Diego Saul, Senior Director, Ethics & Compliance Officer, USA

Years with AD

Persistent

Work Ethic

Family

Priority

Friend

Role

What attracted you to your chosen work?
I’ve always wanted to be a lawyer, since I can remember. I had this idea that every now and then you could be part of helping others who were wronged and bring balance to situations where people didn’t understand each other.

What skills did you develop early that are still useful today?
I believe the most significant skill I learned is to build trust. It is key to be able to provide advice, but, moreover, it is the cornerstone for any relationship.

How have you grown in your career at Avery Dennison?
Throughout the years, I’ve had the unique opportunity to work in different regions and with different businesses, which exposed me to a diverse group of individuals. I started working as a lawyer in Latin America with Ignacio Walker, who was a great mentor and later gave me the opportunity to lead the region. Before taking on that responsibility, I was fortunate to spend several months working for Lydia van Leeuwen in the Netherlands. Lydia had forty-two years of experience and I learned a lot during that time. I also spent three months in Boston, Massachusetts working for the RBIS corporate office. After leading the law department in Latin America for seven years and working closely with Ken Schwartz, I came to the U.S. to work for several businesses together with Bijal Shah and, eventually, oversee the Global Compliance function with Vikas Arora.

I have been able to work with almost everyone in the law department, such interactions have given me the necessary experience to become the business partner I am today, with different perspectives in seeking for the right path forward towards my next step.

What's the biggest stretch opportunity you've taken on?
I moved to the U.S. when I was 39-years old and needed to take the BAR exam, by the time I turned 40, to be able to practice law in the U.S. It was a great challenge and a stretch for me given my background was in Continental Law and I had to learn new topics that were very different from my home country and also because I had a family and a job. I could not have done it without the support of my family, the company and my peers, who took over my responsibilities when I needed to take the time off to study and prepare for the exam.

I believe the most significant skill I learned is to build trust. It is key to be able to provide advice, but, moreover, it is the cornerstone for any relationship.

What role has mentorship played in your career?
Mentorship has been key for me to be able to advance in my career. Having a mentor means having someone that challenges you and pushes you to get the best out of you. It demands time and dedication from a person to help you overcome the obstacles that you find in your way, and I always find it, together with feedback, as great tools to progress in your career.

What’s the best career decision you’ve ever made?
Coming to the U.S. to get my Master of Law degree was the best decision I made, and a game changer as far as defining what I wanted to do from a career perspective and getting the right tools to start that path.

As you think about the next steps in your career, what are the most important actions you plan to take?
I can’t emphasize enough the importance of constant education and self development. Every time I made a change or took a step forward in my career, I felt I was moving out of my comfort zone and that I needed to double my efforts to move further. Being open to feedback and mindful of the challenges that opportunities bring, is critical as well.

Therefore, self development, asking for feedback and looking for opportunities that take you out of your comfort zone, I feel, are the actions I always try to focus on.

What do you enjoy most about the work you do?
Meeting new people and interacting with different cultures is the most interesting and enjoyable part of my work. I always look forward to new opportunities.

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