About

Banco Internacional del Perú (Interbank) is an open-stock corporation organised under the laws of Peru and is part of Intercorp Peru, one of Peru’s largest economic conglomerates, with activities spanning financial services, retail, education and real estate. The Interbank legal department is driven by a number of senior lawyers who bring a rich number of specialisms. Zelma Acosta-Rubio is the vice president of legal and corporate affairs, general counsel and board secretary, as well as the chief diversity officer at Intercorp, the groups’ holding company. Roberto Espinoza Checa serves as the head of legal and consumer banking and leads the legal team in the designing of new products and services. He is also in charge of the bank’s corporate governance, crisis management, strategic planning and banking regulators relationship. Head of legal commercial banking Viviana Tapia leads the commercial legal team, providing legal support to the corporate banking division from daily queries to structured financings, project finance and syndicated loans. Verónica Cuadros serves as the head of operations and leads the operations team, aiming to run the legal department more like a business, employing diverse methodologies to improve internal operations. Percy Landeo serves as the head of legal procurement, litigation and data and leads the legal services team, providing legal support to many departments, such as commercial, personal data protection and security titles. The team is expected to contain business and financial acumen, and it is to this end that 33% of the team holds an MBA or similar degree in business administration. As of 2015, the department began focusing trainings on lean methodologies, design thinking, customer centricity, data analytics and digital: ‘Today, Interbank legal sits at the table from the outset and works alongside multidisciplinary teams that are committed to innovate and design digital journeys for our clients to meet their every single financial need’, says Acosta-Rubio. ‘Whilst we continue building internal legal competencies and legal expertise, we are also developing new competencies and abilities that empower lawyers to work in a more fluid culture and ensure strategic alignment’, explains Acosta-Rubio. The legal team sees itself as a core central force in helping Interbank maintain its position as a leading provider of financial services in Peru: ‘We are a thriving legal department seeking to be the best at what we do; unlock corporate value and develop our skills in a fast-changing legal environment in a highly regulated and competitive industry’, says Acosta-Rubio.