Could you share an example of a time when you came up with an innovation that improved how your legal team works and did not come at a large expense?  

The main innovation was the creation of a Center of Excellence Procurement-Legal (COE Procurement-Legal) situated in our Hub of Procurement in Uruguay. The Hub of Procurement manages all legal aspects of strategic supply of more than 21 production plants in Latin America related to the food and beverage industry.  

In 2019 we foresaw the need of the organisation to centralise procurement-legal practice. The group expanded and still continues its expansion, so we consider not only the legal synergies but also mainly the commercial ones. In 2021, we worked hard to document all proceedings and procedures of such COE Procurement-Legal and the initiative was launched in 2022 with the support of all legal departments of CBC and mainly of our vice-chairman of legal affairs and procurement director. 

Now, the COE Procurement-Legal is a reality which centralises the negotiations of all of the supply agreements of high impact materials including raw material, packaging materials and equipment. Moreover, we are responsible for stating the best practices of legal procurement to the organisation including not only contractual points, but also sourcing steps and execution of the agreements and on top of that compliance obligations of our suppliers. CBC adheres to the United Nations Global Compact that addresses human rights, labour standards, and environment and anti-corruption policies, so suppliers need to, as well. 

Finally, I would like to remark on the challenge of implementing this project in a multi-cultural environment not only on the side of the suppliers but also mainly with the growth of our organisation even in Asia. 

Can you foresee any key developments to the way general counsel work over the next five years?   

In my opinion, general counsel will continue developing a more comprehensive role in corporations taking care, not only the pure legal aspects, but also of regulatory risks and business strategies in a multi-cultural environment.  

These changes are not easy to deal with, as we, as legal, were trained to be more local advisors based on a specific geographical area. Nowadays, we need to be ready to adapt our legal practice to interact with counterparties around the world and business taking place digitally and worldwide where many legal regimes are involved. 

What measures has your company taken to embed sustainability practices into its core business operations, and how does the role of the general counsel contribute to driving and ensuring sustainable practices within the company?  

In 2013, CBC adhered to the UN Global Comact United Nations and works constantly in many programs, principals and standards to consider sustainability practices on our main production activities.  

In this regard, we promote the circular economy by reducing the use of materials from the design stage, implementing effective models for the recovery of post-consumer packaging, guaranteeing its recycling and using recycled resin. Among other activities, the role of general counsel, at both the local and corporate level, is to enter into the necessary agreements with suppliers and strategic partners considering these goals and working with all areas of manufacturing, finance, and logistics to achieve them. 

In 2022, CBC issued a ESG bond – a green bond recognised by LatinFinance Magazine as the “Corporate ESG Deal of the Year” and as the best sustainability bond issuer of the year, “ESG Bond Deal of the Year”, at the prestigious Bonds & Loans Latin America and Caribbean 2022 awards.  The issuance aroused great interest from investors, demonstrating confidence in the company’s financial performance and its long-term sustainability agenda being legal team a great team player with an important role to achieve this company’s extraordinary goal.