Board & Governance
Sandra Orihuela
Board director · International transactions lawyer · Corporate compliance executive
More than three decades advising and leading global companies across the United States, Latin America and other jurisdictions. Dual-qualified in U.S. common law and civil law, admitted in Colorado (U.S.) and Peru, and fully bilingual in English and Spanish.
What she brings to a board
Transactional judgment alongside deep anti-corruption, sanctions and social-license risk experience.
Board governance
Harvard Business School Board Governance graduate with hands-on boardroom experience as a C-suite executive and lead counsel to private and multi-exchange listed multinationals. Reports to board committees and full boards, and trains directors on specialized subjects.
Operating executive
Executive and senior in-house roles inside U.S., European, Japanese and Canadian multinationals: an operating leader’s lens, not just outside counsel.
International transactions
Complex cross-border M&A, structured and securities financings, joint ventures and arbitration across telecom, private equity, mining and life sciences.
Anti-corruption & compliance
FCPA, OFAC, AML, SOX and Dodd-Frank; DOJ non-prosecution and deferred prosecution agreement remediation; ISO 37001. Includes work arising from the Odebrecht case, one of the largest corruption scandals in history.
Mining & extractives
In-house and external counsel to LSE, NYSE and TSX listed mining multinationals, with Latin American depth on community, environmental and social-license risk.
Dual qualification & language
Full common-law (Juris Doctor) and civil-law degrees; fully bilingual in English and Spanish across business, speaking and publishing.
Board service & committee fit
Best deployed on audit, risk and sustainability committees.
For companies with multi-jurisdiction operations (including mining and metals, life sciences and medical technology, media and entertainment, and technology and fintech) where transactional judgment sits alongside anti-corruption, sanctions and social-license risk.
Public-company board
Former Director, Cuentas, Inc. (Nasdaq: CUEN), 2022
Governance education
Harvard Business School — Executive Program, Board Governance
Committee fit
Audit · Risk / Compliance · Sustainability / ESG · Governance
Industries
Mining & metals · Life sciences & medtech · Media & entertainment · Technology, fintech & e-commerce
Selected professional experience
Leadership inside global companies
Senior Compliance Executive, Americas — European multinational
Executive management role overseeing a large portfolio of operating entities across the U.S., Mexico and Canada; remediation under a U.S. DOJ non-prosecution agreement; FCPA, OFAC, sanctions and export-control advisory; and ISO 37001 anti-bribery certification of the group’s U.S. entities.
Senior Legal Counsel — Japanese medical device multinational
Played a key role in implementing a deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice under which the company paid $623.2 million to resolve criminal charges and civil claims over kickbacks to doctors and hospitals in the United States and Latin America. Worked closely with top management, external counsel and the DOJ-appointed monitor team, and advised on third-party vetting and anti-corruption matters across Latin America.
Senior Exploration Attorney, Latin America — Canadian mining multinational
A large mining company specializing in gold and other precious metals, headquartered in Canada, with interests in 16 gold mining operations in seven countries before its acquisition for approximately US$10.4 billion in 2006. Worked across the full pre-feasibility and exploration mining lifecycles in Latin America.
Education
Common law and civil law
- J.D., University of Colorado School of Law
- B.A., International Studies, University of Colorado
- Civil Law Degree, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú
- Harvard Business School — Board Governance
- UC Berkeley Haas — Fintech Frameworks
- Yale School of Management — Corporate Sustainability Management
- American University — U.S. & International Anti-Corruption Law
- International Anti-Corruption Academy (Vienna) — Legal Incentives for Corporate Integrity Programs
- International Chamber of Commerce (Paris) — International Arbitration
Admissions, languages & recognition
Dual-licensed
- Admitted in Colorado (U.S.) and Lima (Peru). Not admitted in Florida.
- English and Spanish (fully bilingual); French (intermediate); German (conversational)
- Recognized by Chambers & Partners
- Lexology Index (formerly Who’s Who Legal), Highly Recommended, Mining, 2013–2027
- Frequent international speaker and author