First, can you please give us an idea of the sort of work your team has done recently?

Winterbotham Fiduciaria Administradora de Fondos de Inversión acts in the Uruguayan securities and stock markets both as a financial trustee and as an investment fund administrator. This implies that the daily tasks of my team include the administration of a package of investment vehicles that today concentrate approximately $370m, which for Uruguay is a considerable sum.

All these management activities are extremely challenging for our team because each managed investment vehicle is dedicated to a different activity, such as agricultural, energy, hospitality, estate, among others, implying that we must attend to the legal and contractual aspects of each as individuals.

When it comes to projects in which we have recently intervened and currently act as administrators we have responsible for the structuring and issuance of Tonosol  Bonds for $20m, where we currently act as administrators of the trust that supports the issue. Additionally, we were part of the restructuring and start-up of four local investment funds, in which the broker Nobilis acts as investment advisor and key partner. Furthermore, we participated in the issuance of the Tierras del Litoral II financial trust, together with Agropecuaria del Litoral, that issued securities for a value of $100m.

In all the above cases, our legal and administration team actively participated in the entire process, together with external law firms that advised both the sponsors and the company.

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

I understand that in Uruguay there must be a greater offering of investment vehicles which allow the average citizen to invest, and in turn allow the existence of greater competition. At Winterbotham, we actively participate in the creation of more means that make this closer and possible, namely, the investment funds Estrategia Crecimiento y Estrategia Ingresos.

Additionally, and as far as financial trusts are concerned, a large part of the investments in these are made by pension fund administrators, suggesting that taking care of products in which they invest to a certain extent means taking care of the future of our country, by contributing to the strengthening of the pension system and helping economic growth.

Finally, because of our committed presence in investment markets related to agricultural activity, we have begun working together with project sponsors in promoting and having projects that are sustainable for the environment.

What can law firms do to improve their service to the legal department?

Our activity allows us to work with many local firms. I understand that in general they are all aiming to improve their service. What I value most is when they understand that together with the client’s in-house counsel, they must form a team and not merely a relationship of service provider and contractor.