Team size: 35
Major legal advisers (optional): Carlos del Río (CREEL), Rodolfo Trampe (Von Wobeser), MEADE, Manuel Niño de Rivera (Kudo Niño de Rivera).

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?

A few years ago, when there were not many options for contract management tools, my team and I completely digitalised the contract management process in a company for the Central America Region. I hired a vendor who was a technical developer, the in-house lawyers gave them our input on the legal process, to create a tool that could start with a request all the way to filing a contract. Nowadays the digitisation of a contract management tool is seen as a basic requirement and there are many tools for this. However, a few years ago this was a creative and innovative solution, which helped us not only better monitor the contract life cycle but also provide greater transparency and exchange of information between the countries of the region.

Can you foresee any key developments to the way general counsel work over the next five years?

The role of the general counsel has evolved in many ways over the last few years to have more responsibilities. These include data privacy, compliance, crisis management, government affairs and risk management as part of their job description, enabling them not only to prepare through certifications but also to acquire additional social skills. In the coming years the role will evolve even further, artificial intelligence will be increasingly utilised in routine legal processes and technology will be used more as a common way of interacting with authority, this means that lawyers will need to develop different skills, techniques, and a business mindset.

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

I am passionate about talent development, supporting my team to become aware of their talents and enhance them. I would like to see my team improve and become better versions of themselves, with their own personality and at their own pace. It is important to give them the time and financial resources to continue studying and updating themselves on legal issues, which is always a challenge in such a dynamic country. I would like to give them the spotlight so that they have exposure and shine.

As the head of a region, based in Mexico, I need to have a bird’s eye view to have on my radar, the available promotions, changes, short-term assignments, long-term assignments, lateral positions that correspond to my team’s interests, their need to grow and have new challenges according to their personal circumstances.