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

The post-pandemic economic boost has undoubtedly impacted the offer of new vehicles, and the fact that the demand is higher than the offer is a challenge. In our case, we see that our customers have always sought our brand for reliability and durability. Now, with a broader lineup of vehicles in which full hybrid models are the stars, sustainable mobility has been the focus of the company and is what has required the most of our legal resources. We teamed up with the Colombian Government and Ecopetrol to bring a Toyota Mirai in March 2022, the first hydrogen vehicle to be driven in Latin America. As well as this, we have been assisting the development and launch of Kinto, the Toyota renting platform that will enable our customers to optimize the use of vehicles by sharing with others. In addition, we have been working hard on our sustainability and social responsibility projects. For instance, in 2021, we planted more than 7,000 trees in our Toyota Forest, reaching a milestone of over 17,000 trees. Also, in our initiative Mobility for All, we continue our work with Fundafe. This foundation provides prosthetic legs to the most vulnerable population and started working with Nucleumpet, entrepreneurship that produces wheelchairs for dogs.

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

The company’s main focus in the next 12 months will be to continue focusing on the shift from a company that sells vehicles to a company that provides mobility solutions. This entails the change of the mindset of the team, the employees and the final goal: the customers. While we do this, we will continue to work on providing counsel on the developments of technical and regulatory framework matters. And last but not least, we aim to reach a carbon neutral certification this year, which would be a massive achievement for the team and the company.
If you had to give advice to an aspiring in-house lawyer or general counsel, what would it be and why?
Be open to listening and learning new things. No matter how experienced you are or your position or responsibility within a company, you always have something to learn from your managers, peers, or team. Always be eager to learn something new that is not necessarily related to law; learn about finance, accounting, marketing, HR, logistics, and technical matters that may be perceived far from the lawyer’s role. This will enable you to become a better team player and a true business partner because you will understand the needs of the people you are working with across the board.