Carmen Backsmann is Executive Manager of Volkswagen do Brasil’s Legal Affairs Department. She has expertly negotiated with foreign governments and business partners in Latin America and Asia, thus greatly enhancing the global expansion the Volkswagen Group. She has developed her expertise through international transactions in her native Chile, where she was Chief Counsel of LAN Airlines, and also in Germany, whilst working with MAN Ferrostaal and with Volkswagen AG. 

Carmen is a qualified Chilean lawyer, a qualified Brazilian Lawyer and a qualified Solicitor in England and Wales. She obtained her LL.M. Degree at Duke University School of Law, in Durham, N.C., U.S.A.  

Her achievements are not only restricted to the commercial sphere but also extend to the academic world. Carmen was appointed commercial law professor at the Universidad de Chile Law School, a role she held until 2009.

Josie Jardim is Associate General Counsel for Amazon Brazil. She was born in Sorocaba, Brazil. She received her J.D. in 1990 from Catholic University of São Paulo (PUC/SP) and her master degree latu sensu in commercial contracts from the same university. In 2002, she completed further specialized studies at FGV. 

She began her career in 1990 as assistant professor at the Catholic University of São Paulo and served as legal counsel for Splice Telecom and Promon, both in Brazil. Prior to joining Amazon in March 2013, Josie served as the Latin America General Counsel for GE (General Electric), where she worked for 8 years. Before that, she worked as Legal Director for Motorola for another 8 years, where she was responsible for the Southern Cone. 

Josie Jardim is a board member of the Instituto Pro Bono, a Brazilian organization that provides legal services on a pro bono basis. She is also the founder of Jurídico de Saias (Legal in Skirts), a group formed by over 1000 female in-house counsels.  Josie is the author of various articles with focus in the management of legal departments and the legal career. Josie Jardim lives in São Paulo with her husband and has two kids (Victoria, 19 & Ricardo, 9).

Patricia Menendez-Cambo serves as the Vice President and Secretary of Greenberg Traurig. She also Co-Chair's the Global Energy & Infrastructure Practice, and is a member of the firm's Executive Committee. Prior to assuming the leadership of the firm's Global Practice Group, she headed the firm's Latin American Practice. Patricia works on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, corporate governance, as well as capital markets and general corporate and securities law matters. Patricia has been lead counsel on numerous first-time cross-border transactions. Although she represents clients from around the world, her primary focus is in Europe with an emphasis in Spain and Latin American transactions.

Patricia remains actively involved in the strategy and operations of her clients' business, providing practical solutions and serving as a catalyst for launching, growing, and maintaining successful businesses. Patricia previously served as Subdirectora General for Telefónica S.A. and General Counsel to a number of their subsidiaries and affiliates, assisting them in relation to their global expansion. During her tenure as in-house counsel, she also served as a Director for a number of entities within the Telefónica Group throughout Latin America, Europe and Asia.

Fernando Peláez-Pier is a Special Advisor at KermaPartners Latin America. As an expert on inward investment, mergers and acquisitions and project finance, he has helped some of the largest multinational corporations from Asia, Europe and North and South America to establish their presence and develop their businesses in Venezuela. His specialisms also include partnership structures, remuneration and succession planning. Fernando continues to practice as a retired partner at Hoet Pelaez Castillo Duque, where he contributes as well to the strategic direction of the firm among other responsibilities. 

Fernando is a prominent member of the global legal fraternity, having had a long association with the International Bar Association where he held a number of key offices including President (2009-2010), he has also led the global advancement of lawyers by helping to set up the Latin American & Caribbean Forum for this organization. In addition to this, Fernando has been Lex Mundi Chairman, Board of Directors and Executive Committee Member of Lex Mundi, and Member of the Advisory Board of the Institute for International and Comparative Law.  He earned his Law Degree Iberoamericana University in Mexico City in 1972, and Universidad de los Andes, Venezuela in 1996 and holds a Diplome d’ Estudes Supérieures from Paris University.

Jorge Perez-Taiman is a Principal Partner of Estudio Muñiz, Ramírez, Pérez-Taiman & Olaya, the largest law firm in Peru, since 1996.  He specializes in petroleum, gas, and energy law. Mr. Pérez-Taiman graduated from the Catholic University of Perú in 1974, and earned a Master´s Degree in Comparative Jurisprudence from NYU (New York) in 1976.>After working as an associate attorney for Dewey, Ballantine, Bushby, Palmer & Wood in New York (1976 – 1977), Jorge Pérez-Taiman joined the Legal Department of Occidental Petroleum Corporation of Peru, where he served as Legal Counsel (1977), Senior Counsel-Tax and Finance (1981), Legal Department Manager (1986) and Vice President Legal (1987). In 1990, Mr. Pérez-Taiman was transferred to Occidental International Exploration and Production Company (Bakersfield, California), where he served as an Assistant General Counsel, participating in the negotiation of oil & gas contracts in Egypt, Syria, Albania, Hungary, Pakistan, Qatar, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Argentina, Bolivia and Venezuela.

Mr. Pérez-Taiman is a member of the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators (AIPN), a member of the Board of the Lima Chamber of Commerce, a former Chairman of the Oil Legislation Consulting Committee of the Lima Bar Association and a former Chairman of the Pacific Rim Advisory Council.  He has served as a lecturer in a number of oil & gas conferences in Peru and abroad.