Senior vice president, general counsel, EMEA and LATAM | American Tower
Senior legal counsel, EU and LATAM | Eiffage EnergÃa Sistemas
Global head of legal and secretary general | Secuoya Content Group
Commercial attorney, EMEA and Latin America | Instructure
General counsel, Iberoamerica | Securitas Seguridad España
Vice president and deputy general counsel, international legal (EMEA, APJ, LATAM) | Hewlett Packard Enterprise
Senior regional legal manager, Brasil, HispAm and global projects | Telefónica
Senior legal director Europe, Turkey and Africa, CIS and LATAM | Oriflame Cosmetics
Senior director of legal department, Iberia and LATAM | Tenerity & Webloyalty Group
Executive director, legal, for Latin America and global retail | Johnson Controls
Vice president and general counsel international, EMEAI, APAC and LATAM | Olin
General counsel and secretary of the board of directors | Hispasat
Legal director, Spain and LATAM | INTELCIA
Senior lega counsel and compliance manager, Spain and LATAM | YouHodler
Senior director, associate general counsel, head of legal EMEA and LATAM | Adobe
General counsel, Latin America, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa | Mundipharma
International legal counsel, commodity trading and compliance officer, MENA and LATAM | Snetor
General counsel, EMEA and LATAM | Spencer Stuart
General counsel and company secretary, Europe and LATAM | Sanitas
General counsel, Iberia, Italy and LATAM | Securitas Direct by Verisure
Lead legal counsel, M&A and corporate | NTT Data Europe & LATAM
Vice president, chief counsel, EMEAR and LATAM | Element Solutions
Manager commercial legal, EMEA and LATAM | OutSystems
Executive vice president, general counsel international markets | MasterCard
Head of legal SCIB - Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Nordic Countries | Banco Santander
Senior legal counsel, data protection officer, EMEA and LATAM | Pure Storage
Building on the success of last year’s inaugural edition, The Legal 500 is proud to present the second edition of the GC Powerlist: Europe Latin America Specialists, a special issue of the series recognising and celebrating the outstanding accomplishments of Europe’s leading in-house lawyers who dedicate their efforts to the dynamic and challenging Latin American markets.
As the legal landscape continues to evolve and globalise, in-house lawyers play an increasingly crucial role in navigating the complexities of international business. This edition’s focus on Europe’s top legal professionals specialised in Latin American markets reflects the strategic importance of the region on the global stage. Latin America – with its diverse economies, regulatory frameworks, and cultural nuances – demands a nuanced skill set that only the most dedicated experts can provide. Each country within the region operates under its own set of economic conditions, legal systems, and regulatory standards, often requiring legal experts to be agile and well-versed in a variety of local laws and practices. The frequent shifts in regulatory landscapes, combined with rapid economic development and socio-political dynamics, mean that legal professionals must not only stay informed about ongoing changes but also anticipate potential shifts that could impact business operations.
This publication goes beyond listing professional accomplishments, as it offers a platform to acknowledge the unique expertise required to manage cross-border legal matters. From overseeing mergers and acquisitions to ensuring regulatory compliance and bridging cultural differences, these in-house lawyers are essential to successful business operations between Europe and Latin America.
As global business expands, the need for skilled legal professionals who can navigate diverse legal systems and business environments becomes indispensable. This special edition of the GC Powerlist celebrates those at the forefront of this legal frontier, adding to the wider dialogue on the intersections of European and Latin American legal practices.
We invite you to explore the GC Powerlist: Europe Latin America Specialists 2024 and discover the extraordinary stories of these outstanding individuals. We extend our deepest gratitude to all the in-house lawyers featured in this publication for their invaluable contributions and for sharing their journeys with us. It is my pleasure to present this distinguished list of Europe’s most dedicated, insightful, and celebrated in-house lawyers focused on Latin America markets.
Francisco Faria e Castro | Research Editor | 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.
