Cynthia Peña – Estela

Cynthia Peña, vice president of legal and compliance for Estela, has built a career around a central idea: technology and law are complementary tools that can reshape how organizations operate. Her path into LegalTech began early, at a time when electronic signatures were still viewed with skepticism across much of Latin America. That formative experience would define not only her professional direction, but also the way she now leads a regional legal and compliance function inside one of the fastest-growing digital compliance platforms in Ibero-America.

Cynthia Peña | Estela | Vice President, Legal and Compliance – LATAM

Cynthia’s first exposure to electronic signatures in Mexico came during a period when regulation was still evolving, and cultural resistance to digital processes was widespread. She entered an environment where technical language, system architecture, and security standards were unfamiliar territory for many legal professionals. Instead of retreating, she leaned into the challenge and began building fluency in both legal and technological frameworks.

“I had to step completely outside my comfort zone, and today I couldn’t be happier that I did,” Peña says.

At the time, many organizations still believed that legal certainty only existed on paper. Convincing clients, courts, and regulators that digital signatures were valid, secure, and enforceable required not just regulatory knowledge, but also education and trust-building. Cynthia’s mentorship under Dr. Alfredo Reyes Krafft deepened her specialization and guided her participation in regulatory working groups on electronic records and data integrity. Her later certification by Mexico’s Ministry of Economy further reinforced her technical and regulatory expertise.

This early chapter shaped her long-term conviction that the legal profession must evolve alongside technology. Across subsequent roles, she focused on integrating digital contracting, data protection, risk management, and information security into the legal function. For Cynthia, LegalTech was not a passing trend. It was a structural shift in how legal teams could add strategic value.

Building a regional legal engine at Estela

That philosophy aligned closely with Estela’s mission and business model. Estela is a software development company focused on creating digital ecosystems that solve compliance, operational, and regulatory challenges for businesses across Latin-America. Its core solutions center on electronic invoicing, digital tax compliance, and electronic data interchange, helping organizations integrate regulatory requirements directly into daily operations.

Cynthia joined Estela as the company was undergoing rapid regional expansion through the acquisition and integration of established firms across Latin America. What drew her in was not only the technology-driven nature of the business but also the opportunity to help unify a growing group under shared legal and compliance standards.

“Estela gave me the opportunity to build a very solid legal and compliance function and turn the legal team into a true enabler of the Group’s strategy,” Peña explains.

One of her earliest and most significant projects was helping integrate eight merged companies into a single operating structure. The task involved navigating different regulatory regimes, aligning investor commitments, and coordinating legal processes across multiple jurisdictions. There was also a cultural dimension. Teams that had operated independently needed to see themselves as part of one organization.

Cynthia approached the challenge with structured work plans, clear timelines, and close collaboration with local legal partners. Internally, she helped establish open communication channels and reinforced Estela’s shared values. Over time, resistance gave way to a collective identity that strengthened both operational alignment and employee engagement.

Regional leadership & cross-border collaboration

As vice president of legal and compliance, Cynthia now leads a geographically distributed team that supports decision-making across Latin America. While each country brings its own regulatory complexities, she emphasizes the importance of maintaining consistent risk criteria and legal standards across the region.

Her leadership approach focuses on translating regulatory complexity into practical guidance for business leaders. Instead of positioning legal as a gatekeeper, she works to make compliance an operational asset. By aligning legal strategy with commercial goals, her team helps Estela expand into new markets with greater speed and confidence.

For Cynthia, diversity within the legal team is a strategic advantage. Local expertise allows each team member to contribute deep regulatory insight, while regional coordination enables best practices to scale across borders. This structure reduces silos and strengthens institutional knowledge throughout the organization.

She also plays a central role in supporting Estela’s product development efforts. Rather than reviewing products at the final stage, legal and compliance are integrated early into design and implementation. This allows potential regulatory, privacy, and security risks to be addressed proactively.

“Our role is to help Product and Business teams understand why security, confidentiality, and privacy are central elements of product value,” Peña says.

Working closely with technology and cybersecurity teams, Cynthia’s group evaluates data flows, vendor relationships, and cross-border transfers. This preventive approach not only protects the company but also reinforces trust with clients who depend on Estela’s platforms to manage sensitive financial and regulatory information.

Another major milestone under her leadership has been the implementation of a contract lifecycle management system. By centralizing contracts in a secure SaaS platform, Estela transformed how legal and business teams access information. Contracts are now searchable, traceable, and integrated into operational workflows. Beyond efficiency, the system enables data-driven insights that inform negotiations, risk assessment, and long-term planning.

Compliance as a growth driver

Cynthia has long challenged the perception that compliance slows innovation. In her view, well-designed regulatory frameworks support sustainable growth by reducing uncertainty and strengthening organizational credibility.

“Compliance doesn’t mean saying no. It means finding the right way to say yes,” Peña notes.

At Estela, this philosophy extends to client engagement. Many organizations pursue automation without the internal structure needed to extract full value from digital tools. Estela addresses this gap by taking a holistic approach that connects legal, financial, operational, and tax functions. Electronic invoicing, for example, becomes not just a regulatory requirement, but a strategic data asset that supports business intelligence.

Looking ahead, Cynthia sees data analysis as the next frontier for legal teams. With the rise of AI-powered tools, CRMs, and CLMs, lawyers can move beyond document management into predictive insights that inform business strategy. For her own professional development, she is actively exploring how data analytics can strengthen risk management and corporate planning.

“Data-driven legal work turns lawyers into a relevant source of information for the entire organization,” she says.

As Estela continues expanding its digital ecosystem across Latin America, Cynthia’s role remains central to aligning regulation, technology, and business strategy. From her early days navigating the emerging world of electronic signatures to leading a regional legal function inside a fast-scaling technology company, her career reflects a consistent commitment to building systems that are secure, scalable, and future-ready.

In many ways, her work embodies Estela’s broader mission. By turning compliance into a strategic advantage and embedding legal thinking into product design and operational execution, she helps ensure that growth is not only fast but also resilient. For Cynthia, that balance between innovation and responsibility is the foundation of sustainable digital transformation across the region.