If we were to have the perfect blend of adventure and intellect, Alejandro Navarro, our legal expert for the Europe & Africa team, would embody both effortlessly. We didn’t ask Alejandro if he’ll go for the Master Scuba Diver rank after his Advanced Open Water Diver certificate. Given his love for challenges, it wouldn’t be surprising.
Now, we don’t know if there are certificates for snowboarding, but if there were, we are sure Alejandro would pursue that. He balances his love for extreme sports with a passion for ancient literature, including Greek romance and writings by Marcus Aurelius to mention a few.
You might wonder: what relevance does this have to business law? The straightforward answer is a lot, because business law is not only about mastering various legal matters across different jurisdictions, but it also involves interactions with individuals from numerous cultures and backgrounds.
And legal systems are influenced by cultures; that means that cross-cultural competence and people skills are important, especially in negotiations. You will have to learn new things and step out of the comfort zone.
Alejandro qualified as a lawyer in Spain in 2015 after studying in Spain, Finland, and completing a Master in EU Law in Belgium. He joined Wärtsilä Finland 2016 after applying for an apprentice position through ELSA (the European Law Students’ Association). He started in the former Services business and Energy business in Vaasa and spent four years there before moving to Helsinki 2020 and then joined Wärtsilä France in Paris 2022 to support energy projects in Africa and Europe. He then decided to join Marine Legal & Compliance 2023 as Regional Legal Counsel. He also participated in a pilot secondment programme with a law firm in London, where employees from the law firm work at Wärtsilä, and Wärtsilä's members of the legal team go to London to enhance their knowledge and skills.
When asked about his choice of a career in law, Alejandro mentioned it was one of many options. He considered other professions but believed that international business law would offer interesting challenges, which proved to be true.
In Alejandro’s words: “Being an in-house legal counsel at Wärtsilä involves building trust, making decisions, and providing tailored advice to support the business and promote sustainable progress. The range of tasks includes drafting and negotiating complex contracts, fostering commercial partnerships, and managing disputes and settlements. We monitor regulatory changes, stay updated on governance and business ethics, update internal policies, and train Wärtsilians.”
Alejandro believes that Wärtsilä and other innovative companies and partners will lead in sustainability and decarbonization: Today, new talents are clearly oriented towards companies which offer a purpose and well-being, and Wärtsilä provides both. Although global challenges may occasionally slow down decarbonization efforts, the process will continue to move forward.
One thing is for certain, Alejandro, has significant momentum and is just starting his professional career, no doubt stepping out of his comfort zone, now and then, but that is how it is when you welcome new challenges. A hint about his next move: he is very impatient to start a paragliding course.
