Mexico Rising Stars 2023
Supported by the Association of Corporate Counsel
Deputy legal director | KCSM Kansas City Southern de México
Assistant general counsel, Latina America | IPG Mediabrands and Kinesso
Corporate, labour and litigation legal affairs director | General Motors de México
Senior legal counsel – Mexican manufacturing operations, Andean and Caribbean entities | Emerson Electric Â
Deputy general counsel, head of wholesale legal and markets legal for Mexico and Latam | HSBC
Deputy general counsel Mexico and Northern Latam | Continental
Senior legal counsel - Americas region | HERE Technologies
Senior legal and compliance counsel | Element Fleet Management Corporation México
Group legal counsel region Americas | DNV
Senior corporate legal manager | Servicios Corporativos Javer
Legal counsel – upstream global commercial and exploration | Shell
Regional head of intellectual property Mexico | Nestlé
Senior corporate legal manager | Restaurantes ADMX (McDonald´s México)
Latam senior legal counsel | The Coca-Cola Company
Counsel, senior manager | Mondelēz Snacking Mexico
Latam legal counsel | The Coca-Cola Company Â
Gerente jurÃdico de inversiones e innovación en sistemas de pago y remesas | Grupo Elektra
Deputy corporate and finance legal director | Grupo Televisa
Financial services legal manager | Walmart de México y Centroamérica
Senior counsel for Latam | Marathon Petroleum Corporation
Legal director | CBRE Global Workplace Solutions
Associate director, general lawyer - Latin America compliance focal point | Kyndryl México
Senior legal counsel and compliance officer | TC Energy
Head of legal | MPA - FIBRA Macquarie GroupÂ
Legal counsel corporate and investment banking | Banco Sabadell México
Employee relations generalist | H&M HENNES & MAURITZ
Senior legal manager – corporate and real estate | The Home Depot México
With immense pride, The Legal 500 presents the eagerly awaited second edition of GC Powerlist: Mexico Rising Stars 2023, dedicated to shining a luminous spotlight on the rising stars of in-house counsel based in Mexico. This edition takes you on a journey through the dynamic careers of these in-house lawyers who are steadily ascending the ladder of success in their field. It is an exciting offshoot from our regular research endeavors in Mexico, notably The GC Powerlist Mexico, our publication that celebrates the accomplishments of senior in-house counsel across the country.
This edition’s interviews not only showcase the key support provided by these emerging legal talents within their organisations but we were eager to uncover the remarkable journeys that have brought our rising stars to their current positions – from the moment they decided to embark on a career in law to the daily challenges they encounter in their roles. The counsel featured in this publication generously shared the steps they are taking to ensure their personal and professional growth within their respective companies.
Alessandra Marcarian, Assistant General Counsel, Latin America at IPGMediabrands and Kinesso, summed up her approach: ‘I have always been fortunate to have extraordinary mentors in my professional life. As an in-house counsel, I make sure I surround myself with mentors in different areas ranging from senior counsel, strategists, sales and account managers, top executives, and now publicists. By doing so, I learned to view obstacles and opportunities from various angles and to make recommendations suited to the scenario at hand. Curiosity is another trait that allows me to develop professionally and personally. The goal is to always learn something new. Every. Single. Day’.
Within the pages of this publication, you will find a rich tapestry of the challenges that rising stars have faced and continue to encounter in their daily roles. Ana Paula Rendón, Legal and Compliance Manager at Navistar Mexico, encapsulates the sentiment of our rising stars: ‘Being an in-house counsel for a big company, serving a large variety of internal clients focused on vastly different goals and aspects of the business, can lead to a perception of lack of service, or in hasty decision making. Therefore, having a trustworthy team, prepared and willing to go into battle with the mindset of growing and achieving common goals, is the most practical and efficient way to meet the internal client’s expectations while learning from the experience’.
Bibiana Isabel Rangel Osorno, Corporate, Labour, and Litigation Legal Affairs Director at General Motors de Mexico, shared her insights into facing change and adapting to new industry sectors and scenarios: ‘The main challenge for me has always been change. We, as humans, love to feel comfortable but in the legal corporate world that is just a hint that your growth is stuck. So, change enters as a key support in continued growing. Of course, it is not always easy or pleasant. Having to learn new tasks, new areas, familiarise yourself with the current projects and operations may be challenging and that is mainly due to the time this might take, but it is always a very satisfactory process. In my career I have managed different areas along the company, from purchasing and logistics, to finance, then to labour and criminal, corporate and sales, workplace safety, marketing, and the list goes on and on, and each time is a challenge, but it is definitely worth it’.
I invite you to delve into the fascinating stories and unique perspectives of Mexico’s Rising Stars in the in-house legal community, shared within these pages.
Lastly, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to all the in-house counsel featured in this publication, as they join the ranks of hundreds of Powerlisters worldwide, achieving remarkable milestones in your legal careers. It was indeed a pleasure to connect with you and learn about your incredible contributions to the legal realm.
Sara Maggi| Deputy Editor The Legal 500 GC Powerlist Series
The Legal 500 was proud to host the third edition of the GC Powerlist: Japan 2025 at the Capitol Hotel Tokyu, honouring the top General Counsel, Chief Legal Officers, Legal Directors, and senior in-house legal professionals operating at the highest level of Japan’s corporate legal landscape. Held in Tokyo, this year’s reception welcomed around 100 of the most respected and senior corporate counsel from across Japan. It was an unrivalled success, and cements Legal 500’s status as the leading force in legal media supporting the achievements of in-house counsel in Japan. The GC Powerlist: Japan 2025 marks the continuation of our commitment to recognising excellence in-house, and this year’s edition represents the most competitive and selective list to date.
Joe Boswell, lead editor of the GC powerlist publication at The Legal 500, opened the evening with an introduction that reflected on the growing prestige of the Japan list. He emphasised how the Powerlist has grown stronger each year, both in scope and quality, making the task of selection more difficult. This year’s honourees emerged from a deeply competitive field, making their recognition even more meaningful.
Boswell extended heartfelt congratulations to all honourees and acknowledged the critical support of key partners and sponsors who made the evening possible. Special thanks were given to Anderson Mori & Tomotsune, Morrison Foerster, iManage, JustLegal, and SS&C Intralinks for their generous sponsorship and ongoing collaboration.
In a moment of reflection, Joe paid tribute to Tim Mackey, chief legal officer at SoftBank, who sadly passed away unexpectedly earlier this year. Tim had contributed to the Powerlist in each of its three editions and was known not only for his exceptional legal acumen but also for his warmth and generosity.
The evening featured insightful remarks from distinguished speakers representing our partners and the broader legal community: Mischa Mulligan, Japan Director at SS&C Intralinks; Hiroki Kodate, Partner and Management Committee Member at Anderson Mori & Tomotsune; Jeremy White, Global Co-Chair of M&A for Morrison Foerster; and, representing those awarded in the Powerlist, Naoki Hamada, General Counsel for Japan at HSBC.
Each speaker provided reflections on legal innovation, leadership, and the evolving role of in-house counsel in Japan’s corporate landscape. Their remarks added valuable context to the achievements celebrated throughout the evening.
The formal awards segment celebrated this year’s GC Powerlist honourees. With assistance from long-time collaborator Isaac Uchiyama who read out awardees’ names, recipients were invited to collect their certificates, pose for photographs, and be formally recognised by their peers.
Certificates were presented on stage by Hiroki Kodate or Anderson Mori & Tomotsune and Jeremy White of Morrison Foerster, whose participation further underlined the deep support of the Japanese and international legal communities.
The GC Powerlist: Japan 2025 reception reaffirmed Legal 500’s commitment to spotlighting the very best of in-house legal talent. With record levels of interest and unmatched quality among candidates, the Japan edition continues to solidify its place as one of the most respected publications in the global GC Powerlist series.
We extend our sincere congratulations to all honourees and thank our partners, sponsors, and speakers for making the evening a success.
We look forward to returning to Tokyo again next year. As a parting gift, you can view Naoki Hamada’s excellent keynote address below, where he touches on a lot of issues and themes that many other GC, whatever country they operate in, will recognise:
‘Good evening, everyone. I am Naoki Hamada of HSBC. I am very pleased to be here speaking to you today. It is a great pleasure and honor, and at the same time, I feel a bit overwhelmed being surrounded by the busiest and most expensive lawyers in the industry—even if I know that nobody will be charging us for their time. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Legal 500 for organizing such a great event, and Anderson Mori & Tomotsune, Morrison Foerster, iManage, SS&C Intralinks, and Just Legal for sponsoring and supporting it. And, huge congratulations on the recognition each of you is receiving, which is truly a great accomplishment and the result of your hard work and the accumulated trust the entire industry has placed in you.
It must be emphasized that this award is given only to general counsels. Being a general counsel means a lot more than just being a subject matter expert. You are a most reliable strategic partner for the business, and I am sure that you have distinguished yourself from the crowd by your ability to identify underlying risks, devise legal solutions, ensure the right processes and governance for corporate decisions, influence others, and educate the next generation of lawyers. This is what you are being recognized for.
Looking back on my career, I have been hugely helped by lawyers in other companies through various industry communities. When I joined the in-house world 12 years ago from a Japanese law firm, large international banks were all struggling with a huge wave of regulatory reform. Back then, I was relatively new to that particular area of finance, and my hiring was somewhat potential-based. Nonetheless, I was assigned to lead the regulatory reform efforts locally. My predecessor had left the bank before I joined, there was no sufficient handover, and I was completely lost as to what to do. What helped me most were the industry peer group discussions, where in-house counsels from major banks would get together to discuss common issues. I learned so much from what was discussed there and absorbed as much as I could. Without that network, I am sure that I wouldn’t have survived that time.
However, our situation today is far more difficult. The changes in the landscape we face today are unprecedented. Technological developments and the corresponding shifts in geopolitical and industrial landscapes are completely unpredictable, and the speed at which they happen is far faster than before. We might face a time that requires us to pivot, forcing us to redefine how we add value and rebuild the way we work. That is somewhat intimidating. But, I am confident that a way forward will be found through the collective wisdom and effort of the people in this room. I would like to be a part of that, and this network of people is enormously valuable and truly priceless.
Finally, let’s have a drink and celebrate our achievements for now – before your CEO calls asking you to join a call! Thank you so much.’
