Ecuador 2023
Supported by the Association of Corporate Counsel
Chief legal officer | Trust Fiduciaria Administradora de Fondos y Fideicomisos
Compliance and data protection officer | Otecel (Telefónica Ecuador)
General counsel, Venezuela and Ecuador | Unilever Andina Ecuador
Legal and compliance manager | Duragas Abastible
Legal manager and regulatory coordinator for Ecuador and compliance regional lead | Directv Latin America
Legal counsel for Ecuador, Venezuela, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Paraguay | Halliburton
Legal chief and data protection officer | Netlife Ecuador
Legal manager | SBA Communications Corporation
Corporate manager of management control and risks and legal | Corporación GPF (Grupo Fybeca)
Senior counsel | Phoenix Tower International Ecuador (PTIE)
Legal, corporate affairs and compliance manager | UNACEM Ecuador
General counsel, corporate affairs manager and chief compliance officer | Holcim
Legal, compliance and public relations manager | UNACEM Ecuador
Legal and compliance director | Corporación DK
General counsel and president of the compliance unit | Grupo Santillana
Legal and compliance manager, Ecuador, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Aruba and Curazon | Linde
Legal and compliance director | Empresa Pública Metropolitana de Seguridad y Logística
The Legal 500 is proud to present to you the latest edition of the GC Powerlist: Ecuador. This eagerly awaited publication is committed to acknowledging and commemorating the outstanding achievements of the foremost in-house lawyers in the country.
This publication shines a spotlight on the noteworthy contributions of in-house counsel to businesses in Ecuador, standing as a testament to their expertise, leadership, and unwavering commitment to excellence. This 2023 edition underscores exceptional achievements and innovative approaches taken by the selected individuals as they navigate the intricate landscape of Ecuadorian law. Addressing challenges such as the implementation of artificial intelligence (AI), relationships with business partners, diversity and inclusion initiatives, among others, these professionals have showcased resilience and adaptability in a dynamic legal environment.
Within this publication, you’ll discover in-depth profiles and exclusive interviews featuring the most influential and esteemed in-house lawyers spanning various industries in Ecuador. These individuals consistently showcase their prowess in steering legal strategy, adeptly managing risks, and offering strategic counsel to their respective organisations. Their achievements not only serve as inspiration to the legal community but also exemplify the profound impact in-house lawyers can wield on the business strategy and success of their organisations.
This research brings to light several key findings, including the continuous and fast-growing application of AI within legal departments. As voiced by many in-house lawyers, echoed by Pedro del Pozo, senior counsel at Cirion Technologies, “we have already implemented platforms to attend our internal client by using artificial intelligence, which have allowed us to have better response times and thus contribute to the closing of important businesses on a daily basis.” In-house lawyers are recognising the potential of AI to enhance various aspects of their roles. One key area is the automation of routine tasks, allowing legal professionals to streamline processes, increase efficiency, and allocate more time to strategic and high-value activities. Undoubtedly, AI stands out as a noteworthy subject for in-house lawyers to monitor closely.
Furthermore, our findings underscore a persistent need for enhancing the relationship between legal teams and business partners. Despite the demonstrated value of in-house counsel, particularly evident during the challenges of the pandemic, there remains an opportunity for further advancement in cultivating more robust collaboration and mutual understanding between the legal and business functions. As perfectly put by Ricardo Dávalos at Linde, “[t]he best way to create strong relationships with our business partners is to stablished the “game rules” from the beginning of the relationship and to align our values and principles permanently.” In all, as voiced by in-house lawyers in general, this ongoing commitment to strengthening collaboration is vital for maximising the collective impact of both legal and business expertise within any organisation.
Legal departments in Ecuador are also quickly increasing their efforts on diversity, inclusion and equity initiatives. As our research underscores, fostering an inclusive culture for all is a top priority for in-house lawyers, as they are dedicated to showcasing the best version of their employees, irrespective of any external factor that is not relevant to their work. As stated by Gabriela Jijón, general counsel at Holcim, “[p]romoting an inclusive culture for all is a priority and we strive to highlight the best version of our employees regardless of their age, nationality or gender.” As a key takeaway from the many interesting interviews within this publication is the broad understanding that embracing the richness of perspectives that diversity brings, cultivating a culture where each employee can reach their full potential, fostering innovation and collaboration, will only bring benefits to the development and growth of companies in the country.
Within this publication, you’ll find exclusive content on various pertinent topics and challenges for all things in-house legal. Delve into the GC Powerlist: Ecuador 2023 and uncover the remarkable stories of these exceptional individuals. Through their experiences and insights, our aim is to offer a comprehensive overview of the legal landscape in Ecuador, emphasising the indispensable role played by in-house legal teams.
Our heartfelt gratitude goes to all the featured in-house lawyers for their invaluable contributions and for generously sharing their professional journeys with us. It brings us great pleasure to present to you this distinguished list, showcasing Ecuador’s most outstanding, dedicated, and celebrated in-house lawyers.
Francisco Faria e Castro | Senior research analyst | GC Powerlist series
The Legal 500 was proud to host the third edition of the GC Powerlist: Japan 2025 at the Capitol Hotel Tokyu, honouring the top General Counsel, Chief Legal Officers, Legal Directors, and senior in-house legal professionals operating at the highest level of Japan’s corporate legal landscape. Held in Tokyo, this year’s reception welcomed around 100 of the most respected and senior corporate counsel from across Japan. It was an unrivalled success, and cements Legal 500’s status as the leading force in legal media supporting the achievements of in-house counsel in Japan. The GC Powerlist: Japan 2025 marks the continuation of our commitment to recognising excellence in-house, and this year’s edition represents the most competitive and selective list to date.
Joe Boswell, lead editor of the GC powerlist publication at The Legal 500, opened the evening with an introduction that reflected on the growing prestige of the Japan list. He emphasised how the Powerlist has grown stronger each year, both in scope and quality, making the task of selection more difficult. This year’s honourees emerged from a deeply competitive field, making their recognition even more meaningful.
Boswell extended heartfelt congratulations to all honourees and acknowledged the critical support of key partners and sponsors who made the evening possible. Special thanks were given to Anderson Mori & Tomotsune, Morrison Foerster, iManage, JustLegal, and SS&C Intralinks for their generous sponsorship and ongoing collaboration.
In a moment of reflection, Joe paid tribute to Tim Mackey, chief legal officer at SoftBank, who sadly passed away unexpectedly earlier this year. Tim had contributed to the Powerlist in each of its three editions and was known not only for his exceptional legal acumen but also for his warmth and generosity.
The evening featured insightful remarks from distinguished speakers representing our partners and the broader legal community: Mischa Mulligan, Japan Director at SS&C Intralinks; Hiroki Kodate, Partner and Management Committee Member at Anderson Mori & Tomotsune; Jeremy White, Global Co-Chair of M&A for Morrison Foerster; and, representing those awarded in the Powerlist, Naoki Hamada, General Counsel for Japan at HSBC.
Each speaker provided reflections on legal innovation, leadership, and the evolving role of in-house counsel in Japan’s corporate landscape. Their remarks added valuable context to the achievements celebrated throughout the evening.
The formal awards segment celebrated this year’s GC Powerlist honourees. With assistance from long-time collaborator Isaac Uchiyama who read out awardees’ names, recipients were invited to collect their certificates, pose for photographs, and be formally recognised by their peers.
Certificates were presented on stage by Hiroki Kodate or Anderson Mori & Tomotsune and Jeremy White of Morrison Foerster, whose participation further underlined the deep support of the Japanese and international legal communities.
The GC Powerlist: Japan 2025 reception reaffirmed Legal 500’s commitment to spotlighting the very best of in-house legal talent. With record levels of interest and unmatched quality among candidates, the Japan edition continues to solidify its place as one of the most respected publications in the global GC Powerlist series.
We extend our sincere congratulations to all honourees and thank our partners, sponsors, and speakers for making the evening a success.
We look forward to returning to Tokyo again next year. As a parting gift, you can view Naoki Hamada’s excellent keynote address below, where he touches on a lot of issues and themes that many other GC, whatever country they operate in, will recognise:
‘Good evening, everyone. I am Naoki Hamada of HSBC. I am very pleased to be here speaking to you today. It is a great pleasure and honor, and at the same time, I feel a bit overwhelmed being surrounded by the busiest and most expensive lawyers in the industry—even if I know that nobody will be charging us for their time. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Legal 500 for organizing such a great event, and Anderson Mori & Tomotsune, Morrison Foerster, iManage, SS&C Intralinks, and Just Legal for sponsoring and supporting it. And, huge congratulations on the recognition each of you is receiving, which is truly a great accomplishment and the result of your hard work and the accumulated trust the entire industry has placed in you.
It must be emphasized that this award is given only to general counsels. Being a general counsel means a lot more than just being a subject matter expert. You are a most reliable strategic partner for the business, and I am sure that you have distinguished yourself from the crowd by your ability to identify underlying risks, devise legal solutions, ensure the right processes and governance for corporate decisions, influence others, and educate the next generation of lawyers. This is what you are being recognized for.
Looking back on my career, I have been hugely helped by lawyers in other companies through various industry communities. When I joined the in-house world 12 years ago from a Japanese law firm, large international banks were all struggling with a huge wave of regulatory reform. Back then, I was relatively new to that particular area of finance, and my hiring was somewhat potential-based. Nonetheless, I was assigned to lead the regulatory reform efforts locally. My predecessor had left the bank before I joined, there was no sufficient handover, and I was completely lost as to what to do. What helped me most were the industry peer group discussions, where in-house counsels from major banks would get together to discuss common issues. I learned so much from what was discussed there and absorbed as much as I could. Without that network, I am sure that I wouldn’t have survived that time.
However, our situation today is far more difficult. The changes in the landscape we face today are unprecedented. Technological developments and the corresponding shifts in geopolitical and industrial landscapes are completely unpredictable, and the speed at which they happen is far faster than before. We might face a time that requires us to pivot, forcing us to redefine how we add value and rebuild the way we work. That is somewhat intimidating. But, I am confident that a way forward will be found through the collective wisdom and effort of the people in this room. I would like to be a part of that, and this network of people is enormously valuable and truly priceless.
Finally, let’s have a drink and celebrate our achievements for now – before your CEO calls asking you to join a call! Thank you so much.’
