About

With extensive experience at The Legal 500 recommended firms such as Argentina’s Estudio Beccar Varela and Brazil’s Pinheiro Neto, Pablo Gay Ger moved in-house at Repsol YPF Brasil (today Repsol Sinopec), in 2003. Since his arrival he has restructured the legal department, recruiting new lawyers, and developing new and specific areas for research and development, engineering and procurement and corporate matters. Among major achievements during his tenure, he takes pride in Repsol’s successful participation in Brazil’s 7th hydrocarbons bid round and consequent expansion of its exploration portfolio. He and his team were responsible for the company’s original qualification, the issuance of the bids, negotiation and execution of joint bidding agreements and articles of association, and (for successful bids) the negotiation of the joint operating agreements. A second and truly transformative matter for the company was his negotiation and closing out of the transaction with Sinopec (formerly a minority shareholder), by which the Chinese group acquired a $7.1bn, 40% stake in the company, thereby assuring its ability to proceed with development of its pre-salt concessions without floating the business’ Brazilian arm, as had been considered. Enjoying the challenge of drafting agreements and business negotiation, he is also enthusiastic about working as a project leader and ‘motivating the people involved in a common goal’. While he regards his years in private practice as ‘really very helpful in my day-to-day work as company in-house’, he believes external counsel still need to improve upon the timeliness of their responses, availability and rates. Looking ahead, he sees compliance matters relating to company third-parties and partners, along with shifts in the regulatory framework, as among key challenges facing in-house counsel in his sector.