Focus on the role of the general counsel

What I aim to achieve as general counsel is to be a trusted business partner, focusing on mindset, business understanding, innovation, and collaborative legal risk management. I see my role as a facilitator and as a questioner of the status quo, providing innovative solutions with integrity and certainty that improve access to quality products and services. General counsel should not be a goalkeeper nor a referee, but an integrated member of the team, involved in decision-making from the beginning, having a mostly preventive, or in exceptional circumstances, a palliative role.

The industries in which Bayer participates are critical to health and well-being. Therefore, from the legal, patent and compliance area, I am committed to facilitating and finding suitable solutions to ensure that people can adequately access their treatments, products, and services.

As a general counsel, my priority is to ensure the highest standards of compliance through understanding the business, its needs, and goals, both short and long term. This way, it is possible to design sustainable strategies that, in tune with all business areas, allow us to achieve our objectives, making gradual improvements and always ensuring compliance with current regulations and standards.

In this sense, working in a change driving company, such as Bayer, offers unique challenges due to the highly regulated markets and constantly adapted rules that govern our operations. This requires us to study and understand how trends are advancing in other markets, to anticipate and be able to incorporate the necessary changes in the most harmonious way possible to all stakeholders.

Close business partnering is built in trust, integrity and in a daily commitment to customers and to the people I have the fortune to work with in a tolerant, respectful, and safe workspace.