Regulatory Updates: Latin America

Ginger reports for Chemical Watch on UN chemicals policy and regulatory developments in Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. She previously worked for Politico in Brussels, reporting on European chemicals regulation and environmental policy. She holds degrees in international journalism and philosophy from the University of Missouri.

Born and raised in Mexico, Melissa Owen is an international lawyer licensed in the U.S. who speaks Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, and English. Her knowledge of the cultural, language, and legal dimensions in both Latin America and the U.S. have made her uniquely suited to guide her multinational clients through the complex and rapidly changing world of environmental, sustainability, and health and safety matters in the region. She began her legal career in the environmental and international departments of a leading national U.S. law firm and then moved into private practice. For over 25 years, she has advised Fortune 100 companies as well as international trade associations on emerging chemical regulations, Circular Economy, Extended Producer Responsibility, product stewardship and a myriad of other regulatory topics. She is a recognized expert on ESG/EHS regulations in Latin America and a frequent speaker at international events about emerging chemical regulations.

Maddie Boyer, a principal in Beveridge & Diamond, PC’s Austin, TX office, brings 25 years of experience providing strategic and solutions-oriented counseling and representation on a broad range of US and Latin American environmental, health and safety standards.

Ms. Lidiane Moraes has over 20 years of experience in regulatory and governmental affairs, also in product stewardship in Latin America having worked for public and private sectors along her career. She is an expert on evaluating, advocating and advising companies on the regulatory aspects leading them through the evolving landscape of product safety for people. She currently assists ExxonMobil being its regulatory affairs lead for Latin America focused on the activities of surveillance, impact assessment of legislation (end use regulation, chemical management, plastic waste, etc) and advocacy activities. She also support the activities of the Latin America Regulatory Cooperation Forum – LARCF as a co-chair. She is an industrial and clinical pharmacist specialized in public health.

Frinee Cano holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from the Monterrey Institute of Technology and a master's degree in water treatment management from Ca'Foscari University in Italy. She has held various roles at Mexico’s Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, conducting various research projects on chemicals, waste, and climate change for public policy development. She also served on working groups for official Mexican standards. She later joined the Dutch fashion brand C&A as Sustainable Chemistry Manager, expanding her role to Environmental Initiatives Manager and finally to Sustainability Leader, responsible for implementing the global sustainability strategy in Mexico through programs for water conservation, waste management, more sustainable materials, circularity, and the adoption of the Code of Conduct in the supply chain. She joined HP Inc. as Sustainable Impact Leader for Latin America, to provide expert support to stakeholders at all levels in the region. 

Francisco Tong is co-head of Rodrigo, Elías & Medrano Environment practice area. He specializes in mining, environmental, water resources law.

Marlene is a partner at Brokering Abogados  Ms. Brokering has a long-time experience in international legal matters working in Chile and abroad (Luxembourg).

Raissa Havens joined UL as a Regulatory Specialist in 2019, where she focuses on new and existing chemical regulations for Latin America countries and Portugal. Raissa is responsible for maintaining UL’s Chemical Regulatory Database updated and provides advisory services for companies that manufacture industrial chemicals and export products into these countries.

Nidia Mariana Calvo Mendez joined Enhesa Product Intelligence's Expert Services team as Managing Analyst almost 3 years ago. She oversees regulatory content and service relating to products in the Americas, and coordinates the global analyst team from her base in Guadalajara, Mexico. Prior to joining Enhesa Product Intelligence, Nidia spent her career in industries conducting regulatory analysis and risk management mainly for Latin America. She also has experience in TSCA, GHS, performing audits, and obtaining ISO 140001 certification

Catherine Nielsen, a senior partner in Keller and Heckman’s Food and Drug practice, specializes in counseling domestic and foreign corporations on the legal compliance of food additives and food-contact materials world-wide.