Jose Roberto Borneo Mejia – GC Powerlist
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Mexico Rising Stars 2023

Hotels, restaurants and leisure

Jose Roberto Borneo Mejia

Senior corporate legal manager | Restaurantes ADMX (McDonald´s México)

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Mexico Rising Stars 2023

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Jose Roberto Borneo Mejia

Senior corporate legal manager | Restaurantes ADMX (McDonald´s México)

Can you tell us about your journey to becoming an in-house counsel? What inspired you to pursue a career in this field?

During my time at university and in the first years after graduating, I worked in various law firms specialising in civil and commercial litigation. However, it was in 2005 when I had the opportunity to join McDonald’s Mexico as external counsel. By 2008, when Arcos Dorados had already acquired the master franchise to operate the brand in Latin America, I was invited by the company to join its in-house legal team. The diversity of legal issues and areas that one can handle within a company like Arcos Dorados was what inspired me to continue my career as in-house counsel and seek opportunities for growth within the company. In addition, I was motivated by the opportunity to share the principles and values cultivated within the company’s corporate culture.

In your role as an in-house counsel, what are the main responsibilities and tasks you handle on a day-to-day basis?

In 2022, I was promoted to senior manager, assuming responsibility for the Legal Department and joining the Arcos Dorados Mexico Leadership Team, which includes a representative from each discipline.  

 

In this role, I am responsible for maintaining all corporate governance for the company, reviewing and negotiating priority contracts, managing relationships with franchisees, overseeing operations impacting Mexico and other countries in which Arcos Dorados operates, ensuring compliance with the company’s regulatory obligations, developing strategies for priority projects within the legal framework, conducting due diligence and environmental assessments, and directing and coordinating all legal matters for the company in collaboration with the internal and external legal teams.

Within Mexico, Arcos Dorados directly operates 232 restaurants and 267 Dessert Centres, in addition to franchising 137 restaurants and 108 Dessert Centres.

What are some of the key challenges you have faced as a rising star in-house counsel, and how have you overcome them?

Arcos Dorados is a company that evolves day by day, constantly presenting us with new challenges for us. Some key challenges for me have been the Asset Capitalisation initiative we started in 2017 to put value on company-owned real estate – this required designing the best legal strategy for its execution.

Another challenge was when the company took the decision to become a listed company and was listed on the New York Stock Exchange. I actively participated in the preparation of all the necessary corporate governance information for this project. I successfully overcame these challenges by being receptive and analytical when facing new challenges.

What steps have you taken to enhance your professional development and expand your legal skill set?

I always strive to create an environment where I can access various texts, opinions, courses and participate in discussions with legal specialists. This helps keep me up to date as well as allows me to implement the best strategies for my professional development. 

 

 

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