General counsel and institutional affairs vice president | Ternium México
Legal and compliance director | Holcim México
General counsel - Mexico and Southern Cone | Bank of America Merrill Lynch
Legal and HR director | Pan American Silver
Vice president legal México and North Latam | Linde
General counsel, government affairs, contract management, licenses, compliance and Latam | DHL Supply Chain
Director general adjunto juridico financiamiento, sector público | Banorte
Regional Legal Director Mexico & Central America and Caribbean | Reckitt Benckiser
Director Jurídico México y Centroamérica | Arcos Dorados
Vice president and legal counsel | Discovery Americas
Andrea Esquivel is vice president and legal counsel of Discovery Americas. She has more than 12 years of experience in corporate law, specialising in areas such as mergers & acquisitions...
Legal vice president and general counsel | PepsiCo International México
Chief General Counsel | Ideal (Impulsora del Desarrollo y el Empleo en América Latina)
Director legal and compliance | Empresas Aries
Chief legal and compliance officer | Catena Activos Alternativos
Dina Moreno is currently the chief legal and compliance officer of Catena Activos Alternativos (Catena). Catena was established in 2023 by a seasoned team from Credit Suisse Asset Management Mexico...
General Legal Counsel | Iké Grupo Empresarial
General counsel | Alsea
Fernando Macedo is the general counsel of Alsea, one of the largest restaurant operators in the world, with presence in 12 countries and with over 4,500 restaurants and coffee shops...
General counsel and compliance officer | Grupo Rotoplas
General Counsel, vice president regulatory and external affairs | AT&T México
General counsel and operations – legal, collections, HR, market intelligence, internal control, ESG | Acosta Verde
Head of legal/ chief of staff | Gaya Sinergia Constructiva
General counsel, director of legal affairs | Grupo Lamosa
General counsel for Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean | General Motors de México
General counsel, ethics, compliance officer and data protection officer North Latam | Capgemini
Legal director and public affairs Latam | Suntory Global Spirits
Managing director | Macquarie Asset Management
Director of legal services | Accenture
Head of legal and compliance Latam | The Vanguard Group
Vice president legal and compliance, assistant general counsel | Element Fleet Management Corporation México
Counsel, senior manager | Mondelēz Snacking México
General counsel Mexico | Compass Group Mexico
Head of legal advisory, corporate matters and contracts | AXA Seguros
Gerente legal fiscal contencioso y cumplimiento | FEMSA
Executive director - general counsel | RLH Properties
General counsel and compliance officer | Grupo Danone México
Vice President legal and government affairs México and North America | Continental Group Mexico
General counsel, secretary and chief compliance officer | Grupo Bimbo
General counsel | Promotora de Hoteles Norte 19
Directora jurídica, cumplimiento y enlaces normativos | Grupo Coppel
General counsel and compliance office | Federacion Mexicana de Futbol Asociación
General counsel nutrition Latam, México and CARICAM | Unilever de México
Legal and compliance director | Glisco Partners
Chief legal and compliance officer | GBM (Grupo Bursatil Mexicano)
General counsel México | Sizzling Platter de México
Vice president legal and corporate affairs | Grupo Modelo (AB InBev)
Senior counsel México and Rc emerging seeds Latam | Mars petcare México
It is with immense pride, and on behalf of everyone at The Legal 500, that I warmly welcome you to this edition of the GC Powerlist: Mexico. It has been a true privilege to interview the brightest legal minds in the country and gain insight into what defines exceptional in-house counsel, as well as the key issues shaping their work as some of the region’s leading corporate legal professionals. This publication is a tribute to the remarkable contributions these outstanding individuals have made to Mexico’s business landscape. It stands as a testament to their unparalleled expertise, exemplary leadership, and unwavering commitment to excellence.
One clear theme that emerged from this year’s research is the collective emphasis on teamwork and the essential role it plays in ensuring the success of a company. Many general counsel featured in this edition have underscored the importance of recognising and celebrating every member of their legal teams. As Juan Luis Rodríguez-Rivero, director of legal services at Accenture, shared: “In my experience, maintaining motivation and inspiration within a team is crucial. While not all tasks will be enjoyable, it is important to ensure that at least some aspects of the work are fun and exciting. We continually strive to find ways to motivate our team, with a significant focus on fostering enjoyment in their tasks. This is often achieved when the team commits to a goal they have set themselves, as this leads to greater dedication to their chosen work.”
This sentiment was echoed by Jorge E. Rodriguez Arellano, executive director of legal at Banco J.P. Morgan, who added: “A growth mindset is encouraged. We hold frequent meetings where every member of the team is encouraged to participate, share their challenges, and propose solutions. Every opinion is taken into account. Continuous learning is supported.”
Mexico’s business community is also rapidly embracing digital transformation, and its general counsel are leading this charge within their companies. José Eduardo Salgado Villegas, general counsel, ethics and compliance officer, and DPO for North Latam at Capgemini, explained the multifaceted approach necessary for ensuring the successful digital transformation of legal departments while adhering to Mexico’s data protection laws. As he noted: “The key elements of this strategy include comprehensive assessment and planning, developing a robust data protection and compliance framework, careful technology and vendor selection, training and awareness initiatives, ongoing compliance and adaptation, and close collaboration with IT and security teams.”
Within the pages of this publication, you will discover the incredible accomplishments of Mexico’s top in-house counsel, including insights into some of the largest deals and transactions they have overseen in the past year. Their profiles also provide a closer look at their personal journeys and the paths they have taken to success.
I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to every general counsel who participated in this edition of the GC Powerlist: Mexico 2024. This list celebrates the most impressive in-house lawyers in the country—those who have not only applied their legal expertise but also strategically leveraged it to drive business growth and success.
It is with great pleasure that I present this distinguished group of agile, innovative, and truly exceptional in-house counsel in Mexico.
Sara Maggi| Deputy Editor – The Legal 500 GC Powerlist Series
On Thursday 20th March, Legal 500 returned to Frankfurt for the 2025 edition of the GC Summit: Germany. The event brought together some of the leading legal minds in the country for an afternoon of engaging panel discussions and interactive sessions. The agenda spanned a range of topics, current in today’s dynamic market and tailored to in-house counsel.
Vanessa Westphal, Head of legal services group at Merck, opened the programme with a keynote speech, in which she touched upon the importance of embracing uncertainty. In a market where the ways in which in-house counsel operate is rapidly changing, from the resources available to transactions themselves, Westphal advised how the legal industry can strengthen both its legal and non-legal ‘backbone’: in-house teams should focus not only on legal prowess, but also improve cultural and management expertise to ensure smooth operations across the organisation.
The first panel of the day, sponsored by Seitz, discussed the crucial role that labour law can play in times of crisis. Dr. Kathrin Bürger and Dr. Stephan Pötters of Seitz were joined on stage by Prof. Dr. Marlene Schmidt, partner at Apitzsch Schmidt Klebe Rechtsanwälte, Ralph Wangemann, managing director of human resources and labour director at Opel Automobile, Dr. Tom Gellrich, partner and managing director at AlixPartners, and Olaf Möllenkamp, chairman, Conciliation boards. In light of the election process in Germany, the panel discussed the ever-relevant topic of labour law and examined how the current environment does not make for a classic crisis: various different factors, from digitalisation to ESG aspects, come together to create a complex type of crisis that requires a more nuanced approach to labour regulations.
Ashurst took to the stage for the second panel, considering the influence that environmental, social and governance (ESG) measures and artificial intelligence (AI) can have on joint ventures. Dr. Alexander Duisberg, Marina Arntzen and Dr. Stephan Hennrich, partners at the firm, discussed the hot topic with Maler James, head of the centre of competence for strategic business units and finance at compliance at Volkswagen, Philip Nicolai, general counsel commercial and technology at Schaeffler Group, and Thilo M. Tern, managing partner at Silvester Group. The experts analysed how these elements can be utilised to make joint ventures successful and more sustainable – and ultimately act as dealbreakers or dealmakers.
Following a short break for coffee and networking, experts returned to the stage to discuss how to navigate today’s challenging M&A market. Dr. Christian Traichel and Dr Marco Hartmann-Rüppel, partners at Taylor Wessing, were joined on stage for the firm’s panel by
Carsten Burger, managing director at DC Advisory, Viktor Strauch, partner at Borromin, and Alexander Deicke of Körber. The panel considered how to manage transactions, taking into account risk, uncertainty and regulation.
The final panel of the day brought fresh perspectives on the age-old question: to litigate or to arbitrate? Nicole Boehler, Director of legal operations Europe at Autoliv, engaged in lively debate with Horst Daniel and Dr. Eveli Lume of Squire Patton Boggs, weighing up the pros and cons of litigation and arbitration. The panellists discussed factors such as bias, confidentiality, costs and recoverability. The interactive panel saw plenty of involvement from the audience, with questions from attendees touching on international mediation and third-party funding.
In a true show of the relevance and significance of the panel topics, delegates continued their animated conversations and debates over final networking drinks.
On behalf of Legal 500, we extend our gratitude to our expert panellists, sponsors, and all attendees for coming together for such a productive, engaging and successful event.
