What are the most significant cases, projects or transactions that you and your legal team have recently been involved in?

Over the past year, I have been involved in a number of strategic legal matters supporting the company’s operations, governance, commercial growth, regulatory compliance and risk management. This has included advising on complex contractual negotiations, corporate and compliance matters, employment-related issues, regulatory processes and internal policies aimed at strengthening the organisation’s legal and operational framework.

Given the confidential nature of some of these matters, I would describe my work more broadly as focused on enabling business continuity, managing legal risk and supporting sound decision-making in a dynamic commercial environment.

Within the cacao industry, one of the Group’s core business sectors, I have supported initiatives aimed at expanding production into other Latin American countries. This has required close legal oversight of the commercial, corporate, regulatory and operational considerations associated with the Group’s regional growth.

I have also advised stockbrokers and their personnel on legal and compliance matters in the Dominican Republic.

How do you approach managing legal aspects during periods of instability or crisis to ensure the organisation’s resilience?

During periods of instability or crisis, my approach is to remain practical, preventative and closely aligned with the business. The legal department must help the organisation understand risk clearly, prioritise urgent issues, maintain compliance and make decisions based on reliable information. This requires close coordination with leadership, Finance, Operations, Human Resources and external counsel where necessary.

I believe legal counsel should not only react to problems, but also anticipate them, develop effective mitigation strategies and help the organisation remain resilient.

General Counsel often speak of the need to be strategic to reach the pinnacle of the profession. What does being strategic mean to you?

To me, being strategic means understanding the company’s objectives and ensuring that legal advice contributes directly to achieving them. It is not enough simply to identify risks; modern in-house counsel must also help the business evaluate its options, make informed decisions and move forward responsibly.

What do you think are the most important attributes for a modern in-house counsel to possess?

The most important attributes for modern in-house counsel are sound judgement, integrity, adaptability, commercial awareness, discretion and the ability to communicate complex legal issues clearly and practically.

In-house lawyers must be trusted advisers who combine technical legal expertise with a strong understanding of the organisation’s commercial and operational realities.

Based on your experiences in the past year, are there any trends in the legal or business world that you are keeping an eye on that you think other in-house lawyers should be mindful of?

One trend I continue to monitor closely is the increasing importance of compliance, data protection, technology and corporate governance in day-to-day business decisions.

Legal departments are expected to become increasingly proactive, efficient and integrated with the business, while preserving their independence and professional judgement.