Features

Alberto Villanueva – Sanmina

A legal department without borders

Four countries, each with their own unique culture and corporate environment. Seventeen production plants churning out widgets and wares by the ton: medical devices, communications networks, industrial and automotive equipment, IT, electronic systems, clean technology, the list goes on. Nineteen thousand employees—more than Lowe’s or Charles Schwab, and nearly twice as many as Facebook.

And that’s just Sanmina’s Latin American division.

Alberto Villanueva – Sanmina Vanguard Law Magazine

As general counsel for the tech giant’s operations in Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and Colombia, Alberto Villanueva insists there’s never a dull moment—or a finished to-do list.

“All of these industries change so quickly, you’re dealing with different businesses almost every day,” says Villanueva, who recently celebrated 10 years with the company. “Add to that all of the changing laws and regulations in these different countries. No two days are ever the same.”

Being the bridge

However, there is one matter that preoccupies Villanueva: labor law. Indeed, given the sheer numbers at play—and the breadth of jurisdictions—the challenge can be unrelenting.

Owing to extensive experience working for one of Mexico’s regional labor courts, Villanueva knows the terrain well, whether he’s addressing requests for workers’ compensation in Colombia or negotiating contracts with labor unions in Brazil.

Alberto Villanueva – Sanmina Vanguard Law Magazine

“We do a tremendous amount of research in understanding the different customs, how the relationships between labor and private companies work,” Villanueva says. “I rely very much on outside counsel in that regard. If there’s an urgent matter at a factory and I can’t be there, we want people we can trust addressing the situation.”

Labor compliance isn’t the only regulatory hurdle Villanueva has to scale. In Mexico, for example, authorities have instituted a new energy consumption law that lays out new stipulations for companies that consume more than a megawatt of electricity per month.

With the transition from non-renewable fuels to clean energy often running in the millions of dollars, ensuring Sanmina’s due diligence is an area in which Villanueva has succeeded in framing his department as a true value-add.

“Oftentimes, regulators give companies two or three years to prepare, but not every company has a sense of urgency early on,” Villanueva explains. “We make sure we’re making those improvements every step of the way.”

A trusted voice

For Villanueva, being proactive is one of the hallmarks of an effective legal function, but so too is a commitment to relationship building.

Whenever Sanmina hires a new employee, Villanueva takes the time to apprise them on how the legal department interacts. If it’s a new hire in administrative management or production management, for instance, Villanueva details which materials need to be reviewed—and what services legal might be able to provide.

“One of the things I try and emphasize is how important it is to understand how the different parts work in a company this size,” Villanueva says. “If you’re not willing to work closely with other departments, you’re not going to get where you need to go, personally or as a company.”

Truth be told, his own professional path—to a role long on challenges and learning opportunities in equal measure—wasn’t without the occasional detour.

Not a bad backup plan

As a child growing up in Guadalajara, Mexico, six hours west of Mexico City, Villanueva had his sights set on a career in medicine.

It was one of his high school teachers who spotted in the diligent student a knack for writing and rhetoric. Before long, Villanueva was joining his teacher on trips to local courts and government offices—experiences he credits for sparking his love of law.

Alberto Villanueva – Sanmina Vanguard Law Magazine

“It was a world that felt so exciting,” Villanueva recalls. “Everything about it seemed fascinating to me.”

After graduating from Liceo del Valle High School in 1987, Villanueva enrolled in the nearby Universidad Panamericana, earning a degree in law in 1992.

In 1999, Villanueva joined the Guadalajara firm of Cuesta Campos and Associates (CCA). During the ensuing nine years, he advised companies across the industry spectrum, participating in a number of high-stakes cases while cultivating a growing inclination for the world of business law.

“I had the privilege of working with lots of different businesses in a number of industries,” Villanueva effused. “You learn to balance many different needs, which I think prepared me for a company like Sanmina, where there are so many different business lines and demands to account for.”

Still, Villanueva says he had no pressing designs to jump in-house. That is, until Sanmina—one of his longest-standing clients at CCA—offered him a chance to head the company’s Latin American legal affairs.

He wasn’t merely leading the department, he was building it from the ground up, a process Villanueva credits for helping codify his commitment to collaboration. And while the company landscape has undergone a seismic shift over the subsequent decade, precipitated by rapid technological improvements, Villanueva says he always has both feet firmly on the ground—and two eyes trained on what lies ahead.

“We’re in a great position to grow, and I think that’s because we’ve made great efforts to do things the right way,” Villanueva says. “My goal is to make sure we continue to do things the right way, and success will follow.”

Published on: October 29, 2018

categories:

Showcase your feature on your website with a custom “As Featured in Vanguard” badge that links directly to your article!

Copy and paste this script into your page coding (ideally right before the closing tag) where you want to display our review banner.

Testimonials

It was a great honor to be featured in Vanguard Law. Working with every member of the team, from the initial interview with Erin Clark, through production with Victor Martins, writing the article with Taryn Plumb and creating the final content with Dave Gushee, was a true pleasure. Everyone was very professional, enthusiastic and supportive, and their creative approach and positive attitude clearly came through in the final product.
– Kevin C. Rakowski, Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel, Compliance with Radian Group Inc.
As promised in advance, my feature in Vanguard has increased my visibility within the profession and prompted more than a few people I have not communicated with recently to reconnect. One of the Italian law firms I have used in the past is now in the process of interviewing me for an article on their website and tweeting out the feature story. Activity and the number of people connecting with me on LinkedIn has soared, which is great. The Vanguard writers and editorial staff were great to work with—highly professional and made the effort to make the experience both fun and rewarding (they were also respectful of the time pressures and demands all lawyers face). I was very pleased with the experience and the final outcome. Needless to say, I have been very pleased. All in all working with Vanguard has been a very positive experience which generated good publicity for both Shawcor and myself. My sincere thanks.
– Tim Hutzul, General Counsel, ShawCor Ltd.
The piece highlighting my company, Bob Baker Enterprises, Inc., came out fabulous. Our company is in the new and used car sales and service industry. Everyone was great to work with and extremely professional. They produced a high-quality product and have provided expert assistance and guidance post-production of the article.
– Wade Poulson, General Counsel, Bob Baker Enterprises Inc.
I was honored to be the subject of an article. I enjoy reading Vanguard articles and seeing how other attorneys got to their positions and see their jobs. It's also interesting to see how different law firms partner with the subjects of the articles.
– Henry Marquard, in-house counsel, Stanley Consultants Inc.

LATEST EDITION

Spring III 2023

READ NOW

GET VANGUARD IN YOUR INBOX.

  • * We’ll never share your email or info with anyone.
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.