Senior vice president, general counsel, EMEA and LATAM | American Tower
Senior legal counsel, EU and LATAM | Eiffage EnergÃa Sistemas
Global head of legal and secretary general | Secuoya Content Group
Commercial attorney, EMEA and Latin America | Instructure
General counsel, Iberoamerica | Securitas Seguridad España
Vice president and deputy general counsel, international legal (EMEA, APJ, LATAM) | Hewlett Packard Enterprise
Senior regional legal manager, Brasil, HispAm and global projects | Telefónica
Senior legal director Europe, Turkey and Africa, CIS and LATAM | Oriflame Cosmetics
Senior director of legal department, Iberia and LATAM | Tenerity & Webloyalty Group
Executive director, legal, for Latin America and global retail | Johnson Controls
Vice president and general counsel international, EMEAI, APAC and LATAM | Olin
General counsel and secretary of the board of directors | Hispasat
Legal director, Spain and LATAM | INTELCIA
Senior lega counsel and compliance manager, Spain and LATAM | YouHodler
Senior director, associate general counsel, head of legal EMEA and LATAM | Adobe
General counsel, Latin America, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa | Mundipharma
International legal counsel, commodity trading and compliance officer, MENA and LATAM | Snetor
General counsel, EMEA and LATAM | Spencer Stuart
General counsel and company secretary, Europe and LATAM | Sanitas
General counsel, Iberia, Italy and LATAM | Securitas Direct by Verisure
Lead legal counsel, M&A and corporate | NTT Data Europe & LATAM
Vice president, chief counsel, EMEAR and LATAM | Element Solutions
Manager commercial legal, EMEA and LATAM | OutSystems
Executive vice president, general counsel international markets | MasterCard
Head of legal SCIB - Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Nordic Countries | Banco Santander
Senior legal counsel, data protection officer, EMEA and LATAM | Pure Storage
Building on the success of last year’s inaugural edition, The Legal 500 is proud to present the second edition of the GC Powerlist: Europe Latin America Specialists, a special issue of the series recognising and celebrating the outstanding accomplishments of Europe’s leading in-house lawyers who dedicate their efforts to the dynamic and challenging Latin American markets.
As the legal landscape continues to evolve and globalise, in-house lawyers play an increasingly crucial role in navigating the complexities of international business. This edition’s focus on Europe’s top legal professionals specialised in Latin American markets reflects the strategic importance of the region on the global stage. Latin America – with its diverse economies, regulatory frameworks, and cultural nuances – demands a nuanced skill set that only the most dedicated experts can provide. Each country within the region operates under its own set of economic conditions, legal systems, and regulatory standards, often requiring legal experts to be agile and well-versed in a variety of local laws and practices. The frequent shifts in regulatory landscapes, combined with rapid economic development and socio-political dynamics, mean that legal professionals must not only stay informed about ongoing changes but also anticipate potential shifts that could impact business operations.
This publication goes beyond listing professional accomplishments, as it offers a platform to acknowledge the unique expertise required to manage cross-border legal matters. From overseeing mergers and acquisitions to ensuring regulatory compliance and bridging cultural differences, these in-house lawyers are essential to successful business operations between Europe and Latin America.
As global business expands, the need for skilled legal professionals who can navigate diverse legal systems and business environments becomes indispensable. This special edition of the GC Powerlist celebrates those at the forefront of this legal frontier, adding to the wider dialogue on the intersections of European and Latin American legal practices.
We invite you to explore the GC Powerlist: Europe Latin America Specialists 2024 and discover the extraordinary stories of these outstanding individuals. We extend our deepest gratitude to all the in-house lawyers featured in this publication for their invaluable contributions and for sharing their journeys with us. It is my pleasure to present this distinguished list of Europe’s most dedicated, insightful, and celebrated in-house lawyers focused on Latin America markets.
Francisco Faria e Castro | Research Editor | 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.’