About

As one of the largest healthcare groups in terms of income operating in the Portuguese market, under the trademark Hospital da Luz, the Luz Saúde group runs a total of 30 hospitals, clinics and senior residences through more than 20 different companies. The legal team is highly involved in the company’s acquisition and expansion processes and in its various business activities. The legal and compliance team has 13 full-time in-house lawyers, divided into three smaller teams, one for litigation matters, one for human resources issues, and the other focused on legal affairs such as M&A, corporate financing, capital markets, regulatory and health law among others. Head of legal and compliance João Rebelo explains that the team ethos can be summarised as ‘informality, commitment and not being afraid of new challenges. I try to build a culture of informality where everybody can express their ideas and be part of the solution’. To this end, over the last few years, the legal team has supported and contributed to considerable organisational changes. In February 2014 the group holding company (former Espírito Santo Saúde) SGPS successfully concluded an initial public offering, and its shares were admitted to negotiation on the Euronext Lisbon. Later in 2014, the group was subject to a takeover bid which was a ‘complex and newsworthy process, involving four different offers, being considered one of the most competitive bidding process, involving processes ever seen in the Portuguese market’, according to Rebelo. As a result of this acquisition, the group shares have been predominantly purchased by the insurance company Fidelidade, owned by the Chinese group Fosun, and the group subsequently changed its name to Luz Saúde. The legal and compliance lawyers for the company are frequent speakers in conferences and seminars regarding health, healthcare management and ethics. They also collaborate with ADVITA (Association for the Development of New Initiatives for Life) a non-profit organisation, which has the goals to give support to caregivers as well as developing programs to support underprivileged citizens in need of urgent medical care services.