What are the most significant cases and transactions that you have been involved within the last two years?

Spain and Portugal, as many other countries, are participating in a deep debate about the future of sustainable urban mobility in the light of the globally known “New Economy”, where Uber plays its role as one of the strongest engines.

In the last couple of years, the members of the legal team of Uber in Iberia and the rest of Europe have been leading Uber’s efforts toward securing a space for growth for our organisation. This strategic approach is probably the main difference between traditional companies and others, like Uber, which are leading the discussion around the gig economy.

In this regard, the most relevant cases for the company have not always been the vastest published ones by the media, and many others are still under discussion in court or with the Administration. Just to name a few, I would refer to our challenges against restrictions imposed nation-wide and regionally on PHV services both in Spain and Portugal (e.g., bans, minimum pre-booked waiting time obligations among many others), or our strong defense of taxi regulations flexibilisation (such as the one approved by the Region of Madrid in 2019), as opposed to restricting PHVs. Or finally, those related to the protection of our users’ rights: for instance, the win we had in the Spanish Supreme Court in 2020, which overruled the centralisation in a public registry with the Ministry of Transportation of real-time personal trip data of passengers and drivers that use PHV services hired through ride hailing apps, which raised major privacy concerns. A registry which, by the way has been re-activated again this year.

On the transactional front, for instance, we have secured important deals at key venues to improve the experience of our users at airports, music festivals, international fairs, leisure events and more. Finally, in Uber Eats, we keep expanding our platform not only to more restaurants, but also to supermarket chains, groceries, convenience stores, parapharmacy and more.

Which recent political, economic or regulatory changes have impacted the company and your work the most?

As a multinational company that is changing the way people commute in cities, or request the delivery of meals, groceries and beyond around the globe, Uber faces every political, economic, social, and regulatory change with a prominent focus.

The changes we suffered due to the COVID-19 outbreak are an example of how much we care about the well-being of our partners and employees, as much as we tried to be useful for our users during this crisis, so that, for instance, they could request the delivery of food, a ride, or a medical visit during those challenging times.

Also, regarding the delivery sector, we have had to go through a great transformation process to adapt our business model to the ‘Rider Law’ in Spain which regulates the status of delivery people, while we try to urge authorities to secure an equal level playing field in the market, as not all players are following the same approach.

How do you feel in-house legal leaders can successfully introduce and implement a positive culture within the legal department?

By making sure that all members in the legal team collaborate with each other so that everyone acts with a single voice as one team. In my view, there are a few examples of dos and don’ts to achieve this:

On one hand, I believe legal leads should ensure people work proactively, doing and not just facilitating to feel empowered. For this, it is really important to involve the right people from the very beginning, making sure they have the right tools, and that deadlines are met.

On the other hand, managers should avoid people who work in silos, that constantly leave issues to somebody else. They must notice when someone is not focused and present or disengaged with the collective goals. But most importantly, they should act quickly in these situations to bring everyone back on track.