Roberto Miller M. Torres – Care Plus

Roberto Miller M. Torres’ job titles aren’t easily summed up.

However, his approach to his legal career is.

Miller is the head of legal, governance officer, speak up officer and data protection officer for Care Plus, a Brazilian health care insurer and provider.

His roles require interaction throughout Care Plus’s business areas. That’s not new to him—he’s built his legal career with in-house roles in industry, civil engineering and pharmaceutical spaces.

Roberto Miller M. Torres | Head of Legal, Governance Officer, Speak Up Officer and Data Protection Officer | Care Plus

Now at Care Plus, Miller is helping guide a technological transformation to ensure the legal team operates more efficiently while also making certain the company complies with new data protection and privacy laws.

In every instance, Miller says his outlook is wide and strategic.

“I’m passionate for corporate subjects in general not just legal,” he says. “I consider myself to be an executive with a legal mindset, which is key to my success.”

Automation and agility

Care Plus is part of Bupa, a British health insurance and health care group that operates in more than 190 countries. For 30 years, Care Plus has provided health insurance and services, working with more than 1,000 companies and more than 4,000 providers. Care Plus offers more than 15 health programs including nine clinics with dentistry and dermatology services.

When he joined Care Plus in August 2020,  Miller saw that the legal department overlapped in its operations and had too many tasks that were done manually.

The tech transformation began in 2021 and automates processes while digitally storing the contracts, information and documents the legal department uses. Miller expects the work to be finished in the fourth quarter and perhaps its most immediate effect will be that Care Plus won’t need to add more staff to handle the manual tasks.

The automation and contract management system are also expected to reduce legal department expenses by 30 percent—and the department’s response time to Care Plus business units by 30 percent.

Those projections were among the crucial data Miller provided to the executive team and board as he demonstrated the return on investment for the new technology.

“I’m making sure that I am collaborating with all departments to achieve goals in a sustainable way with less risk,” Miller says. “I’m counseling them on risks in practice areas like corporate governance, regulatory compliance, and contract management from planning to execution. There’s a high dependency on the legal team and we have to be fast to help it be more agile.”

Compliance and compassion

Miller is also taking a leading role to ensure Care Plus complies with Brazil’s General Personal Data Protection Law, known by its LGPD acronym.

While LGPD resembles the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulations, which Bupa already complies with, it was also enacted retroactively in September 2020—making compliance an immediate requirement.

He ensures Care Plus’s framework complies with regulatory requirements and is also focused on protecting privacy while working  with the information security team.

He and his privacy legal manager and team focus on a culture change by advising executives on the importance of protecting privacy. They also write data protection and privacy agreements as part of the contracts for health coverages and in supplier agreements.

Miller is also the Care Plus “speak up” officer, meaning he investigates employee complaints about harassment, unsafe or unethical practices or even criminal acts. He protects the confidentiality of people filing complaints—he’s one of two people with access to claims. Miller reports on his investigations and recommends action directly to Bupa, he adds.

Doing right by companies and people

“I decided to become a lawyer because I was always a person who was curious and liked to discuss rights and wrongs,” Miller says.

He earned his law degree from Centro Universitário FMU in 2006. During those years, he interned at several law firms, but upon graduating, he went straight to an in-house role at Grupo Ibéria, part of the Spanish Ibéria pulp and paper industry, as legal counsel. He worked in contract law, and provided support in corporate, civil, administrative and tax law. While at Grupo Ibéria, Miller earned his MBA from Fundação Getulio Vargas, too.

In May 2011, he joined Grupo Encalso Damha, a Brazilian engineering firm specializing in highway, bridge and airport construction as its legal and compliance coordinator. He took the lead legal role in preparing job bids, negotiated with government officials on jobs and managed outside counsel on labor, tax, civil and administrative litigation. In 2016, Miller earned his master of law degree from Insper Instituto de Ensino e Pesquisa.

Miller joined the pharmaceutical company Grupo NC in December 2018 as its legal manager dealing with M&A, contracts, corporate law and served on its LGPD committee to help the company comply with changing data privacy and protection laws. In August 2020, he joined Care Plus as legal manager, and was promoted to his  current position in April 2021.

He’s married, has a daughter and enjoys reading, going to the movies and playing soccer with high school friends.

“I really love my job role and the company because we’re very human with our clients and employees—all our stakeholders,” Miller says. “All of us are working to helping people live longer, healthier, happier lives and making a better world.”

View this feature in the Vanguard Fall II 2022 Edition here.