What are the most significant cases and transactions that your legal team has recently been involved in?

One of the most significant challenges we have faced recently as a legal team has been the digitalisation and automation of legal assistance. We have worked on developing and implementing the company’s global contract management system, with the aim of providing agile legal support tailored to operational needs, from contract creation to post-signature maintenance. We have developed a process of automated templates designed to facilitate the formalisation of contracts and established a physical safeguarding process with confidentiality and security measures. Additionally, we implemented an electronic management system that allows us to manage the company’s contracts and provide the necessary attention that each operation requires through automated alerts. Innovation is ongoing, and as a legal team, we continue to evolve with the support of new technological tools.

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?

One of the innovations we have introduced is the use of electronic signatures as an alternative to formalise our contracts and documents. Following the recent reform to the Mexican Advanced Electronic Signature Law of 2021, and after thoroughly analysing the legal benefits and risks, we decided to implement this with great success. The variety of platforms available allowed us to identify the most suitable option, focusing primarily on: i) functionality; ii) accessibility; and iii) cost-effectiveness. The process of closing operations (contract signing) has been significantly expedited since 2021, and as a legal team, it has greatly facilitated the management of our agreements once signed. At present, we have also promoted the use of electronic signatures as a digitalisation tool for other internal processes across various departments at Deacero.

What is a cause, business-related or otherwise, that you care about, and why?

One of the issues that has particularly interested me in recent years is the respect for human rights in business activities and how this relates to corporate compliance. It remains a challenge for companies to visualise and integrate human rights as a core part of their risk prevention and mitigation measures, which are commonly in place today. I believe that part of business evolution involves transforming current compliance and ethical programmes, as well as how companies promote them. It challenges business operations and how companies identify and measure their impact, from internal collaborators all the way through to the end customer and, ultimately, society and the world at large.