An interview with Andre Margato Alves, Head of Legal & Compliance – Latam at JCB in Brazil.
What are the biggest external forces or trends currently shaping your role as General Counsel and how are you responding to them?
Currently, the most significant external forces shaping my role as Head of Legal for JCB Latin America are the growing regulatory complexities across multiple jurisdictions, the acceleration of ESG-driven compliance requirements, and the increasing pressure for risk anticipation in supply chain and project execution models like in the EPC contracts. Coming from a strong academic background with a Master’s degree in Business Law, focused on Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and a MBA in Business Management from USP, I’ve developed an analytical and solution-oriented mindset. Additionally, my executive education at Fundação Dom Cabral (FDC) has strengthened my business vision. In practice, I’ve been driving the implementation of a proactive risk mapping framework across our operations in the region, focusing on regulatory trends, geopolitical shifts, and ESG compliance standards, while also ensuring that the legal team remains closely aligned with our commercial and operational stakeholders.
How are you balancing the increasing demands of legal risk management with the expectation to drive business value and strategic insight?
This balance requires a shift from a purely reactive legal mindset to a business-integrated, strategic legal function. My background leading high-stakes energy and oil & gas EPC projects during my tenure at Techint Group helped me develop a pragmatic approach to risk. Today, I lead the legal department with a clear mandate: support business growth while embedding risk intelligence into decision-making processes. I actively participate in leadership discussions, bringing not only legal perspectives but also commercial insights, especially around contract structuring, negotiation strategies, and risk mitigation in Latin American markets. Through the integration of KPIs for legal performance and frequent stakeholder engagement, I ensure that the legal function is seen as both a protector and an enabler of business value.
What’s one lesson or insight from your in-house journey that you wish you’d known earlier and would share with a fellow GC today?
One key insight I’ve gained is that technical legal excellence is only the starting point. Early in my in-house journey, I focused heavily on delivering technically perfect legal opinions. However, what truly drives influence and recognition at the executive level is the ability to communicate legal risks in business language and to position yourself as a strategic partner. If I could go back, certainly, I would have invested earlier in developing business acumen and stakeholder management skills. My ongoing executive education and exposure to C-Level decision-making processes taught me that the real value of an in-house counsel lies in being trusted as a business advisor, not just a legal technician.
