The culture of feedback between in-house and external collaborators
After more than a year at the head of the legal department of Mercedes-Benz Iberia, Ana de Quintana is committed to strengthening collaboration with external law firms through feedback
by julia gil
“There are few services today that do not end with a quality survey,” says Ana de Quintana Sanz-Pastor. With more than 15 years of experience in the real estate sector and a background in law firms and corporate legal advice, she took over the leadership of the legal department of Mercedes-Benz Iberia in January 2024. Now, more than a year later, he reflects on the challenges faced and the evolution of his team in a constantly changing sector. With a focus on optimizing processes and improving collaboration with external law firms, De Quintana drives innovative solutions, such as a mutual feedback system to strengthen relationships with legal partners.
How was the transition from working as a lawyer in a real estate company to leading the legal department of a company like Mercedes Benz?
I like learning new things and pushing boundaries, it is a challenging exercise that requires effort but at the same time is very rewarding. After more than fifteen years in real estate, I had told myself that I would enjoy a more or less long period of rest, but the truth is that when the opportunity to join the Mercedes
Benz team presented itself, I said to myself, why not? That’s how I started this new stage, with a lot of illusion and enthusiasm, but also a bit of vertigo in the face of such an important change.
After a little over a year at the head of the legal department, how would you define this first year and what have been the greatest achievements or challenges you have faced?
Without a doubt, I would define it as a year of adaptation, learning and growth. Having joined a completely new sector for me, these first months have been mainly focused on understanding – on the one hand – the business, its objectives and the legal framework that affects the company, and on the other hand the role that the legal department had been playing in Spain and Portugal and its relationship with our headquarter in Germany, its strengths and possible areas for improvement. During this year, every day has been a huge challenge, being the greatest achievement, if I compare myself with myself twelve months ago, to have used every day as an opportunity for learning and growth as I said at the beginning.
