Kennedys appoints leading general counsel as partner in Chile to continue strengthening its Latin American offering

We have strengthened our presence in Latin America with the appointment of an experienced general counsel from one of Chile’s leading insurers.

Rodrigo Hayvard joins as partner from FID Seguros, a general insurance company, where he has spent the last four years as GC and chief compliance officer.

He previously worked for Zurich Insurance, Chubb and for Kennedys as a senior associate.

Kennedys has the largest reach of any insurance law firm in Latin America with six offices in our main markets, including in Santiago, Chile, and a further six associate offices, plus a Miami hub serving the region.

Rodrigo, who will be based in Santiago but will work closely with colleagues across the firm, combines deep global sector knowledge with local market expertise in insurance and reinsurance, regulatory and compliance, and corporate and commercial matters.

The addition of Rodrigo strengthens not only our Chile insurance and reinsurance practice, especially analysis of coverage on large complex claims, but our regional Corporate and Commercial practice. He has particular experience advising insurers and reinsurers on complex matters including large and commercial risks, financial lines, facultative offerings, international programmes, mergers and acquisitions, anti-money laundering and data protection.

Anna Weiss, regional managing partner, says: “We already know the immense value that Rodrigo adds having worked with us previously.

“He joins at an exciting time in which we are expanding to meet demand, advising a growing number of insurer and non-insurer clients on all aspects of commercial contracts, commercial litigation, mergers and acquisitions and joint ventures, regulatory issues and cross-border business agreements.”

Nick Thomas, senior partner, says: “It is testament to the talent and dedication of our team in Chile and the wider region that we are in a position to expand and I know Rodrigo, with his breadth and depth of experience, will be a welcome addition.”

Rodrigo adds: “Kennedys continues to grow as an established and well-respected name in the region and I am excited to return and help my colleagues build on that success.”

His appointment follows another record year for Kennedys, which saw revenue increase by 11% in the year 2022/23, to £313million.

We were also named market leader in this year’s Gracechurch London Market Insurance Law Monitor, an independent survey of the London market’s view of insurance law firms.