Central America Teams 2019 – GC Powerlist
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Central America Teams 2019

  • Industries

  • Powerlist

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Industrials and real estate

Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? Our legal department is structured to render strategic and business legal...

Consumer products

Transport and infrastructure

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Energy and utilities

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Energy and utilities

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Transport and infrastructure

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Financials

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Financials

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Financials

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Financials

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Financials

Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? The head of the legal department is David Estuardo Portilla Rivera...

Financials

Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals within the department? The legal team is structured into five areas: The legal directorate – which is...

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Financials

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Financials

Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? Orlando Zuniga, Legal assistant manager, giving the strategy, the coordination, and...

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Financials

What are the most significant cases and/or transactions that your legal team has been involved with in the last two years? In 2019 the legal team supported Banistmo’s issuance of...

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Healthcare

Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? Ivannia Montero is business partner for crop science, seeds and environmental...

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Telecommunication services

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Consumer products

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Financials

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BAT’s legal team is a highly experienced group of attorneys with a long track record in the region. The team is headed by Fernando Robles, who has a demonstrated history...

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Industrials and real estate

Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured? We work as one team under a regional service delivery model in which we have commercial lawyers who work and...

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Materials and mining

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Financials

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Financials

Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? Citi’s Central America (CA) legal team is structured with general counsels...

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Telecommunication services

Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? The legal team is structured in two divisions formed by three...

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Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? Legal manager, Maricel Álvarez Chavarría, is a key leader since he...

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Consumer products

Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? We are divided by the functions we are providing support to...

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Transport and infrastructure

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Materials and mining

Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? We are a ‘hands-on department’, focused on providing direct practical answers...

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Industrials and real estate

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Industrials and real estate

Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? We provide legal support and guidance to the business aligned with...

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Information technology

Energy and utilities

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DHL

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Transport and infrastructure

Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? The legal department that supports DHL Express Central America and Dominican...

Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? Aside from general counsel Central America and the Caribbean Zamira Zapata...

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Telecommunication services

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Healthcare

Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? Eli Lilly Latin America is divided into five affiliates: Mexico; Brazil,...

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Energy and utilities

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Energy and utilities

Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? The legal department is structured with a general counsel, a group...

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Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? The FIFCO legal department for our Central American operations consists of...

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Healthcare

Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? The legal team in Central America and the Caribbean is very...

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Information technology

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Consumer products

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Industrials and real estate

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Sports and media

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Financials

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Consumer products

Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? Our legal team consists of three lawyers, a compliance officer and...

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Consumer products

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Industrials and real estate

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Industrials and real estate

Healthcare

Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? The legal department of consumer healthcare at the Latin American northern...

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Information technology

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Information technology

Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? The senior manager and six equally-ranked young lawyers of the team...

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Information technology

The Intel legal team is distinguished by its highly experienced attorneys. The team is characterised by having a strong, deep and detailed knowledge of different and specialised practice areas which...

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Consumer products

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Industrials and real estate

Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? The legal and compliance department in Central America and the Caribbean...

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Administrative bodies

Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? We are currently in a divestiture process and we are only...

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Sports and media

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Financials

Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? Mastercard’s Law, Franchise and Integrity (LFI) team is structured in four...

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Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? Melania Calzada and myself are responsible for dealing with all legal...

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Healthcare

What are the most significant cases and/or transactions that your legal team has been involved with in the last two years? We have worked on a number of significant cases...

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Administrative bodies

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Administrative bodies

Industrials and real estate

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Hotels

Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? The legal team senior team is composed with legal regional counsel,...

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Consumer products

What are the most significant cases and/or transactions that your legal team has been involved with in the last two years? Our company’s legal team was invited to join the...

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Sports and media

Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? The legal team of the vice presidency of legal affairs of...

Information technology

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Healthcare

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Information technology

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Telecommunication services

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Financials

Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? The legal team is structured in predetermined roles, in which each...

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Energy and utilities

What are the most significant cases and/or transactions that your legal team has been involved with in the last two years? In 2017 SUEZ were awarded a contract with the...

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Telecommunication services

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Materials and mining

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Financials

Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? The legal team of Scotiabank Dominican Republic is structured as follows:...

Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? Our team is small but our culture is characterised by doing...

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Telecommunication services

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Information technology

Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? As a mega region, there is a division by sub regions...

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Energy and utilities

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Consumer products

Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? Our department is structured under three areas that report to Walmart...

Since first being published as The Corporate Counsel 100, The Legal 500’s GC Powerlist series has grown exponentially since its beginnings in 2013. It started by covering four of the world’s most established legal markets, and whilst the core objective of the publication – highlighting the most capable, outstanding and innovative in-house counsel in a jurisdiction – has remained the same, the reach and scope of the GC Powerlist has since become almost unrecognisable. Now present in a vast array of jurisdictions and with a portfolio of 70 unique editions, the GC Powerlist series has gone from strength to strength and has firmly been established as the “go-to” title that assesses and features leading corporate counsel across the globe.

Not content to rest on our laurels, we at The Legal 500 are evolving the GC Powerlist series even further, deepening our commitment to ensuring not only the widest geographical coverage, but to highlight and explore issues and challenges at the forefront of the minds of leading in-house lawyers. Therefore, this and future editions of the GC Powerlist will have a very different look to their predecessors. Instead of profiling individual counsel or in-house legal teams, more incisive insights from in-house thought leaders on the topics of the day will be featured throughout our new look GC Powerlist publications.

This new look entails the publication of Q&A transcripts regarding legal and business challenges, comment pieces on specific industry or regulatory affairs, more detailed analysis as to where the market is heading and content related to soft-skills, work ethic and business relationships that general counsel utilise. This new format will not only provide more thought leadership and insight, but provide more clarity on what is driving legal business forward in each market that we cover.

This brings me to Central America. The Legal 500 has covered the Central American in-house legal market since 2016, which has allowed us to become familiar with the deep pool of in-house legal talent that exists across various industries and levels of seniority within the country. Whether it’s facilitating key company projects, adopting the latest technology to drive efficiencies or adjusting to new laws and regulations, the region is brimming with in-house lawyers and teams who seamlessly adapt with the latest international business developments.

It was our pleasure to speak to and extensively interview counsel based in the region spanning Fortune Global 500 companies, domestic business titans and organisations at the cutting edge of technology and the future of work, each with their own priorities and challenges. I would like to thank our sponsor Arias for supporting this publication. I’d also like to thank our extensive network of law firm partners and in-house counsel in the region whose opinions we canvassed during the course of the research phase. Of course, your feedback is valuable and welcomed, so if there are any comments or suggestions please feel free to get in touch with these.

Last but not least, I would like to congratulate all those featured in this year’s list. Their selection means they have been identified as legal teams who are amongst the standard bearers of the in-house legal profession, and as specialists who confront and manage commercial and legal challenges in a way that marks them as market leaders. They are not only talented legal teams, but instrumental partners to and crucial components of their respective organisations, demonstrably helping them drive success and move business forward.

Arias

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Rejoice! Congratulations on being named a leader amongst leaders. General counsels (GCs) have been blazing new trails in the legal marketplace for years and it is a testament to your leadership to be named in the GC Powerlist. We praise your extraordinary work and invaluable responsibility to propel the legal profession and we likewise, want to praise your accomplishments. It is a delight for Arias to have the privilege to sponsor this activity that perceives a remarkable gathering of individuals.

Grander Purpose. It is our pleasure to distinguish each and every single one of you because it is your diligent and outstanding work that provides prosperity for your stakeholders and development to the region. This is not a simple job; the role of a general counsel (GC) has developed substantively over the last decade due to increasingly complex regulation, technological advancements and globalisation. We acknowledge that all of you now bring more to the table than just your legal expertise and act as strategic legal and business advisers to the chief executive and executive leadership teams. All of you represent the greatness that arises from individuals operating together for a grander purpose; we appreciate all of you and hope that we can continue to work side by side for the years to come.

The GC Powerlist and Arias, Across Borders. Arias and The Legal 500 GC Powerlist members have had a long relationship. As the first Central American law firm with presence in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama, Arias has being adding value to clients with a regional operation since 1998. Arias has grown and excelled just like your companies in the region, our success goes hand in hand; we thank you for your trust.

We are your strategic partners. We relate and feel close to the vision and aspirations of your companies and your teams. We also relate with your teams because we know how hard you work every day, as we are usually your companions in the journey, for seeking better and more efficient and innovative solutions for your legal matters, but also giving you advice every step of the road.

Cheers! We have said this on multiple occasions however we can’t pass up on this chance to express it once more: we feel fortunate to have the chance to work with you, and we trust that you keep on surpassing in your work and life, and that we continue on this path as growth partners.

GC Summit Portugal 2024

On April 9th, The Legal 500 was delighted to be back in Lisbon, hosting the GC Summit Portugal 2024 at the EPIC SANA Lisboa Hotel. The event convened the nation’s in-house legal community alongside five leading law firms and 20 esteemed speakers, providing a platform for the highest calibre of legal expertise to examine pressing issues faced by corporate counsel.

The conference kicked off with opening remarks from Francisco Castro, The Legal 500’s editorial lead, underscoring the significance of uniting the in-house community and collaborating with law firms to deliver top-notch content tailored to their interests.

The first panel, in collaboration with Abreu Advogados, brought the topic of Intellectual Property to the forefront. César Bessa Monteiro Jr., partner at Abreu Advogados moderated a discussion with Sara Barbot, legal director at BA Glass, Pedro Gonçalves, director of legal and compliance at Unbabel and Rita Branquinho Lobo, head of legal affairs at Novabase. The session explored challenges companies encounter in safeguarding their rights and sharing intangible assets in collaborative endeavours.

The subsequent session, brought by CMS Portugal, with esteemed speakers Bernardo Cunha Ferreira, partner at CMS Portugal, Pedro Amaral Frazão, adviser to the chairman at Grupo Sousa, Tiago de Magalhães, senior associate at CMS Portugal and Sandro dos Santos Zeineddin, director of information systems at Portway, delved into the transformative power of Artificial Intelligence (AI), exploring innovative strategies and cutting-edge technologies reshaping the corporate landscape.

After a short coffee break to exchange ideas on the topics discussed, the third panel of the afternoon, in collaboration with Morais Leitão, introduced the firm’s ML Assessment.ai, the firm’s innovative approach to navigate the complexities of the legal landscape, through AI-driven solutions. The session was moderated by Magda Viçoso, partner at Morais Leitão and Carlos Coelho, director of innovation and knowledge at Morais Leitão, alongside guest speakers Bruno Pina, chief legal officer at Repsol and Ana Moniz Macedo, director of corporate affairs at Millennium BCP.

The session that followed, brought by VdA, focused on the Voluntary Carbon Markets newest legislation, both at the Portuguese and the EU levels, which brings new opportunities to, among others, create financial products on the grounds of bold carbon credits. The discussion was led by Assunção Cristas, partner, ESG integrated services platform and the environment at VdA, Hugo Moredo Santos, partner, banking & finance at VdA, Patrícia Mendes, head of legal and compliance at Volkswagen Financial Services and Angela Lucas, co-founder, partner & board member at LAND Fund.

Concluding the day, leading firm PLMJ, brought a dynamic discussion on the evolving fintech scene in Portugal, taking an in-depth look at the latest trends, from the acquisition of regulated entities and the creation of new ones to the opening of branches and the establishment of joint ventures. Speakers were Bruno Ferreira, managing partner at PLMJ, and André Abrantes and Tomás Almeida Ribeiro, managing associates at PLMJ.

In summary, the GC Summit Portugal 2024 served as a catalyst for fostering legal excellence, promoting business innovation, and forging meaningful connections within the legal and corporate community. Following the event’s impressive conclusion, the dialogue continued into a drinks and canapes reception. Here, lingering questions were addressed, and attendees seized the opportunity to reconnect with their peers.

On June 27th, The Legal 500 will return to Lisbon for the release of its annual GC Powerlist: Portugal, highlighting the top in-house lawyers in the country, in collaboration with PLMJ.