Legal director, head of legal commerce Brasil (marketplace and shipping) | Mercado Livre
Executive legal director and chief compliance officer - Latin America | Bridgestone Brazil
Assistant general counsel, Latin America | Microsoft
Executive vice president, corporate and external affairs | Vale
Legal and corporate compliance director for Latin America | Volvo Brazil
Chief of legal operations | Centrais Eletricas Brasileiras – Eletrobras
Legal director and company secretary | Vivo (Telefônica Brasil)
Vice president, M&A, legal, compliance and governance | BRF
Vice president corporate affairs and regulation | AES Brasil
Head of legal and tax department | Camil Alimentos
Executive vice president, general counsel and chief compliance officer | Embraer
Legal director for Brazil, Venezuela, Central America and the Caribbean | Johnson & Johnson
Executive legal director and organizational culture PMO | Minerva Foods
Vice president and general counsel | The Coca-Cola Company
Head of legal for East Coast of South America | Maersk Group
Group chief legal and compliance officer and general counsel | Natura & Co
Head of legal deparment | Centrais Eletricas Brasileiras – Eletrobras
Legal director, compliance officer and data protection officer | Equatorial Energia
Director of legal, governance, risk and compliance | VLI Logística
Vice president, legal, general counsel | PepsiCo Brasil
Executive general counsel, Latin America | General Electric Aerospace
Legal manager | Cia Latino Americana de Medicamentos
Vice president of legal and business affairs | Warner Bros Discovery
Chief legal, ethics and compliance officer | Ambev
Executive legal director | Fiesp - Federação das Indústrias do Estado de São Paulo
Vice-President, Legal, Government Affairs & Sustainability | Siemens
Legal affairs director for South America | Volkswagen Brazil
Vice president, legal, Brazil | Kinross Brasil Mineração
Director and associate general counsel for APAC and LATAM | Meta
General Counsel and head of compliance and audit for Latin America | Panasonic Latin America
Head of legal and compliance, Latin America and country manager, Brazil | Phillips
Latin America legal director | Archer Daniels Midland - ADM
Deputy general counsel for South America | Valeo
Vice president, legal and governance, and general counsel | Nexa Resources
Legal, governance and compliance director | Companhia Brasileira de Aluminio
Legal, government relations and compliance senior director | Mercado Livre
Chief legal and institutional relations officer | Localiza Rent a Car
Senior director, government and legal affairs, Latin America | Hasbro
General counsel and compliance officer | Generali Brasil Seguros
General counsel, governance, risk and compliance officer | Eneva
Regional general counsel for Latin America | Zurich Latin America Serviços Brasil
Legal, compliance, public policy and purchases director | Loggi Tecnologia
After the resounding success of the series return to Brazil last year, The Legal 500 is thrilled to introduce the GC Powerlist: Brazil 2024, our flagship publication dedicated to recognising and celebrating the exceptional accomplishments of the country’s top in-house lawyers.
The GC Powerlist showcases the remarkable contributions of corporate lawyers to businesses in Brazil. It stands as a testament to their expertise, leadership, and unwavering dedication to excellence. This year’s edition highlights outstanding achievements and innovative approaches as these professionals navigate the complexities of the Brazilian legal landscape, addressing issues such as technological advancements, business partnerships, the indispensable role of the GC in C-level management, diversity and inclusion initiatives, and more.
Within these pages, you will discover comprehensive profiles and exclusive interviews with the most influential and esteemed in-house lawyers from a variety of industries within Brazil. These leaders consistently showcase their talent for shaping legal procedures, managing risks, and offering strategic guidance to their organisations. Their achievements inspire the legal community, highlighting the significant impact that in-house lawyers have on their businesses’ strategies and success.
This research brings to light several key findings on the role of the in-house lawyer. Among them, is the growing indispensable role of the GC to their company’s C-level management and executives. As echoed by Valeria Camacho Martins Schmitke Ducatti, regional general counsel for Latin America at Zurich, “legal department has a mission of protection of the company and its executives, but is also [in] supporting and enabling […] legal department has to build bridges and relationships. We need to be constantly adding value to the business, presenting them creative solutions for implementing their projects in compliance with the law. […] That is what makes me choose to be an [in-house] lawyer.” Reinforcing this idea, Jose Virgilio Vita Neto, chief legal officer at Itaú Unibanco states that “at Itaú Unibanco lawyers and business executives work very close. The lawyers participate in all the relevant meetings and discussion regarding new transactions and the implementation of new products and features. We do not have (and feel that this would be counterproductive) a separate legal governance.”
Another particularly important takeaway from the development of this publication is the strong commitment many in-house lawyers have to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, considering them one of their primary business passions. As an example of the voice of many, Isabella Maciel de Sá, regional director at Abbott Laboratories shared that diversity and inclusion “has been one of my passions for a long time. I believe in creativity, in the best solutions for problems, and the innovative capabilities that only a diverse team can create. Becoming a leader capable of creating an inclusive environment that promotes a feeling of belonging, of purpose, and of well-being for all members of a team that is diverse in terms of gender, race, culture, sexual orientation, religion, age, technical and human competences is no easy task but it´s my personal objective as a team leader.” Another great testimony on this is provided by Ana Luiza V. Franco Forattini, chief legal at Inter, who declares a passion for contributing to “gender diversity; helping women be included and thrive in their challenges as their evolve in their careers [as well as] being involved in small programs that help underprivileged in Brazil.”
This publication delves into numerous other pertinent topics and challenges, offering exclusive discussions that we encourage you to explore. Here, you will uncover the extraordinary stories of these remarkable individuals as, through their experiences and insights, we provide a comprehensive overview of Brazil’s corporate legal landscape and the invaluable role played by in-house legal individuals.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude and congratulations to everyone featured in this publication for their invaluable contributions and for sharing their journeys with us. It is our pleasure to present this distinguished list of Brazil’s most exceptional, diligent, and celebrated in-house lawyers.
Francisco Faria e Castro | Senior research analyst | GC Powerlist Series
In today’s legal landscape, we cannot ignore the constant and significant changes we experience on a daily basis. These changes are particularly driven by technology and innovation, as well as the regulatory environment.
In such a challenging context, legal counsels are the ones who manage risks, understand the companies’ strategies and policies, and make the best decisions for them. It is a demanding and complex job.
As business partners, we must be prepared to quickly adapt to these transformations and continuously improve our processes and practices, always grounded in legal intelligence. This is essential to offering the best support to our clients, and managing resources efficiently and according to their needs.
We thank you for trusting us and for your partnership in another GC Powerlist Brazil. We also congratulate the GCs recognized this year and look forward to shaping the industry’s next steps together.
The Legal 500’s 2024 GC Powerlist: Thailand, the much-anticipated second edition, built on our wildly successful 2023 event to create an even more exclusive celebration of the top in-house legal counsel in the country. At a time when the Thai economy continues to grow, attracting new legal talent while established names add to their significant experience, we were delighted to welcome a star-studded list of guests to the Waldorf Astoria Bangkok’s spacious Camellia Ballroom.
Over 150 attendees were present, including general counsel from the country’s top companies and senior and managing partners from our four law firm sponsors: Chandler MHM, Herbert Smith Freehills, Kudun & Partners, and Tilleke & Gibbins. Also in attendance were a selection of our 2024 Rising Star In-house Counsel, chosen for their achievements at a relatively early stage in their careers, representatives from our event sponsor Robert Walters, and our guests of honor, including government officials.
After a welcome video from senior partners at Chandler MHM, Herbert Smith Freehills, Kudun & Partners, and Tilleke & Gibbins, we moved on to our keynote speeches. Wallaya Kaewrungruang, chief legal and compliance officer of SCBX, spoke about recent changes to the general counsel role in Thailand and touched on international considerations for the Thai business sector. Visitsak Arunsuratpakdee of True Corporation then took the stage to discuss the work that the Thai Corporate Counsel Association has done since its inception last year to bring the legal community together.
The award ceremony followed, with those fortunate enough to be included in the 2024 edition welcomed to the stage to receive their accolades. Inviting them were Dean Pareena Srivanit of the Faculty of Law at Chulalongkorn University and Dean Pokpong Srisanit of Thammasat University, who have known many of the awardees since the start of their careers.
The celebrations carried on long into the night, with new connections made and old friends reunited.
Thank you to Chandler MHM, Herbert Smith Freehills, Kudun & Partners, Tilleke & Gibbins, and Robert Walters for partnering with us on this project, and to the Thai CCA for their invaluable support. Most importantly, congratulations to everyone featured in the 2024 edition; your inclusion is entirely due to your hard work throughout your careers. We look forward to 2025, when we will strive to create an even more expansive representation of the top in-house lawyers in Thailand.
