Chile 2024
Supported by the Association of Corporate Counsel
Executive legal, compliance and audit manager | Pacific Hydro Chile
Vice president, associate general counsel, head of Latin America | Everest Insurance Chile
Legal, sustainability and corporate affairs director | Softys
Director of legal services | Compañía General de Electricidad
General counsel Chile and Latam | Sodexo
Legal vice president, general counsel | CODELCO (Corporación del Cobre de Chile)
Vice president, legal and corporate affairs | Claro Chile
Chief legal officer and chief compliance officer | Grupo Sencorp
Regional legal director for the Andean Cluster (Peru, Chile, Bolivia and Ecuador) | Pfizer
General counsel, sustainability and corporate affairs | Sierra Gorda SCM
Lead legal counsel, Andean and South Cone Region | FedEx
Director legal and compliance officer | Sociedad Austral de Electricidad - SAESA
Senior manager, international legal affairs | SBA
General counsel, Chile and lead counsel for Latin America | EY
The Legal 500 is delighted to present the GC Powerlist Chile: 2024. In this edition, we explore the evolving role of in-house counsel in Chile, where legal professionals are navigating a landscape shaped by regulatory changes, economic fluctuations, and rapid technological advancements. These factors are redefining the role of general counsel, placing them at the forefront of strategic decision-making and crisis management within their organisations.
In this dynamic environment, Chile’s legal leaders are pioneering innovative approaches to crisis management, championing diversity and inclusion, driving sustainability initiatives, and integrating advanced legal technologies. The professionals featured in this edition have shared invaluable insights into how they are adapting and excelling in these roles. As they lead the charge in implementing new technologies, these general counsel are unlocking efficiencies and enhancing team performance, all while delivering significant value to their businesses.
Beyond technology, these in-house counsel are prioritising critical issues such as diversity and inclusion within their teams. Legal leaders in Chile recognise the importance of fostering diverse perspectives to drive innovation and create a more equitable workplace. As one of our standout contributors, Rodrigo Gutiérrez Marticorena, lead counsel – Andean and South Cone region at FedEx, explains: ‘A culture centred on inclusion, where team members feel respected and valued, cannot be confined to a simple statement of principles. It must be backed by concrete actions that educate and raise awareness, promoting understanding and commitment. Through the development of policies, programmes, and the monitoring of their implementation, lawyers have a unique role to play.’
Sustainability has also emerged as a core focus for many Chilean legal teams, as they strive to align their companies’ practices with global standards and societal expectations. The legal professionals featured in this publication are taking proactive steps to embed sustainability within their operations, ensuring that legal strategies align with long-term environmental and social goals. As Rosario Fernández Parga, legal coordinator at Nuveen Natural Capital, shared: ‘Our company is deeply invested in sustainability—it is central to our mission and our responsibility to both the planet and our investors. We maintain strict zero-deforestation policies, conduct environmental due diligence, pursue renewable energy opportunities, and invest in projects that protect pollinators like bees. We engage with local communities and consider our impact when making decisions, while also allocating funds for specific aid projects that deliver tangible benefits. As legal coordinator, I have worked to ensure our compliance with evolving regulations by incorporating environmental considerations into our legal processes, including conducting environmental reviews of previously acquired properties. I’m also involved in selecting and developing projects that improve the quality of life for communities surrounding our investments.’
The GC Powerlist Chile: 2024 celebrates the most influential and visionary in-house lawyers in the country. Their ability to lead through uncertainty, drive positive change, and provide strategic value underscores the critical role they play within their organisations. We are honoured to share their stories, insights, and achievements, which stand as a testament to their unwavering commitment to excellence.
Congratulations to all the outstanding in-house lawyers featured in this edition of the Legal 500 GC Powerlist Chile.
Francisco Castro| Editorial Lead – GC Powerlist Chile 2024
Sara Maggi | Editorial Lead – GC Powerlist Chile 2024
Legal 500 was proud to host the second edition of the GC Powerlist: East Africa 2025 in Nairobi, honouring the top General Counsel, Chief Legal Officers, Legal Directors, and senior in-house legal professionals across Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda. This year’s reception brought together over 100 of the most influential and innovative corporate counsel from the region, and was an unrivalled success, cementing Legal 500’s role as the leading voice in recognising in-house legal excellence across Africa.
The evening was opened by Joe Boswell, lead editor of the GC Powerlist publication at Legal 500, who highlighted the growing prestige of the East Africa edition and the increasing challenge of selecting honourees from such a deep (and rapidly growing) pool of talent.
Guests were then treated to some particularly relevant insights from distinguished speakers. Rachel Musoke, Head of ENS Uganda, delivered a thoughtful welcome that reflected on the importance of collaboration between private practice and in-house teams. This was followed by a powerful keynote from Habil Waswani, Company Secretary & Director Legal Services and Regulatory Compliance at Kenya Airways, who shared reflections on leadership, regulatory stewardship, and the evolving role of corporate counsel in East Africa.
The highlight of the evening was the certificate ceremony, where this year’s honourees were formally recognised. Certificates were presented by senior representatives of ENS, including Désiré Kamanzi (head of ENS Rwanda), Rachel Musoke, Nigel Shaw (head of ENS Kenya), Donald Nyakairu (Partner, ENS Uganda), Dieudonne Nzafashwanayo (partner, ENS Rwanda) and Binti Shah (Partner, ENS Kenya) whose participation underlined the depth of the firm’s support for the GC Powerlist initiative.
The GC Powerlist: East Africa 2025 reaffirmed The Legal 500’s commitment to shining a spotlight on the region’s most talented in-house lawyers. With an even stronger field of candidates, this year’s edition stands as a powerful testament to the influence and expertise of East Africa’s legal leaders. Habil Waswani’s excellent speech, which got a raucous reception from those in the room, is reproduced below with his permission:
‘My name is Habil Waswani, and I have been an inhouse legal practitioner for the past 21 years in different sectors (having done law-firm practice for 2 years before that). Tt is indeed a true privilege and honour for me to be here tonight, surrounded by the sharpest legal minds and calmest crisis-handlers the East African corporate world has to offer.
First, let me thank the Legal 500 and ENSAfrica teams, for organising such a fantastic event and for bringing us together in such style. Congratulations to each of tonight’s honourees. You represent the very best of general counsel in this very dynamic corporate space the businesses we support operate in. Strategic, ethical, resilient, and, let’s be honest, often underappreciated leaders of industry.
I am so happy that this evening is not about contracts, or compliance checklists, or board packs. Tonight is about celebrating you, the people behind all of that. The steady hands guiding companies through complexities, uncertainties, and ensuring that the opportunities that lie within those difficult circumstances are lawfully realized.
We all know the role of GCs has evolved. We are no longer tucked away at the end of a corridor marked “Legal” or labelled the proverbial “cost centres”. These days, the GCs sit at the big table – helping drive corporate strategy, shaping desired culture, providing leadership and safeguarding business reputations. We have become indispensable partners to businesses, interpreters, navigators, protectors… and on some (many) days, therapists with law degrees. And yet, we mostly do it all so quietly. No victory laps, no press releases. Often, success for us means the expected disaster didn’t happen.
But tonight, we break that rule. Tonight, we raise a glass to the GCs who’ve blazed the trail courageously, with clarity, conviction, and tremendous resilience that only matches the expectations of the Leadership Guru John Maxwell when he said, “resilient leaders don’t wait for the storm to past — they learn to dance in the rain”. You have managed to balance growth and governance, risk and reward regularly. And, of course, always managed to deal with those 10pm messages: “Hey, just a quick question…Are you able to talk right now…?”
Let this evening serve as a reminder that you are not just experienced legal advisors. You are leaders — spear heads and enablers of execution — and without a doubt critical pillars of business strategy.
To all the honourees, congratulations once again for the well-deserved recognition. This is for the heavy lifting that you do, the standards you uphold, and the impact you make – quietly, consistently, and brilliantly so. You’ve earned this spotlight.
