Team size: Eight
Major legal advisers: Adriana Ruíz, María Delgadillo, Adrián González, Oscar Ríos, Creel, García-Cuellar, Aiza y Enríquez, S.C., Santamarina & Steta, S.C., Galicia Abogados, S.C.

Could you share an example of a time when you came up with an innovation that improved how your legal team works and did not come at a large expense?

Digitisation of our processes through the implementation of digital signatures in contracts and communications when most people still believed that such digital activities were not fully regulated or valid. This implementation was done before the pandemic. Taking advantage of this opportunity and having implemented it has brought agile responses from our team, giving them more control in the workflow of entering into agreements and all other types of deals, monitoring, management, optimisation, and savings of our resources and, above all, reducing our carbon footprint. We now have better real-time information on our contractual relationships, protecting the company from failures or misinterpretations, giving in-house lawyers the opportunity to learn more about the precedents and create a file of the different types of clauses, precedents, and best practices in contractual matters.

What measures has your company taken to embed sustainability practices into its core business operations, and how does the role of the general counsel contribute to driving and ensuring sustainable practices within the company?

We are the only company within the cement industry with a clear and conscious roadmap to reduce CO2 emissions based on scientific data that demonstrate the feasibility of our actions in this matter. Holcim is investing heavily in developing more eco-friendly products and is a pioneer in launching green products that meet high sustainability standards, reducing CO2 emissions and water use. We also operate a company aiming to process waste and use it as an alternative fuel. Our legal department is firmly supportive of these endeavours, ensuring they adhere to all regulations, and promoting a greater ‘paperless’ culture across all our operations.

How do you prioritise diversity and inclusion within your legal department, and what initiatives have you implemented to foster a more inclusive and equitable work environment?

I lead a balanced team in terms of diversity and inclusivity as a result of a systematic approach that we have implemented. This approach demands the inclusion of at least one male and one female candidate for any vacancy, alongside any exceptionally qualified candidate regardless of their personal identifiers or preferences. All candidates are evaluated through the same criteria, and the final selection is dependent upon who best fits with our overall assessment.

An initiative implemented by the department involved launching a campaign aimed at cultivating respect among all colleagues and fostering an environment that nurtures individual growth free of gender, religious, cultural, racial, or educational biases. As the legal team, and on a personal level, it is our aspiration to establish and promote not only a better working environment but also a place where every individual can develop and be respected.

What is a cause, business-related or otherwise, you are passionate about, and why?

Diversity, not only in opinions, but also in the sense that there is always a new challenge to face with different situations or cases, pushing me to learn, practice, and resolve them. This has helped me apply all the academic principles and learnings I acquired at university. While there were similar situations presented at university, through an academic perspective, they now manifest as realities that we must face, overcome, and learn from.

These situations stem from the company’s consistent launching of new strategies, often involving new markets or participating in M&A cases, aimed at enhancing competitive acumen and a passion for achieving results.