What are the key projects that you have been involved in over the past twelve months?

Over the past twelve months, I have played a central role in the legal integration and regulatory alignment process following the acquisition and incorporation of a reinsurance brokerage into the Howden Group structure in Peru.

My primary responsibility focused on the post-acquisition phase, where I led the corporate restructuring process to ensure full legal and regulatory compliance under both local regulations and the Group’s global governance framework. This included implementing shareholder changes, updating corporate governance structures, amending by-laws and managing all required regulatory notifications before the Peruvian Superintendence of Banking, Insurance and Pension Funds (SBS).

A key component of this process was aligning the acquired entity with the Howden Group’s internal policies and control standards, while simultaneously ensuring compliance with Peruvian legal and regulatory requirements. This involved implementing local compliance frameworks, strengthening corporate documentation and ensuring that governance, operational and contractual structures met both local regulatory expectations and international group standards.

Additionally, I oversaw the legal aspects of the corporate transition, including the legal implementation of the corporate name change and the coordination of communications with employees, clients and business partners to ensure continuity, transparency and legal certainty.

This integration process required balancing regulatory rigour with business continuity, ensuring that the company could operate seamlessly while strengthening its legal, compliance and governance foundations. The project significantly enhanced the organisation’s legal maturity and risk management structure, positioning it for sustainable growth within an international group environment.

Are there any particular challenges for which in-house counsel should be preparing in 2026?

Yes. One of the most significant transformations that in-house counsel must actively prepare for in 2026 is the strategic and responsible integration of artificial intelligence into legal and business operations.

AI presents a unique opportunity to enhance efficiency, improve decision-making and elevate the legal function from a reactive role to a proactive strategic partner. However, this transformation also introduces important legal and ethical challenges, particularly in highly regulated sectors such as insurance and financial services.

In-house counsel must play a central role in ensuring that AI adoption is implemented within a secure and compliant framework. This includes safeguarding personal data, protecting confidential and commercially sensitive information, and ensuring compliance with evolving data protection and regulatory requirements.

Beyond compliance, legal departments should also focus on leveraging AI to strengthen legal operations. This involves using technology to optimise contract lifecycle management, enhance regulatory monitoring, improve risk identification and enable faster, more informed business decisions.

Equally important is the need to establish internal governance frameworks around AI usage, including clear policies, risk assessment protocols and validation mechanisms to ensure the accuracy and reliability of AI-generated outputs.

Ultimately, in-house counsel must lead this transformation by balancing innovation with risk management. Those legal leaders who successfully integrate technology while maintaining strong governance and regulatory discipline will position their organisations with a significant competitive advantage.

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

A modern in-house counsel must first and foremost have a deep and practical understanding of the business. Legal advice can only be truly effective when it is grounded in the company’s operational reality, commercial objectives and risk profile.

This requires proactive engagement across all levels of the organisation — not only with senior leadership, but also with operational, commercial, finance and compliance teams. By understanding how the business functions in practice, in-house counsel can anticipate risks, design preventive legal strategies and enable sustainable growth.

Equally important is the ability to act as a strategic partner rather than a purely technical adviser. Modern in-house counsel must balance legal protection with commercial awareness, providing solutions that facilitate business objectives while ensuring regulatory compliance.

Another critical attribute is strong risk management capability. This involves identifying potential risks early, assessing their impact and implementing preventive frameworks, including clear policies, governance structures and contractual safeguards.

Adaptability and technological awareness have also become essential. Legal leaders must embrace innovation, particularly in legal operations and the use of technology, to improve efficiency, enhance decision-making and add measurable value to the organisation.

Ultimately, the most effective in-house counsel are those who combine legal expertise, business acumen, strategic thinking and the ability to build trust across the organisation. This allows the legal function to operate not only as a protector of the company, but as a key driver of its long-term success.