A. Ruth Rodríguez Pérez joined the Valencian chemical company Suavizantes y Plastificantes Bituminosos (SPB) in 2016 following a decade-long career in private practice. She states: ‘I have been practicing as a lawyer for more than ten years, in a law firm first as a collaborator and later as a partner,’ she says.

‘During my practice I have carried out both civil and commercial judicial matters as well as business advice, whilst, in parallel, pursuing a Master’s degree and a specialised compliance course’. Rodríguez describes her move in-house as a major milestone in her career, which has completed her professional profile with a ‘new dimension. This dimension was a challenge and an enrichment both professionally and personally, that allowed me to see “the other side”,’ she explains. As part of her current in-house legal role, Rodríguez supports the full scope of SPB’s commercial activities, collaborating proactively with different areas (especially contracting, legislation, human resources and quality), and advising general and senior management.

Rodríguez also serves as SPB’s compliance officer- a role which sees her supervise and manage the criminal risk management model of the company, and promote the compliance culture across the business. ‘Both of these roles are very transversal functions that affect all areas of the organisation and allow me, on the one hand, to be up-to-date with procedural executions and day to day activities, and on the other hand to obtain a global vision of the business in order to provide advice and promote a culture of ethics and compliance’.

Since joining SPB, Rodríguez is credited for building the legal department from the ground up and developing and integrating it into the operations and culture of the company, whilst implementing at its core the organisational principles of teamwork, transversality, leadership and communication. ‘My mission is to advise the organisation and provide value, so that it achieves its objectives by complying with the rules and commitments it has voluntarily acquired’, Rodríguez explains.