What are the major projects or initiatives you have worked on that you are most proud of?

Generation of quality added value jobs, and how this has helped the Costa Rican economy in an overall. Accenture Costa Rica has grown from 3.500 employees in 2023, to 4.500 in 2024, and the projection for 2025 is that we will get to 5.000 employees. This is in line with the growth of the Costa Rican GDP, where it grows sustained in around 4.5% every year. This has been especially because of companies in Free Trade Zone (FTZ) Regime, like Accenture. The FTZ Regime has been the engine of economic growth in Costa Rica in the last years.

What measures has your company taken to embed sustainability practices into its core business operations, and how does the role of the general counsel contribute to driving and ensuring sustainable practices within the company?

I am advisor in Accenture´s Costa Rica Sustainability Committee, and Legal Representative in the Accenture Costa Rica´s Responsible Company Network. Accenture Costa Rica is very committed with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), giving Technological Training to our employees and any person who needs to, via “Skills to Succeed” Program, and making partnership with a lot of different stakeholders, such as Universities, CSR Associations, Governmental Authorities, and Private Institutions, to support the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG´s) Principles.

In your opinion, what are the main trends that are salient in your country currently?

In this moment, Costa Rica is in a very good place concerning macroeconomic indications. The economy is good, as we already mentioned, with a 4.5% sustained growth of the GDP, the unemployment rate has dropped significantly, form 20% in 2020 to 6.7% in 2024, and the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is booming, driven by Free Trade Zone (FTZ) Regimes. This is also mixed with a good technological trend that we are achieving. Costa Ricans are very savvy with technology, there are more mobile telephone lines in Costa Rica than inhabitants (a lot of people have two mobile phones), and in a lot of companies, we are already working with 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR) Technologies, Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence (A.I.), among others. Also, The Government is working very hard to implement the 5G Network in Costa Rica and let´s hope this get accomplished as soon as possible.

What is a cause, business-related or otherwise, that you care about, and why?

Animal Welfare. Costa Rica is not only a very environmentally friendly country, but also a country that is very conscious and oriented to animal welfare. A lot of families have pets that are practically part of its family. We despise the culture of animals in zoos and circus, and all kind of mistreatment, cruelty and exploitation to animals. We believe that animals should not be in cages, and in the framework of Conservation of the Wildlife, we specially watch over animals’ welfare in their natural habitats. There is a law in Costa Rica about Animal Protection Law, but of course it must be constantly reviewed and adapted to modern circumstances.