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?

In situations of instability, resilience is essential, relying on the solid foundations on which the legal function of the company is based, as well as the ability to adapt to change. Crises can be seen as situations of risk or situations of opportunity, and to the extent possible, we try to focus on the latter approach, identifying areas of improvement and reinforcement that allow us to overcome challenges and instability in the best possible way.

The company’s legal strategy is not understood if it is not aligned with the business strategy, informing and supporting it. In this sense, Grupo Azvi’s Legal Advisory Department has internalised the need for this alignment, seeking to detect the limitations and legal problems that the business strategy can face, but not for the purposes of posing negatives to its development, but with the purpose of providing solutions and alternatives that allow the business strategy and legality to go hand in hand. To do this, you must be present in the forums in which business decision-making processes take place, providing support and legal vision.

What are the main cases or transactions that you have been involved in recently?

We have recently been awarded new airport projects in Latin America, which has involved the participation of Grupo Azvi’s Legal Department in the drafting and negotiation of a large number of associated contracts, such as concession contracts, partner agreements, design and construction contracts and financial contracts for the financing of the project. Likewise, we are involved in various corporate inorganic investment and growth processes.

How have you integrated technology into your legal processes, and what impact has this had on efficiency and compliance?

Technology is essential to ensure the efficiency of a legal department and to optimise available resources. For many years, the Legal Advisory Department of Grupo Azvi implemented a cloud tool, with the help of a prestigious legal services provider, for the management of all its judicial and extrajudicial files, favouring the order and monitoring of a large number of matters over the years. Similarly, a couple of years ago it contracted a management software for investee companies, which makes it possible to have all the information of all the entities in the group, monitor powers, expiration of positions, etc. Finally, last year it began its journey in artificial intelligence with the hiring of a specific legal AI to carry out risk analysis, support in the drafting of contract clauses and frameworks, and the preparation of legal writings. This set of tools saves time, which can be dedicated to those aspects of the legal function in which the lawyer’s mind offers differential added value.