Legal and HR director | PAN AMERICAN SILVER (MÉXICO)
Vice president of governmental affairs and sustainability | ENGIE México
Chief general counsel | Impulsora del Desarrollo y el Empleo en América Latina (IDEAL)
Executive director of legal and compliance | El Puerto de Liverpool
General counsel, ethics and compliance officer and DPO North Latam | Capgemini
VP legal & sustainability, assistant general counsel | Element Fleet Management México
General counsel and head of compliance | Americas Mining Corporation (Grupo México Mining)
Global chief compliance officer | ALEATICA
Head of legal and compliance officer | ATENTO México
Legal and compliance director (general counsel, secretary of the board and compliance officer) | Holcim México
Head of legal and corporate affairs | FRISA
General counsel, compliance officer and secretary of the board | Westrock México
Global general counsel, corporate secretary & managing director - ESG & business affairs | Alpura
Senior director legal & compliance | Novo Nordisk, Organon, Fox Networks, Cadbury & Colgate Palmolive
General Counsel and chief legal officer | Aeromexico
Chief compliance and sustainability officer | IENTC Telecom
Corporate legal director of compliance and sustainability | Fundación Teletón México
Senior legal counsel | Cubico Sustainable Investments
Founder and president | Mexican Hydrogen, Storage & Sustainable Mobility Association (AMH2)
GC & chief compliance officer | Grupo Mexico - Infrastructure Division
Environmental initiatives program manager, Latin America | Apple
Director of public affairs, communications and sustainability | Arca Continental
Legal manager of electricity and hydrocarbon | Penoles Industries
Senior manager responsible sourcing and business integration | Target
Attorney specialist | Â Hewlett Packard Enterprise
Head of public affairs, communications and sustainability, Caribbean | The Coca-Cola Company
Chief legal and regulatory officer. general counsel. director relaciones gubernamentales | Ford México
Compliance and sustainability director | Cinepolis Corporation
Vice president legal and corporate affairs, Middle Americas | AB InBev
It is with great pride that we present the Green Powerlist 2025 – Mexico, a special edition dedicated to recognising the in-house legal professionals who are driving meaningful change at the intersection of law, business, and sustainability.
This year’s honorees represent a new era of legal leadership—one that does not simply react to regulatory shifts but actively shapes them. As the global focus on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues intensifies, in-house counsel in Mexico are stepping into more strategic roles. They are navigating complex legal landscapes, embedding sustainability into corporate governance, and helping companies balance profitability with purpose.
From renewable energy expansion and green finance to circular economy initiatives and climate risk disclosure, the achievements of this year’s Powerlist members are as diverse as they are impactful. What unites them is a shared vision: that responsible business is not just good ethics, but good strategy.
This publication celebrates those visionaries—the general counsel, legal directors, and corporate legal teams—whose work is helping to future-proof their organizations and contribute to a more sustainable Mexico. Their leadership not only protects value; it creates it.
We congratulate all those recognised in this edition and thank them for inspiring the next generation of legal professionals to lead with conscience, creativity, and conviction.
Sincerely,
Margherita Birri, Research editor
Green Powerlist 2025 – Mexico
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.