Career Biography

María Fernanda Blanco is a Costa Rican lawyer with over ten years of progressive experience in corporate law, compliance, and legal business partnership across multinational companies operating in Central America and the Caribbean.

She holds a Law degree from Universidad de Costa Rica and a Master’s degree in Corporate Legal Advisory from Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Spain, where she also completed a specialisation in corporate law and compliance risk management — academic foundations that have shaped her rigorous and strategic approach to in-house legal practice.

María Fernanda began her career at Walmart de México y Centroamérica, where she served as regional corporate and agribusiness lawyer, gaining early exposure to the complexities of multi-jurisdictional legal operations and commercial transactions across the region. She then joined Philip Morris Central America as legal analyst, deepening her expertise in legal affairs and corporate governance within a highly regulated global industry.

She subsequently joined Unilever as legal business partner for Central America, a role in which she combined legal expertise with a strong business orientation, working closely with commercial and operational teams to deliver pragmatic legal solutions aligned with the company’s strategic objectives. In 2024, she was appointed legal counsel manager for Central America at Unilever, where she leads and develops an internal legal team, defines and drives the overall legal strategy for the department across five jurisdictions, and oversees a broad portfolio spanning commercial matters and contracts, compliance, risk management, and legal affairs. In this capacity, she serves as a key strategic partner to senior leadership, ensuring that legal considerations are fully integrated into the company’s regional business decisions.

Throughout her career, María Fernanda has distinguished herself as a trusted advisor who bridges legal rigour with business acumen, consistently adding value in dynamic and complex operating environments. She is recognised for her commitment to building inclusive, high-performing legal teams and for her ability to navigate the diverse regulatory landscapes of Central America with both precision and strategic vision.