About

Iván Sandoval is chief of legal affairs for Latin America (including the Caribbean) at Colgate-Palmolive. He has, says one nominator, ‘been a leader in Colgate’s different government and stakeholder initiatives across the region, navigating the complexities of diverse cultures and institutions while maintaining and furthering Colgate’s stellar reputation when it comes to legal and compliance matters. His tenure has contributed to ensure that Colgate continues to be a highly admired and respected company in times when that is increasingly hard to achieve.’ Though he reports to general counsel, Jen Daniels, Sandoval sits within the Latin America division rather than within the wider legal team. As a result, much of his time is spent supporting the divisional president and helping to develop the company’s regional strategy. Sandoval also oversees a team of nine direct reports based in jurisdictions throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. Ensuring the company’s wider regional strategy matches its on-the-ground operations is, says Sandoval, one of the most challenging aspects of the role: ‘For a multinational company, the regional general counsel is a very important connecting thread. What we do in one market – particularly in terms of legal actions – may have implications for our ability to operate in many other markets and regions.’ In addition to his managerial role, Sandoval is frequently involved in more significant matters throughout the region. The projects he works on can often take surprising turns, as he found in 2013 following Colgate-Palmolive’s decision to close its main factory in Nuevo Polanco, Mexico City – a base from which it had operated since the early 1950s. Initially built on the city’s perimeter, the site had become engulfed by urban sprawl, making it a poor place for large-scale manufacturing operations. The strategic decision to move production exposed Sandoval to the full complexity of overseeing matters in the region: ‘The mechanics of shutting down a factory can be overwhelming and occupied a significant part of my time. From engaging and communicating with unions to establishing new production facilities elsewhere in Mexico, this was a project that reminded me nothing in business is simple.’ To complicate matters further, the premises were being sold to a very demanding buyer, the US State Department, which had earmarked the site for its new Embassy. ‘Above and beyond the materiality of the transaction – which was part of our filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) – it introduced significant reputational issues and required extensive negotiations with Mexican and US authorities’, says Sandoval. ‘That helped me build strong relationships with the chief executive and other senior members of the company.’ A year after he started work on the matter, Sandoval was moved from Mexico City to Colgate-Palmolive’s New York-headquarters and promoted to his current role. Sandoval has been with Colgate-Palmolive for more than 20 years, in which time he has served as legal director for the company’s Mexican subsidiary and as assistant general counsel of its EMEA operations.