About

A Royal Dutch Shell licensee and subsidiary of Grupo Terra, Unopetrol Guatemala is a leading fuel distributor in Central America. The company’s legal head, Juan Francisco Alfaro Del Cid, deals with a plethora of issues in Guatemala and Belize, related to commercial, business, tax, regulatory, compliance and administrative law. Alfaro Del Cid’s arrival in March 2011 has had a profound impact on the company and its legal strategy. Before he joined Unopetrol Guatemala, all legal services were provided by an external law firm, so Alfaro Del Cid had to successfully organise a legal department and oversee the transition to an in-house legal service. As a result of this insourcing, the company’s operating expense budget was reduced by 40%. In addition, Alfaro Del Cid has overseen a reorganisation of the way that external legal resources are procured. He explains, ‘we cut off all retainer fees and now we hire all law firms to represent the company for each litigation, according to experience and specialisation. In every case we negotiated a success fee’. Over the past five years, Alfaro Del Cid has gained recognition in Guatemala’s in-house community for his involvement on a number of M&A transactions, including the acquisition and integration of one of the company’s local competitors. He is also known for his proactive involvement in the country’s pension system reform. Prior to joining Unopetrol, Alfaro Del Cid has worked in a variety of industries (government, insurance and telecommunications), each one requiring a specific regulatory knowledge and expertise. ‘My biggest career challenge has been to adapt to each industry and to have full knowledge and understanding of every aspect of the business, so I am better prepared to provide legal advice and support to the board, CEO and business manager’, he says.