Jurisdictions your role covers: Brazil, Latam and USA

What are the most significant cases or transactions that your legal team has recently been involved in?

We have been focused on a number of strategic projects that require the active involvement of our legal team. In addition, we have been leading contractual negotiations with key partners, which, in the day-to-day work of the department, demand in-depth legal analysis and the drafting of documents based on a multidisciplinary approach to the law. Like other major Brazilian corporations, the company is currently implementing internal controls and governance structures to ensure compliance with Brazil’s tax reform.

This requires ongoing engagement from the legal department, both from a tax advisory perspective and in the review of internal processes and contracts. We have also been implementing new internal training initiatives for the compliance area, reinforcing our commitment to disseminating best practices, strengthening our control environment, and promoting a culture of integrity across the organisation. Another important front has been the review of legal theses related to the company’s litigation portfolio, with a view to identifying new defense strategies, improving the management of ongoing disputes, and exploring potential opportunities for value preservation and risk mitigation.

We also maintain a permanent agenda focused on enhancing efficiency in the management of the legal and compliance functions, supported by clear and meaningful indicators that contribute to better decision-making and risk management. In this context, our department was also invited to participate in a United Nations leadership meeting in New York, which reflects the relevance of the topics we have been addressing and the growing connection between legal, compliance, governance, and sustainability agendas.

What new pressures are you facing from the business as expectations for legal to act as a strategic partner continue to grow?

In a a increasingly complex and fast-moving business environment, I believe the legal function must be much more than a traditional support area. It must operate as a strategic partner to the business, capable of responding quickly to challenges, making sound decisions under uncertainty, and helping the company move forward with agility, discipline and responsibility.

One of the main priorities of our legal department has been to strengthen our ability to act with speed and consistency in scenarios where legal, regulatory, tax, reputational and business risks often converge. This requires a team that is technically strong, business-oriented and prepared to work closely with different areas of the company. For this reason, building engaged and high-performing teams has been central to our agenda. We seek professionals who combine legal excellence with practical judgment, collaboration, resilience and a clear understanding of the company’s strategic priorities.

Another important element is the way we manage our relationships with external legal partners. In a sophisticated legal environment, it is essential to select the right firms and advisors for each matter, but also to build relationships based on trust, transparency, long-term commitment and a deep understanding of the company. The best results are achieved when external counsel operate not merely as service providers, but as true partners who understand our business, our culture, our risk appetite and our standards of excellence.

Budget management is also a key dimension of modern legal leadership. We have been working to ensure that legal spending is managed with efficiency, predictability and strategic discipline. This means allocating resources to matters that truly create value, using indicators to support decision-making, challenging assumptions, and constantly seeking better ways to deliver high-quality legal services without losing sight of cost control and business impact.

In litigation and tax matters, we maintain a permanent agenda of reassessing theses, strategies and opportunities. Managing a litigation portfolio is not only about defending existing claims; it is also about identifying new lines of defence, improving the quality of arguments, anticipating trends, reassessing provisions and, where appropriate, exploring opportunities for value preservation or recovery. The same mindset applies to tax strategy, where technical depth, prudence and creativity must coexist with governance and compliance.

Our department also plays an important role in supporting complex contractual transactions, both in Brazil and internationally. These matters often require multidisciplinary analysis, negotiation skills, coordination across jurisdictions and the ability to translate legal complexity into clear and actionable recommendations for the business. In cross-border matters, we must be able to manage different legal systems, cultural contexts, regulatory expectations and external advisors, while preserving consistency in the company’s standards and strategic objectives.

Risk mapping and risk management are also essential parts of our work. We act in close partnership with Internal Audit, Compliance, Finance and the enterprise risk management area to identify relevant exposures, assess controls, support remediation plans and ensure that legal risks are properly understood by decision-makers. This collaborative model helps transform legal knowledge into practical governance.

A particularly important area is the strategic management of legal provisions. Accurate provisioning requires technical rigor, alignment with accounting standards, close dialogue with finance teams, and a disciplined assessment of litigation probability, materiality and trends. When well-managed, legal provisions become not only an accounting exercise, but also a strategic tool for risk visibility and capital allocation.

Finally, I see the legal department as an ambassador of compliance culture. Compliance is not a separate agenda; it is a pillar of sustainable business. Our role is to promote integrity, ethical decision-making and accountability, helping the company grow with confidence, credibility and long-term resilience.