Ana María Espinoza Lira graduated as a lawyer from the Universidad de Lima. She holds a master’s in business law from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and Universidad de Lima. Specialising in Personal Data Protection Law, Ana María holds expert certification from the Institute of Audit & IT Governance and the Spanish Association for Standardization and Certification – AENOR PERU. With over ten years of experience leading legal departments, Ana María is oriented towards achieving business strategy success based on solid legal foundations.

Can you tell us about your journey to becoming an in-house counsel? What inspired you to pursue a career in this field?

My career began 16 years ago, starting in 2008 when I began working as a legal advisor in a public sector company. After gaining experience there, I transitioned to the private sector, working for companies across the construction, technology, and private security sectors. In 2011, I was fortunate to join Sentinel, a credit bureau now part of the Global Experian Group, a leading global information services company with presence in over 60 countries.

At Sentinel, I undertook significant challenges such as leading the legal department since the company’s inception, participating in the development of new technology products, financial planning, and corporate reorganisation. These efforts yielded successful results, allowing me to move up within the organisation, holding various positions before assuming the role of legal manager. This experience greatly enriched my professional growth. Sentinel was a highly agile company, providing swift solutions.

I believe that it was there, to a great extent, that my profile as a business-focused lawyer took shape. I currently serve as the legal lead at G4S, a multinational company and leader in private security solutions services, operating in over 110 countries. Additionally, I have recently been invited to be a co-founder for the Latin American Association of Legal Management.

What inspired me to pursue a career in this field was the fact that being a lawyer offers you the opportunity to develop across many different areas. Furthermore, you can make a difference in society by defending the rights of companies and individuals thus contributing to building a fairer society.

In your role as in-house lawyer, what are the main responsibilities and tasks you perform on a day-to-day basis?

G4S is a multinational company with approximately 8000 employees in Peru. I joined the company three years ago and am responsible for the legal management of the company and its affiliates. I provide comprehensive legal advice to all functional areas such as Human Resources, Commercial, and Operations for strategic decision-making, ensuring compliance with the legal framework governing our operations. I lead a dedicated team with whom we consistently provide preventive recommendations aligned with the company’s strategic objectives. Additionally, we design tailored legal strategies to protect the company’s interests before its stakeholders.

What are some of the key challenges you have faced as a rising star in-house lawyer and how have you overcome them?

I believe the constant challenge I have faced as an in-house legal leader is changing the mindset that companies have about lawyers. We are not just professionals who provide legal support to functional areas; rather, we can serve as strategic partners in achieving the company’s overall goals. Legal departments are generally perceived as the ones that block initiatives and say “no” to everything. It has been very enriching to work hand in hand with the commercial areas and to participate in new product projects involving technology and innovation. In all these cases, I have been very careful to ensure that the project is within the legal framework, but without losing sight of the commercial strategy.

What steps have you taken to enhance your professional development and broaden your set of legal skills?

You never stop learning, and I believe that continuous training, which enables you to stay updated not only at the legal technical level but also to deepen your knowledge of other disciplines focused on business, generates a broader perspective that enables you to make better decisions.