About

Ana Carolina García joined L’Oréal Venezuela in 2010 as legal manager, where she claims she immediately fell in love with the cosmetics company: ‘I could mix the legal knowledge, commercial matters and my love for these type of products. To take the opportunity to become a supporter of each department and been involved in all matters related to the business make me feel more of a business partner than a lawyer, it gave me the opportunity to solve problems and make things happen’, says García. In 2014 she assumed position as the legal director for Central America, where she is now located in Panama, but has the responsibility to work for 13 countries in Central America and some countries in South America, opening up the opportunity to develop her legal functions in different countries with different people in a diverse business. García has also been tasked with creating a legal culture in the organisation. ‘For me, being a corporate lawyer is being at the heart of the company, and the person who can help and support entire departments. For me the lawyer must be a collaborator of companies and the vehicle to make things happen’, acknowledges García. García started her professional career 17 years ago, when she joined a law firm in Caracas, Venezuela, working as a paralegal trainee on claims and issues at the judicial courts and intellectual property registers. After gaining her license as a lawyer she started to work for Cadena Capriles, one of the most important press companies in Venezuela, which she describes as ‘a great experience’ and a role she remembers fondly as she worked directly with the owners who taught her how to run a business. García then spent four years working for the first private employer in Venezeula, Cervecería Polar, where she was responsible for commercial issues. It gave her the opportunity to navigate under different types of protection law from the government. ‘I could face up to sanitary matters, security employee, payment collection issues from customers, and suppler reviews and operations issues in the warehouse and transport lines’, says García.