas Unidas
Gerente de Asuntos Legales | Cámara de Industria, Comercio y Servicios de Cochabamba - ICAM
Superintendente legal y de cumplimiento (gerente legal) | Pan American Silver Bolivia
Secretario general y director nacional legal | Universidad Privada Boliviana (UPB)
Subgerente juridico | La Boliviana Ciacruz de Seguros y Reaseguros
Subgerente legal y de cumplimiento | Brinks Bolivia
Director del departamento de asuntos jurídicos | Petrobras Bolivia
Jefe legal de contratos y consumo masivo | Alicorp Bolivia
Sub director de asuntos corporativos | VIVA Bolivia
Marcelo Hassenteufel Loayza is the deputy director of corporate affairs at Nuevatel PCS de Bolivia (“VIVA”), where he supervises the legal department. In his role, he leads the company’s strategies...
Gerente nacional del area legal | Inmobiliaria Kantutani
Asesora juridica nacional | La Boliviana Ciacruz de Seguros y Reaseguros
Legal counsel and head of investment solutions | DDR Capital Partners
Asesora legal | Industria Metalúrgica Carlos Caballero
Jefe de asesoría legal y control interno | Bebidas Bolivianas BBO
Gerente legal corporativo | Grupo Empresarial de Inversiones Nacional Vida
National corporate manager of legal advice | Alianza Compañía de Seguros y Reaseguros
Senior counsel Bolivia and Argentina | Phoenix Tower International
Director de asuntos corporativos, etica e cumplimiento | Telecel
Gerente de legales | Cervecería Boliviana Nacional
Gerente legal and compliance | Crediseguro
Rolando Imaña is the legal and compliance manager at Crediseguro, a Bolivian insurance company that is part of the Grupo Financiero Crédito, which operates under Credicorp with a presence in...
Gerente jurídica | Cámara Nacional de Industrias (CNI) y Cámara Departamental de Industrias de La Paz (CADINPAZ)
Subgerente nacional legal de asuntos corporativos y operativos | Banco Unión
General counsel | Total Energies
Zoya Galarza is the general counsel and ethics officer at Total Energies EP Bolivia. She is a former Fulbright Scholar, holds a Master of Laws (LLM) from New York University...
The Legal 500 was proud to host the third edition of the GC Powerlist: Japan 2025 at the Capitol Hotel Tokyu, honouring the top General Counsel, Chief Legal Officers, Legal Directors, and senior in-house legal professionals operating at the highest level of Japan’s corporate legal landscape. Held in Tokyo, this year’s reception welcomed around 100 of the most respected and senior corporate counsel from across Japan. It was an unrivalled success, and cements Legal 500’s status as the leading force in legal media supporting the achievements of in-house counsel in Japan. The GC Powerlist: Japan 2025 marks the continuation of our commitment to recognising excellence in-house, and this year’s edition represents the most competitive and selective list to date.
Joe Boswell, lead editor of the GC powerlist publication at The Legal 500, opened the evening with an introduction that reflected on the growing prestige of the Japan list. He emphasised how the Powerlist has grown stronger each year, both in scope and quality, making the task of selection more difficult. This year’s honourees emerged from a deeply competitive field, making their recognition even more meaningful.
Boswell extended heartfelt congratulations to all honourees and acknowledged the critical support of key partners and sponsors who made the evening possible. Special thanks were given to Anderson Mori & Tomotsune, Morrison Foerster, iManage, JustLegal, and SS&C Intralinks for their generous sponsorship and ongoing collaboration.
In a moment of reflection, Joe paid tribute to Tim Mackey, chief legal officer at SoftBank, who sadly passed away unexpectedly earlier this year. Tim had contributed to the Powerlist in each of its three editions and was known not only for his exceptional legal acumen but also for his warmth and generosity.
The evening featured insightful remarks from distinguished speakers representing our partners and the broader legal community: Mischa Mulligan, Japan Director at SS&C Intralinks; Hiroki Kodate, Partner and Management Committee Member at Anderson Mori & Tomotsune; Jeremy White, Global Co-Chair of M&A for Morrison Foerster; and, representing those awarded in the Powerlist, Naoki Hamada, General Counsel for Japan at HSBC.
Each speaker provided reflections on legal innovation, leadership, and the evolving role of in-house counsel in Japan’s corporate landscape. Their remarks added valuable context to the achievements celebrated throughout the evening.
The formal awards segment celebrated this year’s GC Powerlist honourees. With assistance from long-time collaborator Isaac Uchiyama who read out awardees’ names, recipients were invited to collect their certificates, pose for photographs, and be formally recognised by their peers.
Certificates were presented on stage by Hiroki Kodate or Anderson Mori & Tomotsune and Jeremy White of Morrison Foerster, whose participation further underlined the deep support of the Japanese and international legal communities.
The GC Powerlist: Japan 2025 reception reaffirmed Legal 500’s commitment to spotlighting the very best of in-house legal talent. With record levels of interest and unmatched quality among candidates, the Japan edition continues to solidify its place as one of the most respected publications in the global GC Powerlist series.
We extend our sincere congratulations to all honourees and thank our partners, sponsors, and speakers for making the evening a success.
We look forward to returning to Tokyo again next year. As a parting gift, you can view Naoki Hamada’s excellent keynote address below, where he touches on a lot of issues and themes that many other GC, whatever country they operate in, will recognise:
‘Good evening, everyone. I am Naoki Hamada of HSBC. I am very pleased to be here speaking to you today. It is a great pleasure and honor, and at the same time, I feel a bit overwhelmed being surrounded by the busiest and most expensive lawyers in the industry—even if I know that nobody will be charging us for their time. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Legal 500 for organizing such a great event, and Anderson Mori & Tomotsune, Morrison Foerster, iManage, SS&C Intralinks, and Just Legal for sponsoring and supporting it. And, huge congratulations on the recognition each of you is receiving, which is truly a great accomplishment and the result of your hard work and the accumulated trust the entire industry has placed in you.
It must be emphasized that this award is given only to general counsels. Being a general counsel means a lot more than just being a subject matter expert. You are a most reliable strategic partner for the business, and I am sure that you have distinguished yourself from the crowd by your ability to identify underlying risks, devise legal solutions, ensure the right processes and governance for corporate decisions, influence others, and educate the next generation of lawyers. This is what you are being recognized for.
Looking back on my career, I have been hugely helped by lawyers in other companies through various industry communities. When I joined the in-house world 12 years ago from a Japanese law firm, large international banks were all struggling with a huge wave of regulatory reform. Back then, I was relatively new to that particular area of finance, and my hiring was somewhat potential-based. Nonetheless, I was assigned to lead the regulatory reform efforts locally. My predecessor had left the bank before I joined, there was no sufficient handover, and I was completely lost as to what to do. What helped me most were the industry peer group discussions, where in-house counsels from major banks would get together to discuss common issues. I learned so much from what was discussed there and absorbed as much as I could. Without that network, I am sure that I wouldn’t have survived that time.
However, our situation today is far more difficult. The changes in the landscape we face today are unprecedented. Technological developments and the corresponding shifts in geopolitical and industrial landscapes are completely unpredictable, and the speed at which they happen is far faster than before. We might face a time that requires us to pivot, forcing us to redefine how we add value and rebuild the way we work. That is somewhat intimidating. But, I am confident that a way forward will be found through the collective wisdom and effort of the people in this room. I would like to be a part of that, and this network of people is enormously valuable and truly priceless.
Finally, let’s have a drink and celebrate our achievements for now – before your CEO calls asking you to join a call! Thank you so much.’