About

Ruben Henriquez had to face one of the biggest professional challenges of his career upon joining Australis Seafoods in 2013, undertaking an ambitious restructuring of the legal department, which now consists of an interdisciplinary team of incorporated professionals from several fields. ‘This has allowed us [lawyers] to gain deep knowledge of the salmon industry and the specific characteristics of this business, which has in turn enabled us to provide more specific legal advice to all the company departments’, Henriquez explains. Consequently, the services his team now provides offers an enormous added value in comparison to the legal advice the company could obtain from external lawyers. Other major achievements for Henriquez on the operational side include introducing a regulatory compliance methodology into the legal department and taking over certification of production processes and facilities to comply with international aquaculture standards. Henriquez’s work to roll out regular reporting to the other departments on legal issues, has had a profound impact on their operational and production processes. At the same time, Henriquez and his team has significantly improved communication between the legal team and other parts of the company, hence ensuring smooth and timely interaction. ‘This allows us not only to offer legal counsel on a “when needed” basis, which we continue to do, but to provide ongoing support for all the company processes’, Henriquez says. The exposure of Australis Seafoods to legal and regulatory contingencies and to conflicts with local communities and interest groups has decreased during Henriquez’ tenure, with the legal department now playing a critical role in the drafting and implementation of new sustainability policies. To this effect, Henriquez has incorporated new technologies to manage information on operations and production, enabling a more effective control and monitoring of regulatory compliance and maintenance of a personal relationship with stakeholders and regulators. ‘Our goal is that our department prompts a new corporate culture that is not only committed to observing the rules, but one that also seeks to do the right thing in everything we do’, says Henriquez.