Features Latin America

An in-house attorney who’s doing their job well knows they’re a voice for the company’s growth. It’s about saying “yes” as much as possible—while making sure what they advise also complies with legal and ethical standards. Saying yes in the face of a global pandemic has presented unprecedented challenges to Augusto Martínez, the Latin American […]

Financial inclusion: It’s a necessity for bringing people and companies into the socioeconomic mainstream. Especially in countries where much of the citizenry dwells in remote areas and thus lacks access to traditional banking. In Colombia, that inclusionary effort is largely spearheaded by Efecty, a Bogota-based company that for nearly a quarter-century has melded technology with […]

Not only is it a shrewd business move; it’s the right thing to do. So says Natalia Gaspar, senior counsel for Philip Morris International’s Central American arm. The Marlboro Man as we knew him has dismounted from his steed. Cigarettes are fast becoming yesterday’s product and Gaspar—a nonsmoker—has joined many colleagues in saying, “So be […]

It’s a situation that many have experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether out of work, stressed or devastated by the loss of a loved one, housebound people all over the world have been turning to an age-old method for easing their anxiety: having a drink. Mexico is no different in that regard. With one big […]

Think of the industries most battered by COVID-19 and hospitality comes to mind. Worldwide, hotels have been closing or suspending operations. Some of the luckier ones have been sustaining themselves on borrowed time with significantly reduced occupancy. Among those most vulnerable have been the smaller, independent hotels that cater to the budget-conscious tourist or businessperson, […]

Time was when Emilia Mesquita envisioned a diplomatic career and saw a law degree as the portal. The more experience she gained, however, the less she perceived diplomacy as the most effective way of fashioning societal, much less global, change. “I realized I could accomplish more in law than in diplomacy,” she tells Vanguard in […]

The 10-week suspension of mining in Nicaragua, part of the country’s broader efforts to combat the spread of COVID-19, wasn’t exactly a vacation for Carlos Castillo. General counsel of Calibre Mining Corp. since helping facilitate the Canadian company’s acquisition of his prior employer’s Nicaraguan assets last October, Castillo had much to do—even as the pandemic […]

Being head of legal and compliance for Chile, Ecuador and Peru at Boehringer Ingelheim is demanding under normal circumstances, requiring Marcela Inzunza to meet rules and regulations while guiding the pharma company’s business development in three very different South American countries. It’s made all the more challenging by the COVID-19 pandemic and the pivot to […]

At first glance, the last thing an Uber customer needed during a government stay-at-home order amid the COVID-19 pandemic was a ride. Literally, where could you go? But upon further reflection, Uber’s situation offered the multinational technology company an opportunity to innovate and positively contribute to communities during a crisis. Through development of new safety […]

When someone thinks of illegal activity in Mexico, drug cartels usually come to mind. But for Jaime Oscar Bustamante Miranda, it’s the many illegal practices in the labor subcontracting industry that keep him up at night. Bustamante is the legal director for Mexico and Central America at Manpower Group, the third-largest staffing firm in the […]