Team size: Five

What has been the number one challenge that has impacted you over the past year?

In 2022 Kimberly-Clark celebrated its 150th anniversary. This milestone has served as an important time to not only reflect on what defines us as a company, but also prepare for challenges we are and will be facing.

Since its incorporation in 1872, Kimberly-Clark has built a reputation for innovation, establishing five of the eight product categories in which it competes, pioneering the production of children’s and adult diapers, feminine hygiene products and paper towels, among others. This legacy motivates the legal department to push barriers and find efficient ways to solve problems.

Last year was quite challenging. Latin America, although not the epicentre of the global Covid-19 pandemic, faced issues such as inflationary pressures, supply chain disruption and port congestion among others. Many of our countries continue to suffer the economic consequences of the pandemic.

Kimberly-Clark, however, has a robust plan and a clear business strategy. In the legal department we have learned from the last few years to focus on business growth while mapping and mitigating risks.

In which ways have you attempted to bring the legal department closer to your business colleagues?

The legal department is a fundamental part of each area of the business, and as such agile, open and quick communication is important. Every day, legal teams increasingly have to rely on digital communication tools, to advise stakeholders to make quick and informed decisions, as required by business needs.

This year, I completed the Specialisation in Legal Technologies at George Washington University. I am passionate about this area, and excited to implement this knowledge daily at Kimberly-Clark. Legal departments need to develop sustainable tools that allow the continuous provision of high quality and timely services. The early adoption of technology will be key to our success in the future; artificial intelligence, machine learning and deep-data analysis will be part of the legal function.

What is the secret to your work culture at Kimberly-Clark?

All cases and transactions are significant to us – that is the secret to our winning culture. The legal department is a fundamental part of the business, and while we provide support, we must keep creating new processes to increase efficiency, remove barriers to execution, drive collaboration, and turn decisions into action. These processes should also provide deeper contexts to key practice domains and deliver results.