Senior manager, international legal affairs | SBA
Sebastián Schwember Augier
Senior manager, international legal affairs | SBA
Team size: 13
How do you approach managing legal aspects during periods of instability or crises, and how does your legal strategy align with the broader business strategy to ensure the organisation’s resilience?
During periods of instability or crisis, whether by external or internal factors, I approach managing legal aspects through a cost-efficient point of view, this is, prioritising key business activities that require legal attention where the avoidance of unnecessary legal fees is a must. Such cost-efficient/effective approach is always previously conversed and aligned with other business units of the company, especially when legal efforts need to be focused on a specific contingency. As a department that transversally interacts with other organisation´s areas, the Legal department must continuously engage and be available for the organisation, being fundamental to understand company´s urgencies. In these new moder times, it is essential that General Counsel (and legal team member sin general) fully understand company´s business and the risks associated to it, that way it can be involved in crisis assessment and proper solutions.
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?
As a company that build telecommunications towers – activity that has an important environmental and social impact – SBA has been taken several measures in order to enhance sustainability practices, for example, design its towers to collocate as many mobile carriers as possible (avoiding proliferation of unnecessary towers); install renewal energy system within the telecommunication sites; camouflage towers according the aesthetics of the city, among others. As general counsel – including all members of the legal team- we have implemented internal processes that ensure company´s sustainability practices, such us, review permitting folders to supervise that towers comply with multi-operator design and aesthetics; promote private-public associations aiming for community involvement and improvement of green areas, etc.
How do you prioritise diversity and inclusion within your legal department, and what initiatives have you implemented to foster a more inclusive and equitable work environment?
From my experience having a diverse team is key to have a comprehensive outlook of several different matters that arise in the day-to-day legal operations. Diversity creates a more complete dialogue/discussion which nurtures every team member professionally and the flow of ideas/solutions. In my team I have implemented equal access to opening job vacancies and salary compensations.