Ecuador 2023 – GC Powerlist
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Ecuador 2023

Supported by the Association of Corporate Counsel

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  • Industries

  • Powerlist

Alejandro Lagos Arosemena

Head of legal | Almacenes Juan Eljuri

Consumer products

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Alfonso Eduardo Robles Alcívar

Legal manager | Unicomer Ecuador

Consumer products

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Andrés Sánchez Pullas

Legal counsel | Banco Pichincha and Deuna!

Financials

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Andres Valentino Martín Vanegas

Chief legal officer | Trust Fiduciaria Administradora de Fondos y Fideicomisos

Financials

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Beatriz Beatriz Tato González

Compliance and data protection officer | Otecel (Telefónica Ecuador)

Telecommunication services

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Blanca Isabel Egas Velasco

Legal manager | Telefónica Ecuador

Telecommunication services

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Carla Chaparro Guerrero

Legal and compliance manager | PayJoy

Financials

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Carla Hernández Montiel

General counsel, Venezuela and Ecuador | Unilever Andina Ecuador

Consumer products

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Carlos Alberto Cabezas Delgado

Legal and compliance manager | Duragas Abastible

Energy and utilities

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Carolina Burgos Villafuerte

Corporate lawyer | COHECO

Industrials and real estate

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Cristina Lazo Guerrero

Legal and corporate affairs director | DP World

Transport and infrastructure

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Diego Antonio Calderón Castelo

Legal manager and regulatory coordinator for Ecuador and compliance regional lead | Directv Latin America

Telecommunication services

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Diego Martínez González

Legal manager | Banco Guayaquil

Financials

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Diego Medina

Legal director | Grupo Cobis | Topaz

Financials

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Fernando Javier Donoso Maldonado

Legal director | Huawei Technologies

Telecommunication services

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Florencia Coronel

Legal counsel for Ecuador, Venezuela, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Paraguay | Halliburton

Energy and utilities

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Francisco Játiva Yánez

Head of legal | ProintelC Ecuador

Commercial and professional services

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Galo Fernando Chávez Pérez

Head of legal | Fresenius Medical Care

Healthcare

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Guadalupe Khamashta Barciona

Legal manager | Decevale

Commercial and professional services

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Guillermo Daniel Domínguez Cueva

General attorney | Seguros Unidos

Financials

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J. Alfredo González Garavito

Legal manager | Agroazucar Ecuador

Food

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Jose Javier Rodriguez Acosta

Legal manager | Reybanpac

Food

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José María Gordillo Morales

Legal manager | SBA Communications Corporation

Telecommunication services

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Juan Francisco González

Corporate compliance and risk manager | Pichincha Corp

Financials

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Karla Ortiz Mora

Senior counsel | Phoenix Tower International Ecuador (PTIE)

Telecommunication services

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Leonardo Viteri Andrade

Vice president of legal and corporate affairs | Reybanpac

Food

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Lisa Abcarius Racines

Legal manager - board member | Banco Capital

Financials

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Luis Vernaza

General counsel | Dole Food Company

Food

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María Belén Freire Prado

Legal counsel | Corporación El Rosado

Consumer products

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Maria Daniela Cascante Sáenz

Legal, corporate affairs and compliance manager | UNACEM Ecuador

Industrials and real estate

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María de Lourdes Ortiz Tovar

Senior legal counsel | TMF Group

Financials

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María del Carmen Burgos

Legal director | Conecel (Claro Ecuador)

Telecommunication services

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María Gabriela Jijón

General counsel, corporate affairs manager and chief compliance officer | Holcim

Industrials and real estate

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María Lorena Montesdeoca

Chief legal counsel | PCR Ecuador

Energy and utilities

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María Paula Grijalva

Chief legal counsel | Barka Capital

Financials

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Marisela Salinas Jaramillo

Legal manager | Petrolia Ecuador

Energy and utilities

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Martín Espinosa

Legal and corporate affairs director | Cervecería Nacional

Food

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Mauricio Nuñez

Legal vice-president | Ecuacorriente

Materials and mining

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Michael Medina Cevallos

Legal director | Grupo Empresarial Espinoza

Energy and utilities

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Michele Paola Armijos Peña

Legal director | Diverzu del Grupo Zurita

Industrials and real estate

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Mónica Burbano Albornoz

Legal manager | Seguros Equinoccial

Insurance

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Oscar Javier Niuquinga Salazar

Legal manager | Andes Petroleum Ecuador

Energy and utilities

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Pablo Del Pozo

Senior corporate counsel, LATAM | Cirion Technologies

Information technology

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Patricia Villamarín Andrade

Legal, compliance and public relations manager | UNACEM Ecuador

Industrials and real estate

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Patricio Viteri Hidalgo

Legal and compliance director | Corporación DK

Commercial and professional services

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Paulina Martínez Marmol

General counsel and president of the compliance unit | Grupo Santillana

Sports and media

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Paulina Zambrano Rodríguez

Legal manager | Liberty Seguros

Financials

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Rafael Serrano

Chief legal counsel | Location World

Information technology

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Ricardo Dávalos Cornejo

Legal and compliance manager, Ecuador, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Aruba and Curazon | Linde

Materials and mining

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Roberto Andrés Moreno Arévalo

Legal manager | Cervecería Nacional

Food

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Roberto Dipinto Cafiero

Senior legal counsel | Schlumberger

Information technology

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Roberto Rada Salazar

Legal manager | LG Electronics

Consumer products

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Roberto Vargas Romero

Corporate legal manager | Interoc Custer

Industrials and real estate

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Shannyra Gordillo

Legal manager | Automotores y Anexos

Industrials and real estate

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Sofía Almeida Montero

General counsel | Zurich Seguros Ecuador

Financials

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Verónica Cevallos Zúñiga

Anti money laundering officer | Generali Seguros

Financials

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Vivian Hernández Pico

Director of legal affairs | MAPFRE Ecuador

Financials

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Walter Ocampo Crespo

Senior legal counsel | China Railway Construction

Industrials and real estate

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Ximena Espinosa Barrera

Legal manager | Superintendencia de Bancos

Financials

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Yoandy Vega

Legal director | Wayra Energy

Energy and utilities

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Yuri Velazquez Egüez

Legal director | Industrial Pesquera Santa Priscila

Consumer products

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Alejandra Salazar Parada

Chief legal and corporate relations | Quala

Food

Arantzazu Torres Mendoza

Legal manager | Grupo AJE

Food

Claudia Pernas Pavisic

Legal manager | Chubb

Financials

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Dana Benitez

Legal manager | Pronaca

Industrials and real estate

Diego Delgado Valdivieso

Legal manager and compliance officer | Optilimpio

Consumer products

Elizabeth Grijalva Yerovi

Senior legal manager | PwC Ecuador

Commercial and professional services

Hans Cremieux Collin

Corporate and legal manager | Tesalia

Food

Héctor Almeida

Legal manager | Bolsa de Valores de Quito

Financials

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Jean Carlos García Toro

Legal manager | Compañía Azucarera Valdez

Food

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Jean García Toro

Legal manager | Corporación Fernández

Food

José Alcívar Pozo

Legal chief and data protection officer | Netlife Ecuador

Telecommunication services

José Ignacio Mena

Legal manager | Tonicorp

Food

José Ortega Amoroso

Legal manager | Unión Cementera Nacional (UCEM)

Industrials and real estate

Juan Dousdebes

Legal director | Teojama Comercial

Commercial and professional services

Juan Francisco Salvador

Corporate manager of management control and risks and legal | Corporación GPF (Grupo Fybeca)

Consumer products

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Juan Montiel Oubiña

Senior legal counsel | Galicia Seguros

Financials

Juan Pablo Castillo Armijos

Legal manager | BMI Ecuador

Financials

Julissa Vásquez Muñoz

Legal manager | Banco Amazonas

Financials

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Lucía Negrete

Legal manager | KFC Ecuador

Food

Luis Manuel Garcia

Senior legal counsel | Schlumberger

Industrials and real estate

Marco Andrés Espinoza

Legal director | Arca Continental

Food

Maria Gabriela Betancourt Celi

Corporate legal manager | SERTECPET

Energy and utilities

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Miguel Palacios

General counsel | Grupo Palmon

Consumer products

Paul Leon Altamirano

Legal corporate manager | Grupo Consenso

Commercial and professional services

Pedro Ospina Loza

Vice president of corporate and legal affairs | Nestlé Ecuador

Consumer products

Ricardo Esteban Camacho

Legal and compliance director | Empresa Pública Metropolitana de Seguridad y Logística

Public sector

Santiago Armijos Valdivieso

Legal manager | Banco de Loja

Financials

Silvana Ronquillo

Legal manager | Zion Administradora de Fondos y Fideicomisos

Financials

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Stalin Sacoto Zambrano

Legal director | NOVICOMPU

Consumer products

Xavier Granja Cisneros

Legal director | Yanbal International

Consumer products

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

GC Powerlist: East Africa 2025

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 Rwanda), Rachel Musoke, Nigel Shaw (Head of Kenya), Donald Nyakairu (Executive, Uganda), Dieudonne Nzafashwanayo (Executive, Rwanda), Rahema Nakirya Ssemyalo (Executive, Uganda) and Binti Shah (Executive, 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.

And now, let’s gather and celebrate this milestone. And while we’re at it I plead with you to stay away from your phones …you might just spot a message that says, “please quickly review this and we can discuss your views in the morning?”