Team size: 90 

Jurisdictions your role covers: Brazil

What are the most significant cases or transactions that your legal team has recently been involved in? (Please mark anything confidential clearly, and feel free to speak in general terms if you wish, we’re just trying to describe the sort of work your team has been engaged with over the past year) 

From the past 2-3 years, we took the lead of several high-profile financing and M&A operations. On the M&A perspective, it is possible to mention the public tender offers for Neoenergia Cosern and Neoenergia Pernambuco; the sale of minority stakes and energy from certain wind farms of the Neoenergia Group on a self-production model; the sale of certain stake of certain Neoenergia transmission companies; the association of Carbon2Nature Brasil (a Joint Venture of Neoenergia and Iberdrola groups) with local partners for developing carbon-based projects; the sale of 100% stake of Geração Céu Azul (formerly owner of 70% interest in Baixo Iguaçu hydro consortium); among others.

From a financing perspective, our team successfully executed around 16 structured deals (such as 4.131 model, development financings, green loans and debenture issuances), supporting our transmission, distribution, and generation businesses.

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

In large organisations, especially within the power sector, there has been a growing expectation for the legal department to move beyond its traditional support function and take on a truly strategic role. In this context, anticipating, highlighting  and supporting the management of business risks is now the core of legal activities.

In addition, business areas are demanding faster responses, predictive analyses, and closer collaboration in building solutions—not just legal validation. This requires a highly skilled and multidisciplinary team, capable of handling topics that range from complex litigation to structured negotiations, environmental issues, digital innovation, and regulatory relations.

Another important element is the pressure for efficiency: there is an increasing expectation to combine high legal performance with cost reduction, strict budget management, and the adoption of digital tools that enhance productivity, all without compromising legal security and corporate governance.

How is your organisation adapting to the rapid evolution of data protection, AI governance and cybersecurity requirements in Brazil? 

Neoenergia group has been progressing in a structured and strategic way to address the new regulatory frameworks related to data protection, AI governance, and cybersecurity.

Particularly concerning Artificial Intelligence (AI), our legal team is deeply involved in aligning the company’s technology initiatives with the purpose of enhancing overall performance. We do not see AI merely as a technological upgrade, but as a strategic toll to transform the decision-making processes, optimise resources allocation and foster innovation.

In the field of cybersecurity, we collaborate to strengthen contractual clauses, establish minimum protection standards, improve incident response protocols, and define requirements for critical service providers.

Finally, we have strengthened our governance framework to concerning compliance with Brazil’s General Data Protection Law (LGPD). We actively monitor decisions issued by the National Data Protection Authority (ANPD) and provide guidance to business units on general questions,  contracts and internal policies.

What strategies has your legal team adopted to manage disputes and mitigate risks in Brazil’s dynamic business environment? 

Our approach is based on a combination of prevention, efficient litigation management, and strong integration with our operational areas. We have been working to prioritise strategic litigation and matters of significant material value; enhance predictability and quality of decision-making; strengthen relationships with external law firms; encourage a business-oriented outlook, seeking consensual solutions and preventive strategies to avoid litigation whenever possible; improve closer interaction with technical areas, enabling faster, more robust, and business-driven analyses. These initiatives have contributed to reducing risks, improving outcomes, and elevating the strategic role of the legal function within the organisation.

Regarding high-volume litigation (also called “mass” litigation), the focus has been on the constant automation of workflows, with standardisation of data management. This implies modernisation and digitisation, allowing the team to have the attitude and environment to propose and build solutions every day.

How have economic fluctuations, exchange‑rate volatility or supply‑chain pressures in 2026 influenced your legal priorities? 

Recent macroeconomic conditions have required an even more proactive and closely aligned legal function with our company’s financial and strategic priorities. Within the legal department, we have focused on initiatives such as: review and strengthening of contracts, paying extra attention to adjustment clauses, supply risks, critical deadlines, and mechanisms for allocating responsibilities; highlighting  and assist the management of financial and regulatory risks, especially in areas directly affecting OPEX, CAPEX, tariffs, and the economic-financial balance of concessions. These circumstances have reinforced the legal team’s role as an essential partner, preserving value, mitigating risks, and ensuring the viability of strategic projects.