About

With a potential market of more than 100 million people, Samsung Electronics México (SEM) has made efforts to strengthen its position as one of the leading electronics brand in the country. Daniel Perez-Cirera Santacruz, director for legal, compliance and government affairs leads the team, and as one nominator comments his ‘expertise and specialisation in multinational companies is unparalleled. He is technically very strong. Likewise, his practice and practical approach to matters, makes working with him a joy’. With aims to become the top appliance brand in North America by boosting sales of high-end luxury models, the exceptional legal team has added tremendous value to every aspect of the business, contributing to its prominent position in the market. It is no doubt that the SEM legal team is one of the most impressive in the region. Made up of six members, the team supports a company with US$2.5bn in annual sales, but which has only four law suits against its name – an achievement that is testament to the diligence and business-minded approach of the team. Having worked on complex cases in the past, the team’s experience, practical business sense and technical skill is a great asset in any dealing. Santacruz describes the team as a ‘talented, dedicated, knowledgeable, and selfless group of individuals’. He takes pride in his stalwart team, in which ‘members have sufficient knowledge to step in at any given time to solve any issue on the docket. I truly believe that the legal team at Samsung Mexico is one of the best teams amongst all Samsung’s subsidiaries’. Some of their most notable work involves the transfer of over 1,500 indirect SEM employees to a new outsourcing entity and participating in a significant anti-trust investigation process, the outcome of which ‘is certain to have a ripple effect throughout the telecommunications industry in Mexico’. One nominator commented on the team’s work in handling another significant company issue by saying ‘the team dealt with many issues relating to the worldwide product recall; the legal implications for such recall are aplenty and they have handled them seamlessly‘. The team has also been behind the structure and implementation of some of the company’s best technological advancements, most recently they have facilitated the partnership with Maybank, to introduce Maybank customers to its first mobile payment service – Samsung Pay. Despite the challenges that have come with the regular changes in Mexican law, particularly in privacy legislation, coupled with the introduction of new procedural laws, this has encouraged the legal team at SEM to constantly think of better, faster and more efficient ways to implement changes in a swifter and more expedite manner, while consistently creating value. On bringing Samsung’s new technologically advanced products to market, one source notes that it, ‘required legal hurdles being surpassed and will require the skill that only Daniel’s team may overcome‘.