What are the most significant cases or transactions that your legal team has recently been involved in?

From our recent transactions, we can highlight the divestment in the Southern Cone, with the sale of the companies that operated in that territory to focus resources on horizons with better economic stability that allow higher profitability in the operation and better market share.

Additionally, we have negotiated with one of our partners in Belgium, the sale of our shareholding and presence of the brand which we have developed together for more than 35 years, to directly launch Levapan brand products, expanding the presence in Latin America, improving the product quality and enlarging our portfolio, through agreements with new world-class strategic allies.

These two operations amounted to over $30 m and were both carried out last year.

What will be the main focus for the company in the next 12 months and how do you intend to assist with this?

The focus of the company in the next 12 months will be to sustain the accelerated pace of growth that we maintained the last two years. This must be done through innovation, quality and optimisation of processes, with a focus on environmental and business sustainability, seeking to bring value through our social responsibility programmes.

We currently have a presence with our brands in 17 countries — a number that aims to be considerably expanded in the coming months through alliances and market positioning.

The impact of legal and corporate affairs lies in streamlining processes, guaranteeing legal support and assurance, with a holistic view of the business and awareness of the volatility of the economic and legal reality of today’s world. We are developing technological tools that allow us to shorten response times, while simplifying processes, allowing the user to have access to legal information more easily and quickly.

If you had to give advice to an aspiring in-house lawyer or general counsel, what would it be and why?

Integrate the legal support with a business mindset. In this way internal and external stakeholders can identify you as a strategic teammate in the development of operations and in the achievement of goals.

Maintain a flexible perspective and an open mind, but in observance of regulations and good practices to guarantee a holistic and efficient accompaniment that is adapted to the needs of the business reality.

Updating and constant research are a fundamental pillar in a good legal leader, keeping learning not only about matters in your area of responsibility but also about the full picture of the company’s operations.

Your word is a valuable element, hence, the commitment made with any stakeholder must be fulfilled, to generate trust. Lastly, keep it simple, make sure everyone at the table understands your recommendation and the rationale behind it, so that it can be embraced by those who need your advice.