About

Since joining Unión de Cervecerías Peruanas Backus y Johnston (Backus) in 2011, Luis Carlos Adrianzén Rodríguez has built an impressive reputation in the areas of ‘antitrust, unfair competition, advertising law, consumer protection and barriers to entry to the market’. He recalls that the landmark takeover of SAB Miller (of which Backus is a part) by AB Inbev has led to significant changes in the structure to the company’s legal team and, as the now leader of the team, he has been instrumental in enabling these. On his accession to the role of leader of the Backus legal team, he says: ‘It was a challenge I faced with a lot of excitement but also with some natural fear, though I am used to saying that “if there is no fear it is perhaps because it is not an important challenge”. Taking the position made me grow in several aspects (leading skills, organisation, stakeholder engagement), and made me realise that I am in the capacity of leading a legal team of a big company and have to succeed no matter the resources available’. Adrianzén counts the increased engagement and cooperation between the commercial and marketing teams and legal as among the most important internal improvements enacted during his time in the legal team. ‘The commercial and marketing teams are used to feel that the legal teams are a permanent barrier for their projects and it is difficult for them to see us as a partner’, he explains. ‘Now, I feel proud of the direct communication we have, and the fact that they ask me to get involved in their projects from the beginning. They now know I am there to help them and to find solutions to problems without obstructing the process’.