Team size: Eight attorneys and two administrative assistants throughout the Latin American region.  

How do you approach managing legal aspects during periods of instability or crises, and how does your legal strategy align with the broader business strategy to ensure the organisation’s resilience?

During these times, I focus on remaining calm, informed, and proactive, while prioritising communication both within the business and with any external parties involved. My approach is to first understand the business priorities and identify any legal risks that could jeopardise the transaction and/or operation, keeping at the forefront of my concerns any potential compliance risks. Once such priorities and both legal and compliance risks are identified, it is important to work closely with cross-functional teams to ensure that our advice and legal guidance are always integrated into any decision-making situation. Ultimately, I do my best to simplify complex legal discussions and/or documents, enable quick responses, and help the organisation remain compliant, agile, and, most importantly, protected.

How do you prioritise diversity and inclusion within your legal department, and what initiatives have you implemented to foster a more inclusive and equitable work environment?

I lead multiple company site visits across Mexico to provide compliance, diversity, and inclusion training, which includes subjects such as the use and function of Aptiv’s Ethics Helpline — a critical part of our department’s commitment to doing the right thing in the right way. These sessions also cover respect in the workplace, conflicts of interest, financial integrity, anti-corruption issues, and the appropriate channels and settings for receiving and giving gifts and entertainment, including to and from third parties and/or government officials at all levels. Additionally, I actively monitor, investigate, and provide legal advice to business units, internal departments, and our global compliance team on reports of all categories and levels made through our Ethics Helpline.