Ecuador 2026
Supported by the Association of Corporate Counsel
Legal manager and head of the legal department | Banco Atlántida Ecuador
Chief legal officer | Trust Fiduciaria Administradora de Fondos y Fideicomisos
Legal and corporate affairs manager and compliance manager | Duragas Abastible
Legal and compliance manager | Corporación Quiport
Legal director and general counselor -Ecuador | Huawei Technologies Ecuador
Legal and compliance coordinator | Laboratorios Siegfried Ecuador
Senior counsel | Phoenix Tower International Ecuador (PTIE)
Vice president of legal and corporate affairs | Rey Banano del Pacífico
Director of legal advisory | Ministerio de Salud Publica - Ecuador
Legal and compliance and corporate affairs director | Holcim
Legal manager- Ecuador | LATAM Airlines Ecuador
Senior manager of legal and corporate affairs | DP World
General counsel and president of the compliance unit | Grupo Santillana
Compliance, AML and data protection submanager | Generali Ecuador Compañía de Seguros
Corporate director for public affairs, sustainability and legal | Pronaca
Legal risk, sustainability and social submanager | Banco del Pacífico
Legal manager, regulatory coordinator and compliance regional lead | DIRECTV Latin America
Legal manager - Ecuador | SBA Communications Corporation Ecuado
Legal, corporate affairs and compliance manager | UNACEM Ecuador
Gerente nacional de asuntos corporativos y sostenibilidad e integridad | Netlife Ecuador
Vice president of legal, corporate affairs and sustainability | Nestlé Ecuador
The Ecuadorian in-house legal market continues to evolve towards more strategic, compliance-driven and technologically aware legal functions. The 2026 edition of the Legal 500 GC Powerlist: Ecuador highlights the legal leaders who are guiding organisations through an environment marked by regulatory development, digital transformation and growing expectations around corporate governance and ethics.
Over the past year, Ecuador’s legal landscape has been shaped by a combination of regulatory modernisation, economic uncertainty and rapid technological change. These dynamics have pushed in-house legal teams to adapt quickly, balancing the need for strong compliance frameworks with the agility required to support business growth. As organisations operate in increasingly complex and regulated sectors, from aviation and financial services to infrastructure, agribusiness and consumer industries, legal departments have become central to ensuring both operational continuity and responsible expansion.
Across the organisations represented in this Powerlist, legal teams are no longer confined to reactive advisory roles. Instead, they are embedded within strategic decision-making processes, supporting leadership with risk assessment, regulatory insight and business-oriented legal solutions. As emphasised by Simón David Zevallos, gerente jurídico at Conecel (Claro Ecuador), legal departments have evolved into “strategic business partners… promoting preventive compliance from the process design phase and relying on technological tools to ensure the sustainability and permanence of businesses over time”.
The growing sophistication of compliance and governance frameworks is another defining theme within Ecuador’s corporate environment. Over the past year, legal departments in Ecuador increasingly led initiatives that strengthen corporate ethics, internal controls and risk-management systems, while fostering transparent engagement with regulators and stakeholders. As noted by Roberto Vargas, corporate head of legal at Interoc, “in-house lawyers must prepare to become compliance officers and lead prevention campaigns in compliance matters”. This shift reflects a broader understanding that compliance is not merely a regulatory obligation but a fundamental component of long-term organisational resilience.
Technology is also playing an increasingly prominent role in the evolution of the legal function. The adoption of artificial intelligence tools, digital documentation systems and automated compliance processes is transforming the way legal teams manage information, analyse risk and support decision-making. While legal judgement remains irreplaceable, these tools are enhancing efficiency and encouraging lawyers across the country to adopt more analytical and forward-looking approaches to their work.
At the same time, the rise of data protection frameworks and the expanding regulatory focus on information security are reshaping corporate legal priorities across the country. As companies in the country integrate new technologies and digital processes into their operations, in-house counsel is increasingly responsible for ensuring that innovation proceeds in parallel with robust safeguards for personal and sensitive data.
Today’s Ecuadorian general counsel is expected not only to provide technical legal expertise, but also to act as a strategic partner capable of navigating regulatory complexity, supporting corporate governance and enabling sustainable business growth. The professionals recognised in this year’s GC Powerlist exemplify this evolution, demonstrating how legal leadership can shape organisational resilience, operational efficiency and ethical business culture.
We would like to thank and congratulate the 2026 cohort for their thoughtful insights and the openness with which they shared their experiences throughout the research process. It has been a privilege to learn from their perspectives and highlight the work of the in-house legal community in Ecuador.
Carmen Godoy Martin, Lead researcher: GC Powerlist Ecuador 2026
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.
