How do you approach managing legal aspects during periods of instability or crises, and how does your legal strategy align with the broader business strategy to ensure the organisation’s resilience? 

As manager of the COE Procurement-Legal it is essential to have a proactive and strategic approach assessing potential risks and conducting a thorough analysis to understand how these risks could impact the organisation’s operations (guarantee supply is crucial in a 24-7 food and beverage industry) and reputation. 

On top of all should be the alignment with business strategy, legal counsel should understand in periods of instability or crises business priorities enabling the legal team to provide support that enhances resilience. For us as a procurement department it is crucial to provide a responsible supply of high impact materials, improve relationships with suppliers, prioritising compliance and transparent communication. Review existing contracts for force majeure clauses, termination rights, and other provisions that may be relevant during a crisis. Engage in negotiations with partners and vendors to find mutually beneficial solutions that protect the organization’s interests while maintaining relationships. 

Finally, all this is possible through solid and agile procedures which should outline roles and responsibilities considering legal and compliance aspects maintaining open lines of communication with stakeholders, including the team, suppliers and regulators. In line with this, our COE Procurement-Legal is a legal department managed by KPIs measuring, monthly and annually, our efficiency in terms of relationships with our suppliers and implementation of best practices compared with other market leaders and communicate results and action plans openly to improve constantly. Nowadays we are working on integrating innovative technology and artificial intelligence into our management. 

What are the main cases or transactions that you have been involved in recently?    

To avoid mention confidential transactions, I would like to highlight the strategy followed last years to have a strategy aligned with procurement to research and develop alternative suppliers and bring all suppliers to be in line with our human rights, labor and sustainability policies. We consider it of main importance to have all our stakeholders and business partners on board. In 2023, Grupo Mariposa has adhered to the Partnership for Central America committing to perform business in line with the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Business Conduct. 

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? 

CBC adhered in 2013 to the UN Global Comact United Nations and works constantly in many programmes, 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 (such as lighting preform bottles), 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 local and corporate level, is to enter into the necessary agreements with suppliers and strategic partners considering these goals of the organization and working with all areas of manufacture, finance logistics to achieve them. 

In 2022, CBC issued a ESG Bond – 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. 

In 2024, Grupo Mariposa participated in the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos Switzerland, as the only Central American company at this important event, under the banner of “Rebuilding Trust”. Juan Pablo Mata, CEO of Grupo Mariposa, was invited as a speaker in a session titled: “The Alliance for Equitable Transition”.  

At Grupo Mariposa, we believe in the power of combining talent, passion, and excellence to achieve our dreams and be part of the solutions for building a better future. Our mission is to develop values to catalyse a positive impact on the world, these values being present throughout all organisations from procurement to sales and involving all our supply chain.