About

Samsung Electronics Iberia’s legal and compliance department was created by general counsel Guillermo Damiá Díaz-Plaja in October 2008 and is currently formed by six lawyers and four external trainees. Within the legal area, the team drafts, reviews and negotiates any contracts requested by the business and manages all legal matters related to the day-to-day activities of the company. There are three lawyers dedicated to this area, assisted by two trainees. For the compliance part, all matters related to personal data protection, competition, and compliance are dealt with by two lawyers, with assistance from two trainees. Over the years, the legal and compliance department has advised on a large number of corporate transactions, various launches of product and services, as well as day-to-day business matters. In the words of a nominator, ‘the team is characterised by its flexibility, working very close to the business and taking a practical commercial approach to any issues’. In this framework the team has implemented a programme where lawyers regularly spend a full day with a particular business area in order to better understand their needs and working process with an aim to provide value added legal services. During the last few years, the team has been recognised both internally and externally for its achievements and working methodology and has adapted to Samsung’s rapid changing pace. Recently the team has been implementing the new GDPR requirements across all departments as well as advising on the launch of services such as Samsung Pay, Bixby or Samsung Care+. The legal and compliance department does not only provide daily support to the core business but also contributes to corporate activities such as the Samsung Smart School Project, with the purpose of creating bonds with the community and giving back to society. According to general counsel Guillermo Damiá Díaz-Plaja, the team ‘is very close to the business in order to understand their needs, respects different cultures, and understands that diversity brings synergies and development’.