MARISELA SANFELIZ PEÑA

786-***-****

adr0q9@r.postjobfree.com

SUMMARY OF CAREER

Bilingual lawyer (Spanish-English) specializing in corporate and commercial Law. Extensive experience working to minimize risk and to ensure regulatory compliance. Solid expertise in managing complex legal and compliance matters in Latin and Central American Countries; implementing acquisition projects, negotiation of contracts, mergers or company association agreements in Venezuela and in Latin America and the Caribbean Region. Highly qualified and effective in managing government relations, projects and a legal department; capable of leadership and of obtaining quantifiable results. Resourceful, with commitment, capacity for persuasion and negotiation, capable of making decisions, teamwork oriented and with good interpersonal relationship skills. Entre

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

ORIGINAL PANCAKE HOUSE FRANCHISE- FLORIDA 2017-Present Investor partner of ten restaurant business in Florida. Active Member of the Board of Directors.

BEFORE & AFTER WELLNESS CENTER 2017-2020

Owner and manager of a Weight Loss, Molding and Toning Center, in Miami, Florida. Administrative manager and employee’s supervisor.

Responsible for the Client consultations to recommend and sell the proper package of nutrition and equipment plans.

Planning and administration of inventories and supplies. INDEPENDENT LEGAL ADVISOR 2014-2017

Legal Advisor for Latino American Companies doing business in Venezuela and other South America Countries, The Caribbean and Mexico.

ABBOTT LABORATORIES, C.A. 2007-2013

Transnational Pharmaceutical Industry

Responsible for the Legal Department and for the implementation of legal structures supporting the annual business plan; to control and report contingencies to the parent company; and to coordinate judicial processes with external advisors. Responsible for handling governmental relations. Responsible for handling Ethics and Compliance issues; coordination of the Ethics and Compliance Committee; Project manager for Commercial Programs with high level of legality control (i.e. Patients Programs, donations).

• Implemented the legal and tax strategy of separation for two business Units and created two different companies (Abbott and AbbVie) fully operative in Venezuela, Colombia and Dominican Republic.

PEPSICOLA PANAMERICANA S.R.L. (PEPSICO)- CARACAS, VENEZUELA. 2007 Multinational business of carbonated and energy drinks External Corporate Advisor

Responsible for managing complex legal matters for the company; for the control of administrative and labor obligations of the Plant in Venezuela; drafting and negotiating commercial contracts for the finance, sales, supply and logistics, operations and marketing departments of the company; and, to report contingencies to the Corporate Legal Unit of PepsiCo in New York, U.S.A.

• Negotiated an out-of-court civil dispute with a contractor, resulting in the contractor compensating for damages (US $60M) caused by defective workmanship without additional cost to the business.

• Designed an industrial safety plan for three years, in collaboration with the labor legislation

(LOPCYMAT), avoiding a plant closing sanction.

SNACKS AMÉRICA LATINA VENEZUELA S.R.L. CARACAS, VENEZUELA. 2000-2007 Subsidiary of the PepsiCo Group, a producer and distributor of snacks and candies. Legal Consultant

Responsible for the Legal Department and for the implementation of legal structures supporting the annual business plan; to control and report contingencies to the parent company; and to coordinate judicial processes with external advisors. Responsible for handling governmental relations and for participating in collective bargaining negotiations and grievance resolution; to implement strategic associations (joint ventures and mergers); to execute legal strategies for the opening or closure of plants; to manage productivity projects (fiscal planning, distribution channel restructuring or financial instruments); elaboration and control of budget and accounting reserves. Active participant in the Executive Board of the business.

• Successfully re-structured the Legal Department, reducing the costs of external fees by 60% and improving the level of service in time and quality by 30%.

• During three (3) consecutive years, received a PepsiCo audit status of "well controlled" in the legal area.

• Designed and executed the legal structure for the acquisition of Quaker Foods & Beverages of PepsiCo in Venezuela and Latin America Countries, assuring continuity of business and productivity during the transition phase.

• Implemented a contractual risks control project for three (3) years such that for the year 2006, 80% of the main transactions of the business were protected legally.

• Negotiated an out-of-court agreement for damages to a business to a third caused by a fire that had occurred in 2004, avoiding a potential lawsuit and reducing the contingency of the business from US.

$ 3.5M to US. $ 1.3M.

• Reduced the annual average expenses in lawsuits and fees by 40% during the period from 2003 to 2006, adapting procedures and operating practices that generated labor contingencies.

• Participated in the negotiation of two important collective bargaining agreements, avoiding a labor action and closing of the plant.

BAKER & MCKENZIE, CARACAS, VENEZUELA. 1998-1999

International Law Office

Associated Professional

Responsible for financial commercial, civil, and legal opinions; for the editing of contracts and corporate documents. Management of auditors for acquisitions, mergers or restructurings of businesses. Judicial and/or administrative monitoring of procedures. Direct attention of clients and negotiations.

• Managed a "due diligence" team for the Monaca Company identifying corporate, labor, and fiscal contingencies that reduced the price of acquisition on the part of a foreign Consortium.

• Participated in the negotiation of an out-of-court agreement of shareholders in a subsidiary of General Motors Acceptance avoiding economic damages and loss of participation of the minority shareholders.

CACHEUX, CAVAZOZ, NEWTON & ASSOCIATES. ILLINOIS, U.S.A. 1997 Law Office

Associate Lawyer

Responsible for legally advising clients that invested in Latin-American countries (Guatemala, Colombia, Equator) and to manage processes for incorporating “maquilas” and strategic associations in Mexico.

• Transferred the manufacturing operation of the Fruit of the Loom business from the United States to Mexico with use of “maquilas”, resulting in a reduction of direct labor costs by 80%. APPEAL COURT OF ILLINOIS, U.S.A 1996

Court of Appeals

Assistant

Responsible for performing document investigations and case law work to support judicial decisions.

• Developed a solid technical expertise in legal editing in English. BAKER & MCKENZIE, CARACAS, VENEZUELA 1989-1994

International Law Office

Associate Lawyer 1991-1994

Responsible for devising legal opinions, legal audits and editing contracts and corporate documents. Monitoring of administrative and judicial cases. Participation in corporate closings.

• Participated in the design and implementation of legal strategies and civil cases; successful in an average of 200 lawsuits annually, winning 85% of the cases. Legal Assistant 1989-1991

JATAR- FERNÁNDEZ-Y ASOCIADOS, CARACAS, VENEZUELA 1987-1988 Law Office

Legal Assistant

EDUCATION

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Illinois, U.S.A, Master in Law (LL.M.) 1996 Saint Joseph’s University. Philadelphia, U.S.A, Intensive Course in English 1995 Universidad Central de Venezuela. Caracas, Venezuela 1994 Facultad de Ciencias Jurídicas y Políticas, Master in Civil Procedural Law Universidad Católica Andrés Bello. Caracas, Venezuela, Law School, Law Degree 1991

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