Board of Directors
Paola Fonseca Rojas
PRESIDENT
Current Position: DIRECTOR AND GENERAL COUNSEL
Company: VIVA IDEA
Paola is currently Director and General Counsel at VIVA Idea, an NGO leading social change in Latin America. Previously she was Head of Governance for Iberia-Latam at TMF Group, a global provider of business services to companies operating and investing globally.
Paola has practiced law for 17 years and has expertise in various legal areas, mostly corporate international law. Paola has an MBA and a post-MBA from INCAE Business School and CEIBS (Chinese European Business Institute, Shanghai), along with other certifications from the University of Cambridge.
She is also a PHD Candidate at University for Peace, Board Member of the International Association for Human Values (Costa Rica Branch) and the Costa Rican Executive Committee of the Women in the Profession Program (Vance Center, New York).
In her own words, “I joined the AAEC inspired to contribute to the legal community in Central America, specially to remember the highest ethical values of our profession”
She often participates as a speaker and is an avid writer. Paola’s passion is writing fiction, she studied Creative Writing at the University of Oxford and has published her novels and short stories.
Professional Philosophy: Knowledge is not wisdom; but the more we know, the wiser we can become.
DANIEL PÉREZ UMAÑA
VICE PRESIDENT
Current Position: CHIEF LEGAL OFFICER & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Company: BAC | CREDOMATIC
Being a musician at heart, Daniel has found a way to leverage his innate creativity and adaptability to enhance his roles as strategic advisor, legal-architect and solution finder. He is a shrewd attorney with over 15 years of experience primarily in corporate and financial law and has proven expertise within Central America, the Caribbean and other Latin American jurisdictions. For the past 9 years he has been the Chief Legal Officer and an Executive Director in most BAC|Credomatic entities (Central America’s leading Financial Group with operations in 10 jurisdictions), where he proudly leads a team of outstanding attorneys. Before joining BAC, he received a BCL/MJur degree from Oxford University, an LL.M. from Harvard Law School and worked as a partner at LatamLex and as a law professor at the University of Costa Rica.
He has been involved with the Association of Corporate Counsel (“ACC”) for almost a decade and has served in the Advisory Board for the ACC’s GC Summit since its inception in 2015; therefore, he eagerly joined the AAEC to help promote collaboration and cooperation among the in-house community in Central America as a way fostering the professional excellence, ethical standards and well-being of its members.
In addition to his work as an attorney, Daniel has been involved with several startups, is an avid hiker and firmly believes in the importance of social responsibility and mindfulness for personal and professional success.
Professional Philosophy: Mindfulness is critical to become a truly accomplished individual; to be high-functioning, empathetic and focused leaders we must first take proper care of ourselves, be fully rooted in the present and be conscious about our purpose and our values.
ANGELA MENDIETA ARROYO
SECRETARY
Current Position: LEGAL DIRECTOR
Company: INCAE BUSSINESS SCHOOL
Angela has more than 20 years of experience in the corporate field. She has held different positions in various industries, allowing her to have a systemic vision of companies and to advise them assertively. She is currently the Legal Director of INCAE Business School, the Business School located in # 1 MBA and Executive MBA in Latin America. She is in charge of the 5 countries of Central America and 3 countries in South America. Angela is a lawyer and notary, has an MBA and Postgraduate degree in HR, Marketing and Finance.
Angela is a justice and democracy lover. Her values guide her to do what is right. We are called to protect the institutions of our countries, building and developing clear rules that allow our companies and society to operate and grow.
Angela joined AAEC inspired to build bridges and build solutions together, as well as build capacities for thought and reflection, and grow collectively.
Professional Philosophy: Falling is allowed, getting up is mandatory.
MICHELLE CANELO
TREASURER
Current Position: LEGAL DIRECTOR FOR CENTRAL AMERICA & COLOMBIA
Company: CARGILL
Michelle is an adept Lawyer with more than 20 years of experience in the field; she holds a Master degree in Business Administration. She currently works as the Legal Director for Cargill in Central America and Colombia, leading a high performing team responsible for all legal matters, except tax, for all businesses in that region, as well as for other businesses in Peru and Ecuador. She has recently added to her responsibility being the Group Lead Lawyer for the Protein Business in Latin America. Michelle has expertise in business and corporate law, specializing in all legal matters related to business operations in the food and feed industry.
Throughout her career Michelle has been motivated to create a positive impact with her team members, every company and business she works with, being recognized for her thought leadership and business partnering skills. She enjoys helping organizations align their legal needs to their vision, values and strategy; also, identifying and managing opportunities to improve legal structures and legal service delivery models. She also has a passion for mentoring women and men inside and out of the legal profession.
With that same spirit, Michelle decided to help found the AAEC to provide Central America in-house lawyers with a formal and trusted space for collaboration and knowledge sharing. She is hopeful that this association has made a big positive impact and will continue to do so, in the lives of her peers by enabling them to grow and thrive as professionals.
Professional Philosophy: Be intentional and strategic in everything you do!
Rennatto Tible Marroquin
BOARD MEMBER I
Current Position: IN-HOUSE LEGAL COUNSEL
Company: THE PANTALEON GROUP INC.
Rennatto started in the legal field 7 years ago and has since worked in the banking sector, a prestigious Guatemalan law firm and a U.S. bankruptcy court before his current position. Through his various positions, Rennatto has accumulated expertise in areas including: mergers & acquisitions, corporate governance, corporate finance, and conflict management and resolution.
Rennatto is an individual with strong ethical conviction; he highlights lawyers’ role as “guardians of the rule of law” as the core motivator for his involvement in the legal profession. Rennatto enjoys helping his company and its business units employ the law to achieve their objectives “because that has a subsequent indirect positive impact on their employees, their families and the greater communities in which they operate.” It is this same mentality that prompted Rennatto to help form AAEC. Rennatto sees AAEC as a tool for the in-house community to more effectively share information, analyze pertinent issues and defend its interests, which he believes will ultimately help strengthen the rule of law in the region.
Professional Philosophy: Be conscious, responsible, present and intentional in life.
ALVARO RUBÉN LEONARDO MORALES
BOARD MEMBER II
Current Position: Legal & Corporate Affairs Manager
Company: Jaguar Energy Guatemala LLC
Álvaro has practiced law for 10 years, his main areas of legal practice include energy, natural resources, corporate law and conflict resolution. He advises companies across Central America and Mexico.
Professional Philosophy: It’s all about perseverance and hard work.
WENDY SINGER PLÁ
BOARD MEMBER III
Current Position: LEGAL MANAGER
Company: ENCORA
Wendy Singer has combined her passion for business and law into a successful career as an inhouse counsel. Her focus on improvement through legal tech, business growth and building strong relationships lead her to Encora on April 2021. She is always looking for new cooking recipes, especially when times are busy, there is no better way to put her mind at ease than a good recipe and people to share it with!
Wendy manages Latin America´s legal function including commercial negotiations, employment, and corporate compliance efforts. Scaling the legal department through constant process improvement is a primary focus of her. Additionally, Wendy is also involved in global initiatives by adapting policies and practices to properly conduct profitable business while respecting local customs and legal requirements.
Previously, she served as a Corporate Counsel in tech companies such as VMware and Oracle, gaining significant international experience in contract negotiation and business practices, international compliance efforts and investigations and rolling global legal initiatives such as remote work.
Wendy received her J.D., Cum Laude, from Escuela Libre de Derecho in Costa Rica, an MBA from Tecnológico de Costa Rica, and an LLM, with Merit, from The University of Edinburgh in International Commercial Practice and Law.
By joining the AAEC she is looking forward to expand inhouse counsel’s tools and knowledge within Latin America, and give back to the in house community in different ways.
Professional Philosophy: The future belongs to those who prepare for it today.
RONALD RAMÍREZ
COMPTROLLER
Current Position: NORTH LATIN AMERICA LEGAL LEAD
Company: HEWLETT PACKARD ENTERPRISE
Ronald is a skilled lawyer with 15 years of experience in the field and expertise in international corporate law and cross-border transactions. He started his career in a boutique law firm in Costa Rica and is currently working as the Central American Regional Legal Counsel for the multinational information technology company Hewlett Packard. Ronald enjoys being a lawyer because he loves the challenge of untangling complex problems and having the power to influence strategic decisions in the firms he works with.
Ronald joined the AAEC because he recognizes the power of the collective over the individual. He acknowledges that isolation stunts the potential growth of the in-house legal sector in Central America and that that growth will only come with continuous interaction and knowledge-sharing. He hopes that in the future AAEC will become the foremost association for in-house lawyers related to Central America.
Professional Philosophy: It’s OK to have your head in the clouds as long as you don’t forget to keep your feet on the ground.