About

Huawei’s has a mammoth technology operation worldwide on the back of the huge demand for its telecommunication products, and the Iberian Peninsula is no exception. Based in Spain, Alejandro Fernández López is general counsel for Spain and Portugal along with being head of legal compliance for the Western European Union, while Andreia Collard is head of legal for Portugal. Collard outlines the deep level of interaction between the teams: ‘Legal support is provided under the umbrella of Legal Western Europe Team’, she explains, ‘with one head of legal being appointed for the country working closely with the Western Europe legal team’. Collard is proud of her team and believes that they possess a number of qualities that make them an ideal business partner. ‘Firstly’, she says, ‘we have strong interaction and good communication between legal and other departments – [for example] with compliance officers and contract management which, in my view, is paramount for a successful company. Also, legal is a part of strategic business within the business units, being an “honorary member” of each department at the beginning of the year to truly understand the day-to-day activity of the different business units’. From a regional level, Fernández oversees a team of five in-house individuals in the Iberian legal team, and has a particular approach when instructing external counsel. In contrast to many other legal directors throughout Huawei’s global operations, Fernández prefers to enlist the assistance of mid-sized domestic firms that have unparalleled experience of local matters and a strong grasp of what is required to succeed. The Iberian legal team itself has a highly significant role at the company, taking the lead in many negotiations on behalf of the company, and acting as a valued advisor to the business on matters of strategic importance. It also has a highly important role in navigating and interpreting new laws governing the company’s technology given the cutting-edge nature of its products along with the highly regulated nature of its industry, with the effect that the team is knowledgeable, versatile and highly adept at what it does.