About

As one source stated, Louangela Bianchini is a ‘stellar lawyer, putting into practice her long experience of finance law’ as head of legal at Cielo, the largest Brazilian credit and debit card operator and the largest payment system company operating in Latin America. Cielo is a listed company that recently came under the regulatory frameworks of the Central Bank of Brazil. This has added an extra layer of complexity to the work of Bianchini and the legal team, needing ‘strength and intelligence to deal with the challenge’, according to one nomination. The regulatory change has needed even more attention from Bianchini herself as she acts as secretary to the board as well as head of the legal department. Drawing on previous experience in the finance sector, having worked in-house at Citibank and Banco Safra, Bianchini was able to smoothly guide Cielo through the changes in regulatory attention. Cielo has become the leader in its sector through innovation and the launch of new products. Bianchini and her legal team, are integral to the success of the company’s goals, ensuring that they are compliant as well as calculated-risks. Bianchini has been involved in the negotiations with new and existing merchants, to ensure that they receive the solutions, differentiated products and quality services that they expect. The legal team will also be important during Cielo’s investment in the expansion of new service segments, such as taxis, soccer stadiums, street fairs and markets and delivery services. In recognition of her work throughout her career, in 2012 Bianchini received the “Latin America Finance Lawyer of the Year” award from the International Law Office and Association of Corporate Counsel Latin America.