About

Reflecting on his journey from international law firms in New York and Paris to the Alghanim Industries legal department in Kuwait, which he joined in 2007 and now leads, Santiago Lucero recalls that ‘in transitioning to an in-house career in the Middle East, I had to pivot from the world that I had known in private practice and embrace an entirely new environment. Since then, I have had to understand and immerse myself in a culture that seemed foreign at first but which eventually became the most enriching aspect of my working life’. Lucero has seen Alghanim’s legal team grow from ‘a handful of litigators into a full-service department of 21 lawyers, whose wide-ranging talents mirror their extraordinarily diverse backgrounds, befitting Alghanim’s deeply-rooted identity as one of the most professional, modern and innovative companies in the Middle East. We continuously strive to honour that century-long tradition, by combining the rigour of a law firm with the commercial acumen of integrated business partners’. He proudly notes that the legal department is widely recognised as a regional leader (including being named by The Legal 500 in last year’s GC Powerlist: Middle East Teams), but stresses that ‘we are never satisfied, and know that we must renew our commitment to the company and to each other each and every day’. Looking back over his time at Alghanim, while also considering the future, Lucero notes that he has ‘been fortunate to have been entrusted with many of Alghanim’s most critical legal matters over the years, and now look forward to ensuring that we spare no opportunity to help drive Alghanim’s relentless pursuit of excellence’, but that ‘I have, and always will, owe a great debt to our senior leadership and my colleagues within the legal department for their invaluable support’.