Team size: Five

How has your role as in-house counsel evolved over the past few years, particularly in response to shifting global or regional dynamics?

My role has always been business driven. Lately, it has become more dynamic and forward-looking; more active roles in board level decisions, managing risk proactively and the legal advice must be business oriented.

The in-house lawyer should excel in the ability to integrate legal insight with strategic, operational, and cultural understanding of the business. That is what is expected in contrast with external counsel.

How do you build and maintain strong relationships with key internal stakeholders, especially in high-pressure or fast-moving scenarios?

As a business partner (not only a legal advisor), I focus on clarity, practicality, and solutions oriented when legal advice is given.

Being a problem solver rather than a blocker, when I raise doubt or concern, I also propose alternatives with high standards that make my opinion reliable, useful and easy to understand. Credibility, consistency and accountability are the top of my mind in my relationships.

What do you consider the biggest challenge for in-house legal teams today, and how are you addressing it within your own team?

The biggest challenge is to avoid burnout in the legal team due to increasing business demands despite limited resources. Nowadays, we are operating in more jurisdictions and therefore facing more regulatory complexity, especially in areas like compliance, data privacy, and ESG among others.

Implementing legal ops and working closely with the commercial and strategic team allow us to be efficient by having all the information beforehand.

How do you cultivate legal talent internally, and what skills do you see as most essential for the next generation of in-house lawyers?

We involve our team in strategic initiatives and complex regulatory matters so they can build their knowledge and confidence. By working with senior members, they acquire new knowledge and develop soft skills that allow them to communicate effectively with other areas and make them feel empowered to contribute and innovate.