About

‘Vanessa is a very focused and competent head of legal, she can handle virtually any issue that may occur in the insurance area’, according to one source. A recognised industry expert, Vanessa Santos joined MetLife Portugal in 2011 with the mission of establishing an in-house legal department, following a successful private practice career. ‘When I first started at MetLife, the company had already existed for 20 years in Portugal. We have more than 100 people in the staff and it wasn’t easy to get people used to having an internal legal team and having to consult me for contracting and other legal procedures’ comments Santos. ‘I’m very happy with the result that I achieved. I have implemented best practices and provided the entire staff with training’. During the past four years there has been an external legal cost reduction of up to 40%, which demonstrates the value that the in-house function has added to the business. Santos’ input has moved beyond purely cost saving, having gained wide recognition for her recent work on MetLife’s restructuring project and the Iberian corporatisation. Throughout her in-house career, Santos has had many achievements, but becoming an integral part of the business is one of the biggest: ‘My biggest achievement is that whenever I’m absent people miss the presence of the legal head, I created this mentality of legal awareness. I am really proud of that’.