Chief legal officer | Trust Fiduciaria Administradora de Fondos y Fideicomisos
Compliance and data protection officer | Otecel (Telefónica Ecuador)
General counsel, Venezuela and Ecuador | Unilever Andina Ecuador
Legal and compliance manager | Duragas Abastible
Legal manager and regulatory coordinator for Ecuador and compliance regional lead | Directv Latin America
Legal counsel for Ecuador, Venezuela, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Paraguay | Halliburton
Legal chief and data protection officer | Netlife Ecuador
Legal manager | SBA Communications Corporation
Corporate manager of management control and risks and legal | Corporación GPF (Grupo Fybeca)
Senior counsel | Phoenix Tower International Ecuador (PTIE)
Legal, corporate affairs and compliance manager | UNACEM Ecuador
General counsel, corporate affairs manager and chief compliance officer | Holcim
Legal, compliance and public relations manager | UNACEM Ecuador
Legal and compliance director | Corporación DK
General counsel and president of the compliance unit | Grupo Santillana
Legal and compliance manager, Ecuador, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Aruba and Curazon | Linde
Legal and compliance director | Empresa Pública Metropolitana de Seguridad y Logística
The Legal 500 is proud to present to you the latest edition of the GC Powerlist: Ecuador. This eagerly awaited publication is committed to acknowledging and commemorating the outstanding achievements of the foremost in-house lawyers in the country.
This publication shines a spotlight on the noteworthy contributions of in-house counsel to businesses in Ecuador, standing as a testament to their expertise, leadership, and unwavering commitment to excellence. This 2023 edition underscores exceptional achievements and innovative approaches taken by the selected individuals as they navigate the intricate landscape of Ecuadorian law. Addressing challenges such as the implementation of artificial intelligence (AI), relationships with business partners, diversity and inclusion initiatives, among others, these professionals have showcased resilience and adaptability in a dynamic legal environment.
Within this publication, you’ll discover in-depth profiles and exclusive interviews featuring the most influential and esteemed in-house lawyers spanning various industries in Ecuador. These individuals consistently showcase their prowess in steering legal strategy, adeptly managing risks, and offering strategic counsel to their respective organisations. Their achievements not only serve as inspiration to the legal community but also exemplify the profound impact in-house lawyers can wield on the business strategy and success of their organisations.
This research brings to light several key findings, including the continuous and fast-growing application of AI within legal departments. As voiced by many in-house lawyers, echoed by Pedro del Pozo, senior counsel at Cirion Technologies, “we have already implemented platforms to attend our internal client by using artificial intelligence, which have allowed us to have better response times and thus contribute to the closing of important businesses on a daily basis.” In-house lawyers are recognising the potential of AI to enhance various aspects of their roles. One key area is the automation of routine tasks, allowing legal professionals to streamline processes, increase efficiency, and allocate more time to strategic and high-value activities. Undoubtedly, AI stands out as a noteworthy subject for in-house lawyers to monitor closely.
Furthermore, our findings underscore a persistent need for enhancing the relationship between legal teams and business partners. Despite the demonstrated value of in-house counsel, particularly evident during the challenges of the pandemic, there remains an opportunity for further advancement in cultivating more robust collaboration and mutual understanding between the legal and business functions. As perfectly put by Ricardo Dávalos at Linde, “[t]he best way to create strong relationships with our business partners is to stablished the “game rules” from the beginning of the relationship and to align our values and principles permanently.” In all, as voiced by in-house lawyers in general, this ongoing commitment to strengthening collaboration is vital for maximising the collective impact of both legal and business expertise within any organisation.
Legal departments in Ecuador are also quickly increasing their efforts on diversity, inclusion and equity initiatives. As our research underscores, fostering an inclusive culture for all is a top priority for in-house lawyers, as they are dedicated to showcasing the best version of their employees, irrespective of any external factor that is not relevant to their work. As stated by Gabriela Jijón, general counsel at Holcim, “[p]romoting an inclusive culture for all is a priority and we strive to highlight the best version of our employees regardless of their age, nationality or gender.” As a key takeaway from the many interesting interviews within this publication is the broad understanding that embracing the richness of perspectives that diversity brings, cultivating a culture where each employee can reach their full potential, fostering innovation and collaboration, will only bring benefits to the development and growth of companies in the country.
Within this publication, you’ll find exclusive content on various pertinent topics and challenges for all things in-house legal. Delve into the GC Powerlist: Ecuador 2023 and uncover the remarkable stories of these exceptional individuals. Through their experiences and insights, our aim is to offer a comprehensive overview of the legal landscape in Ecuador, emphasising the indispensable role played by in-house legal teams.
Our heartfelt gratitude goes to all the featured in-house lawyers for their invaluable contributions and for generously sharing their professional journeys with us. It brings us great pleasure to present to you this distinguished list, showcasing Ecuador’s most outstanding, dedicated, and celebrated in-house lawyers.
Francisco Faria e Castro | Senior research analyst | GC Powerlist series
On Thursday 20th March, Legal 500 returned to Frankfurt for the 2025 edition of the GC Summit: Germany. The event brought together some of the leading legal minds in the country for an afternoon of engaging panel discussions and interactive sessions. The agenda spanned a range of topics, current in today’s dynamic market and tailored to in-house counsel.
Vanessa Westphal, Head of legal services group at Merck, opened the programme with a keynote speech, in which she touched upon the importance of embracing uncertainty. In a market where the ways in which in-house counsel operate is rapidly changing, from the resources available to transactions themselves, Westphal advised how the legal industry can strengthen both its legal and non-legal ‘backbone’: in-house teams should focus not only on legal prowess, but also improve cultural and management expertise to ensure smooth operations across the organisation.
The first panel of the day, sponsored by Seitz, discussed the crucial role that labour law can play in times of crisis. Dr. Kathrin Bürger and Dr. Stephan Pötters of Seitz were joined on stage by Prof. Dr. Marlene Schmidt, partner at Apitzsch Schmidt Klebe Rechtsanwälte, Ralph Wangemann, managing director of human resources and labour director at Opel Automobile, Dr. Tom Gellrich, partner and managing director at AlixPartners, and Olaf Möllenkamp, chairman, Conciliation boards. In light of the election process in Germany, the panel discussed the ever-relevant topic of labour law and examined how the current environment does not make for a classic crisis: various different factors, from digitalisation to ESG aspects, come together to create a complex type of crisis that requires a more nuanced approach to labour regulations.
Ashurst took to the stage for the second panel, considering the influence that environmental, social and governance (ESG) measures and artificial intelligence (AI) can have on joint ventures. Dr. Alexander Duisberg, Marina Arntzen and Dr. Stephan Hennrich, partners at the firm, discussed the hot topic with Maler James, head of the centre of competence for strategic business units and finance at compliance at Volkswagen, Philip Nicolai, general counsel commercial and technology at Schaeffler Group, and Thilo M. Tern, managing partner at Silvester Group. The experts analysed how these elements can be utilised to make joint ventures successful and more sustainable – and ultimately act as dealbreakers or dealmakers.
Following a short break for coffee and networking, experts returned to the stage to discuss how to navigate today’s challenging M&A market. Dr. Christian Traichel and Dr Marco Hartmann-Rüppel, partners at Taylor Wessing, were joined on stage for the firm’s panel by
Carsten Burger, managing director at DC Advisory, Viktor Strauch, partner at Borromin, and Alexander Deicke of Körber. The panel considered how to manage transactions, taking into account risk, uncertainty and regulation.
The final panel of the day brought fresh perspectives on the age-old question: to litigate or to arbitrate? Nicole Boehler, Director of legal operations Europe at Autoliv, engaged in lively debate with Horst Daniel and Dr. Eveli Lume of Squire Patton Boggs, weighing up the pros and cons of litigation and arbitration. The panellists discussed factors such as bias, confidentiality, costs and recoverability. The interactive panel saw plenty of involvement from the audience, with questions from attendees touching on international mediation and third-party funding.
In a true show of the relevance and significance of the panel topics, delegates continued their animated conversations and debates over final networking drinks.
On behalf of Legal 500, we extend our gratitude to our expert panellists, sponsors, and all attendees for coming together for such a productive, engaging and successful event.
