In Conversation
In-house lawyers have been working diligently behind the scenes throughout Latin America to manage the challenges brought by COVID-19. Alfonso Videche, regional legal director for Central America at Colgate-Palmolive, shares his experience.
I have been a lawyer for 24 years, originally specialising in tax law. I became an in-house lawyer by chance. I began my corporate career as legal manager for Central America and the Caribbean at British American Tobacco. It was an incredible experience, but one day I received an offer I could not turn down. So, I went to work for Colgate-Palmolive. This is a really interesting company that deals with consumer goods and products that focus on oral health, personal care and home care. We also have a division that manufactures and sells pet food. It is a very diverse and interesting company.
I manage six countries: Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. I oversee all the legal issues including tax, environmental law, government relations and advertising law. One of the most important things that has set Central America apart from the rest of the world when it comes to COVID-19 is the implementation of curfews. We have been under lockdown and had strict controls placed on our movements over the last five months.
