About

‘The value of a general counsel is not easy to calculate. There is a lot of work in preventing risks, contingencies and judgments that cannot be measured; applying legal knowledge with commercial experience makes the difference’, explains Carlos Mechetti who has served Cencosud, the third largest listed retail company in Latin America, for over two decades. Praised by peers for his longevity and dedication to the organisation, Mechetti first began his tenure in 1994 as a lawyer for the company’s shopping centre division in Argentina. Mechetti assumed the role of general counsel in 1998 and has since developed a heightened level of proficiency in regards to corporate law and negotiation. Mechetti currently leads a team of 42 lawyers and 33 paralegals across Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Colombia and Peru. He describes the legal division as having ‘developed itself from being a mere controller of lease contracts and secretary of the directory, to a key consultant in the important decisions of the company’, demonstrating the shift from a one-dimensional and separate legal department to becoming a fully-fledged business-enabling function. Mechetti has seen the legal function at Cencosud flourish into a trusted business partner, using his in-depth expertise in order to assist the organisation’s development of corporate governance and to navigate crucial M&A deals. With numerous accolades over his long in-house career, Mechetti previously featured in The Legal 500’s ranking of 100 influential corporate counsel in Latin America in 2014.