About

Starting his in-house legal career in 2008 at Colgate-Palmolive as a legal and labour relations executive, Ricardo Andrés Velarde Friedl has since achieved a number of milestones during his time as a professional in Peru and the wider Latin American region. In 2014, he was appointed to his current role at Mondelēz International as senior counsel for Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia, seeing Chile added to his responsibilities in 2016. Velarde identifies three particular career highlights, all of which are connected to his own self-improvement; these are in regards to expertise in organisational culture, empowerment and diversity, each of which have contributed to his skillset and ability to achieve results for his businesses. Velarde explains that he promotes legal advice that ‘analyses and facilitates information for decision making’ and provides counsel that is strictly strategic in nature. He states, ‘Legal guides and protects the company’s interests by promoting a preventive approach for any matter or against potential risks’. Velarde has utilised this approach to contribute towards important initiatives for the company, including the reinvention of Mondelēz’ supply chain. He gave legal advice connected with ‘infrastructural, environmental and commercial’ aspects in order to implement a new supply chain model in the region without any economic impact or business disruption for the company in Latin America. Another key involvement for Velarde was his contribution to the company’s brand protection agenda, where he managed the reacquisition of a brand that was ‘surprisingly registered before the trademark agency by a competitor without paying any amount to the other party’, a deal that had the potential impact of approximately $1m.