Ecuador 2022
Supported by the Association of Corporate Counsel
Gerente legal and apoderado especial | Directv Ecuador
Legal manager - Ecuador | SBA Communications
Legal counsel GM Ecuador legal department  | Fresenius Medical Care
General counsel and chief compliance officer | Holcim
Legal and corporate affairs director | CervecerÃa Nacional
Legal counsel GM Ecuador legal department  | Motors del Ecuador
General counsel and chief compliance officer  | DK Management Services
Legal and corporate affairs director | Sumesa
Legal and government affairs manager | Productos Avon Ecuador
Legal director | Las Lomas Ciudad Industrial y Comercial
Legal counsel and compliance officer | Nutreco
Corporate counsel | SBA Communications Corporation - Ecuador
Director legal ecuador and legal counselor | Huawei Technologies
Director jurÃdico | Concentración Deportiva de Pichincha
Corporate manager of management control and risks and legal | Corporación GPF - Grupo Fybeca
Vice President of Legal and Corporate Affairs | Reybanpac
Legal chief and corporate affairs | Corporación El Rosado
Legal assistant manager | Latam Airlines Ecuador
Director jurÃdico | Grupo Empresarial Espinoza - GES
Head of legal and compliance andean cluster (Colombia, Ecuador, Peru) | Alcon
Senior corporate counsel, LATAM | Lumen Technologies
Gerente legal y relaciones publicas | UNACEM Ecuador
Gerente legal and compliance Ecuador, Puerto Rico, República Dominicana, Aruba and Curazao | Linde
Corporate legal manager | AsesorÃa y control
Ecuador has a rich natural endowment which if combined with climate-friendly policies has the potential to be a source of the country’s sustainable economic development. With the government initiatives on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) such as the Green Bonus scheme, Ecuador’s in-house lawyers have been proactive in navigating their organisations by encouraging eco-friendly policies and socially responsible governance. Despite the challenges the country has faced through the unprecedented pandemic crisis, the legal teams serving the companies in Ecuador demonstrably helped businesses to drive success while mitigating risks and reducing potential legal issues. Â
This year’s GC Powerlist: Ecuador highlights the role of in-house counsel playing a vital part in promoting global initiatives including Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Taking the lead in implementing corporate agendas with social accountability, in-house counsel in Ecuador promoted diversity and inclusion as well as community engagement into their corporate governance  internal model. Recognised as business partner, the in-house legal role in Ecuador continues to evolve as strategic advisor, leading the latest opportunities and challenges. Â
Remaining abreast of the latest legal technology, legal functions demonstrated their increasing efficiency and productivity over the pandemic. Technology will continue the push for in-house lawyers to work faster and smarter. Driving further efficiencies in processes, the counsel contained within these pages have utilised their legal knowledge strategically alongside business insight to make a positive impact towards their organisation’s success. Â
It was my pleasure to speak and extensively interview the most agile, innovative, and exceptional in-house lawyers in Ecuador spanning international and 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 extend the sincerest gratitude to all the general counsel and in-house lawyers who participated in this edition of the GC Powerlist: Ecuador. This edition identifies the most impressive counsel who have tackled new challenges caused by the pandemic as well as the development of eco-friendly regulations and policies.Â
The recent news that elite US firm Sullivan & Cromwell had apologised to a judge over AI hallucinations in a court filing prompted a collective wince from the legal profession.
But while some lawyers remain wary of AI, others are striking a more open-minded note, and at the LexisNexis AI Forum hosted this Wednesday (20 May) by Legal 500 and Legal Business, panelists argued that the risks are far outweighed by the opportunities.
Barbara Zapisetskaya, principal technology counsel at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, made the case that hallucinations and other potential pitfalls can be overcome with a shift in mindset.
‘What makes a difference,’ she said, ‘is empowering your lawyers to take responsibility for AI output – helping them become active AI operators, not just passive AI users. You have agency to decide whether you agree with the output or not.’
Zapisetskaya was among a line-up of leading in-house figures speaking on two panels, which covered everything from practical steps for AI implementation to the key decisions GCs need to be making in the coming months.
Financial Times general counsel Dan Guilford began by stressing the importance of building the right culture for AI adoption. In addition to proactively upskilling himself, Guilford talked about how he had implemented a voluntary weekly ‘show and tell’ meeting for team members to share successful use cases – or an exercise that became a gratifying measure of progress.
Other panelists discussed how increased in-house productivity is altering the dynamic with their external counsel.
While some see the use of AI by law firms as a precursor for reduced fees, Russell Davies, head of global operations for legal and compliance at Dentsu, said that faster results – however they are delivered – are something to be valued.
GSK assistant general counsel Anthony Kenny agreed, saying that while there was an expectation that external counsel would be utilising AI, the focus should be on the value of the output, rather than an overemphasis on identifying AI use as a justification to reduce fees.
Speaking on the second panel, MUFG EMEA general counsel James Morgan stressed the critical importance of education, noting that educating the C-suite on the advantages and risks of AI is just as important as enabling large in-house teams to use these tools.
Shanthini Satyendra, vice-chair of the AI Committee, Society for Computers & Law, CEO and founder of Manisain, offered a reminder of the importance of making the connection between tasks and the purpose behind them, extolling the virtues of identifying use cases for AI that can solve a meaningful problem.
Zapisetskaya concurred, adding that one of the most important tasks for GCs across the next six to twelve months is to create AI playbooks and templates, noting that ‘it is easy for lawyers to see problems – much harder for lawyers to see opportunities.’
There was also broad agreement among panellists that GCs should focus on upskilling their junior lawyers on AI, rather than – as some may expect – cutting back their workforce. As Satyendra summarised: ‘Some people are replacing human capital with AI without thinking about what’s required to make AI work. Retain your people and train them up.’
The panels were moderated by Emma Millington, head of the UK Lexis+ Finance Group, and LexisNexis director of segment management Stuart Greenhill.
