What are the most significant cases, projects, or transactions that you and your legal team have recently been involved in?

Over the past year, our legal team has been involved in strategic initiatives that reflect how a modern legal function can expand access to capital, support growth and help build institutional capabilities.

The most significant project was the legal leadership of Banco Sabadell México’s first public issuance of Certificados Bursátiles Bancarios in the Mexican capital markets. I led the legal workstream for the transaction, which was executed under a CNBV-authorised revolving programme of up to MXN 20 billion and included the successful placement of the programme’s inaugural issuance for MXN 4 billion. The transaction represented the bank’s debut in the local debt market, established a new source of funding, broadened access to capital markets and created a platform for future issuances that will support the institution’s long-term growth strategy in Mexico. More importantly, it established a repeatable capability that will allow the bank to access public debt markets as part of its long-term funding strategy.

We also continued supporting financing transactions in the hospitality and tourism sector, where Banco Sabadell México has developed one of the country’s most specialised hospitality financing platforms and is widely recognised as a leading lender. Since 2020, the bank has participated alongside other financial institutions in financings exceeding USD 1.8 billion, with Banco Sabadell’s participation surpassing USD 567 million. These financings have supported projects representing more than USD 3 billion in investment, including more than 4,100 hotel keys and 117 branded residences across destinations such as Riviera Maya, Costa Mujeres, Los Cabos and Riviera Nayarit.

The bank’s sector expertise, structuring capabilities and knowledge of sponsors and market dynamics have positioned Banco Sabadell as a trusted partner for clients and financial institutions, frequently participating in complex and syndicated transactions. Legal is involved throughout the entire transaction lifecycle, supporting structuring, approvals, risk allocation and ring-fencing strategies, while ultimately leading documentation and execution.

Together, these matters illustrate how legal can contribute directly to business growth, capital access and the development of long-term institutional capabilities.

How do you approach managing legal aspects during periods of instability or crisis to ensure the organisation’s resilience?

Many of the most significant situations legal teams help manage are confidential and cannot be discussed publicly. However, these situations reinforce a simple principle: resilience is built before a crisis occurs.

Legal teams must maintain a constant understanding of the external environment. A recent example was the response triggered by FinCEN’s actions against certain Mexican financial institutions. Although Banco Sabadell México was not involved, the event prompted banks across the sector to reassess controls, governance and risk-management frameworks. I coordinated the bank’s internal review, engagement with governance bodies and interaction with regulators, reinforcing the importance of anticipating risks before they become crises.

During periods of uncertainty, legal helps connect different perspectives across the organisation, assess alternatives and support informed decision-making. The objective is not only to identify risks, but also to help management evaluate options, implement safeguards and continue executing strategy under changing conditions.

What strategies do you employ to ensure the successful digital transformation of a legal department while maintaining compliance with your country’s data protection laws?

Our digital transformation strategy is guided by a simple principle: innovation must improve efficiency while preserving trust.

Over the last several years, we have focused on simplifying legal processes, standardising documentation and implementing technology that allows the legal function to support a growing business more efficiently. One example is the standardisation of credit documentation within our Business Banking segment. Through approved legal frameworks and self-service contracting models, business teams can execute certain transactions without direct legal intervention, allowing clients to sign their documentation and draw down their facilities within a single day. This has become a competitive advantage for the bank by reducing friction for clients and accelerating execution times. Today, this standardised documentation framework represents more than 50% of the annual contracting volume within our Business Banking segment.

In parallel, we have accelerated the bank’s paperless transformation through the broader adoption of electronic signature solutions. This effort has not only digitalised internal processes but has also significantly improved the client experience. Around 45% of electronic signature usage now comes from external clients. We have also fully digitalised the execution of minutes and resolutions for the bank’s regulatory committees, eliminating paper from key governance processes.

In the financial sector, digital transformation cannot be separated from privacy, cybersecurity and the protection of client information. Every initiative is therefore assessed through a legal, regulatory and information-security lens. Particular attention is given to compliance with data protection requirements, banking secrecy obligations and technology risk management standards.

We are also piloting artificial intelligence in selected legal workflows. One of the most promising applications involves the legal capacity opinions required for client-file integration under Mexican banking regulations. Traditionally prepared manually or through external providers, these opinions often required significant turnaround times. In early results, AI-assisted preparation has reduced the time required from many hours to minutes, while improving consistency and reducing reliance on external services, always under appropriate governance and human review.

For me, successful digital transformation is ultimately measured by the ability to create scalable operating models that deliver better outcomes for clients and the business while maintaining the highest standards of privacy, security and governance.

What do you think are the most important attributes for a modern in-house counsel to possess?

Technical legal expertise remains indispensable, but it is no longer sufficient on its own.

The lawyer who only understands the law is no longer enough. Modern in-house counsel must understand the business, technology, people and the broader environment in which decisions are made.

The most effective in-house counsel combines legal judgement with a strong understanding of strategy, financial drivers, operations and risk. Their role is to simplify complexity, distinguish material risks from theoretical concerns and translate legal considerations into better business decisions.

A solutions-oriented mindset is equally important. Legal should not simply explain why something cannot be done, but help identify alternatives and mitigation strategies that allow organisations to move forward responsibly.

Technology awareness, people leadership and continuous learning have also become essential. The most effective in-house counsel are those who combine legal expertise, business understanding, technological awareness and leadership to help organisations grow, adapt and make better decisions in an increasingly complex environment.