Team size: Five

What has been the number one challenge that has impacted you over the past year?

My biggest challenge was my appointment as head of legal commercial operations Latin America. Undoubtedly, it was and continues to be a great challenge since the role is highly competitive, demanding, and also requires my full attention in those countries where I do not have a legal manager in charge. Each branch for which I carry out my tasks is very different from another, sometimes with its own rules and policies. The demands of companies and business transformations require you, as a lawyer, to have disruptive thinking and challenge the status quo. Sometimes, the latter is not very well received; there is a lot of fear of change. Incorporating teams from different cultures under a more vertical system, in comparison to a more participatory leadership, is what I try to execute, where critical thinking is encouraged and the opinion of the people of my team is highly valued and highly respected by me, was the biggest challenge. Incredible as it may seem, many professionals are not used to this type of way of leading teams.

In which ways have you attempted to bring the legal department closer to your business colleagues?

For a long time, the legal area was treated as mere advisors, totally removed from the reality of the company, where the decision is taken only by the business. The only way for the legal area to become closer to the business is for them to be heard and the identification and assessment of legal risks to be considered.

In this particular case, I strive for the legal team to be involved in the projects from the start. TI encourage the legal team to participate in the initial brainstorming when the business area brings the ideas.

What are some of the most significant cases and transactions you have been involved in recently?

The most significant cases and transactions in which I have been involved include a series of divest projects abroad Panama which mainly involved asset and company sale dedicated to the health provider businesses.