Could you tell us a bit about your significant successes in your role?

Success can have different meanings for each person and depending on what you aim for. Being part of such a valuable and reputable institution such as Citibank has been one of my greatest achievements. At Citibank, I work closely and report directly to the country legal counsel, by also providing full coverage support to the franchise and to Citibank’s businesses active in Portugal. My day-to-day activities include providing legal advice on matters of Portuguese law, supporting the adaptation of internal procedures to new regulatory requirements and legally implementing the projects introduced by the business.

In your opinion, what are the qualities and skills needed to form a strong legal team?

A strong in-house legal team is required to have an in-depth knowledge about the business, the different functional and operational areas, and work through any legal complexity to develop smart and highly specialized recommendations, strategies and solutions to new challenges. Furthermore, a strong legal team needs to be proactive in anticipating any risk and keep an innovative spirit to build resilience. No great task was ever accomplished without enthusiasm and therefore an active interest in the business and its products, services and corporate structure are also very important.

What is the biggest risk to your industry and how are you contributing to prepare your organisation for this?

In these last few years, the global economy has become fragile, and several uncertainties have arisen due to the recent geopolitical conflicts which contributed to a rise in inflation, bank rates, as well as the reinforcement of the monetary and regulatory policies worldwide. Local regulators are following the tendency to regulate in a high complexity level, especially in what concerns cross-border activities and AML/ FT matters, and therefore there is a need to adapt the business model to such tendency through efficient legal strategies and decisions capable of maintaining the business sufficiently attractive and competitive to our customers.

What challenges have you overcome to get to the position you are in today?

Before joining Citibank Portugal’s legal department, I had gained some experience during my internship and as a private practice lawyer in the Banking and Finance department of a very reputable law firm. During that experience I was given the opportunity to do a secondment for Citibank Portugal to assist the country legal counsel, which I gratefully accepted, as my expectation was that it would be a great opportunity for growth, to develop new skills working within the client’s organisation, and to understand the law in a business environment.

The experience in my secondment was very challenging and positive, and I was lucky enough to be granted the opportunity to join the legal department and work with some of the best-in-class professionals. After joining Citibank Portugal’s legal team, I had to adapt to a very different work methodology, since working as a private practice lawyer and an in-house lawyer are two completely different realities. As a private practice lawyer, I would provide legal support to customers without being involved in their business and for a specific area of law, whereas as an in-house lawyer I now provide full coverage direct support to the country legal counsel and business and handle matters that cross the spectrum of legal issues.