How one legal leader is driving change with empathy, strategy, and inclusion in a traditionally male-dominated industry
A Bold Approach to Legal Leadership
In the automotive vertical, where the majority of the workers are males, Carolina Susana Bula is paving a new road—one that is not focused on hierarchy but rather foundational values. As General Counsel for Iveco Group in Latin America, Carolina manages with empathy, clarity, and inclusion. They are not abstract concepts for her; they are what drive her work and the transformation of the legal team.
Carolina, with her guiding principles, changed the perception and attitude towards Legal to prove their functionality to the business as a strategic partner rather than a dead weight. “I work to make Legal a true business partner—accessible, strategic, and innovation-driven,” she quotes. This involves the integration of legal practitioners with practical business requirements – speaking the business language and collaborating across functions.
The traditional understanding of Legal as a reactive vertical has rather been turned around to the active approach of listening, simplifying, trusting, and delivering. Carolina achieves this through enabling initiatives that draw Legal closer to operating business units. In this way, she ensures that Legal is fundamentally transforming the company.
Indeed, she is changing the perception of the traditional Internal Lawyer but also leading legal leadership in Latin America’s automotive industry to set a new direction.
Bridging Tradition and Transformation
Carolina Susana Bula believes that her position goes beyond being a legal leader. Instead, she views herself as a mediator between the legal framework of the automotive industry and its desperate need for a progressive, welcoming, and inclusive future. “I approach sectors in an inclusive and strategic manner, which has long remained untouched by more traditional frameworks,” she explains. Even at an extremely male dominated industry, her very presence flouts the deeply rooted beliefs the industry holds—her leadership style redefines them completely:
While spearheading the legal team that, in great part, is composed of women, Carolina drives a results-oriented leadership model that features a level of compassion that is rarely offered by other traditional leaders. “In the automotive sector, I actively demonstrate that leadership can be effective and empathetic,” she states. Both methods have transformed the perception and the reputation of her department within the company, showing that one can be strategically brilliant and possess emotional intelligence.
With great precision in her actions, she delegates a portion of the work to the legal team, who guides them through the concepts of empathy, active service, and business. With the instructed concepts, they are not meant to be bolted on but rather ingrained into the business. The so-called ‘soft skills’ have emerged as potent motivators of collaboration and the trust that fuels innovation across the organization. In this way, Carolina Susana is not just seeking to change the operational framework of the Legal division. What she is doing to inspire the directional change of the entire automotive industry is compelling: that one can evolve without the restriction of tradition.
Changing Legal Culture from Within
Carolina is addressing the perception most people have around legal departments and seeking to change it from an uninviting gatekeeper to an approachable, value-adding collaborator. “I dare argue that Legal has to be rigid or inaccessible,” and acts in defiance of that statement. Carolina is leapfrogging other program boundary ladders, such as “Traduz, Doutor!” and “In Your Shoes for a Day,” which help legally translate its language. These programs are designed to cross functional silos and foster understanding and empathy by portraying legal lingo in the simplest terms possible.
Her efforts show how deeply someone is committed to a belief: “How we connect with each other is the transformative skill,” she stated. “Transformation starts with how we relate to people: hearing them, simplifying, connecting, and facilitating their growth,” she explains. Fostering respect and open communication enables Carolina to establish a clear, collaborative, and legal cultures functioning within the bounds of logically defined procedures.
Carolina leads with clear, approachable intent resonant with fostering growth as opposed to enforcing a chain of command. The aim shifts towards dismantling outdated norms blocking progress to allow for these actively solved human-centric problems, such as how Legal operates. Her form of integration and purpose is strong, defined, and needed in our swiftly changing world of business if leadership means acting with honesty.
Values That Guide a Global Career
Carolina ’s legal career and eventual ascent to General Counsel at Iveco Group have seemingly come as a consequence of acquiring specific skills, but in reality, this is a multifaceted path. As she leads her skilled team, her principles embody values that are such for the organization she works for. “I go further than what is apparent by striving for creative solutions. Collaborating for success is a must for me, and doing so cross-functionally makes it even better. I make sure that I do what is right and that integrity and fairness take the helm.”
Carolina’s descriptions highlight who she is not just as a Legal Operations professional, but as a person focused on building a culture and identity within the organization. “They are part of who I am as a leader,” she affirms. Under this guidance, legal functions at Iveco have changed. Instead of operating in standalone silos, the department combines strategy—business, ethical, and legal innovation—and becomes an instigator for the practical implementation of ideas.
Her approach focuses on building trust while creating strong accountability systems across different teams and geographies. This approach is new for Carolina, who is in charge of legal operations, but with the help of innovation and integrity, this will foster a change in the entire culture within the organization.
Trust, Strategy, and Connection
Carolina has maintained such an esteemed reputation as a trusted legal and business leader because she follows three principles: trust, connection, and strategic thinking. As she puts it, trust is earned as a business through legal expertise, along with integrity, transparency, and understanding.
Carolina aims to be a legal advisor but differs from the rest in her desire to be a strategic partner. She actively listens, constructively challenges ideas, and ensures there are powerful, impactful outcomes. Authentic leadership is her approach, and that increases her influence across various teams and cultures.
Carolina shares, “And as a mentor, team manager, or even a co-worker across cultures, I build team environments in which people feel that their voice is valued and their contribution matters.” Her definition of true leadership strays away from authority, as for her, it is all about setting the conditions so that others can thrive. Lasting value and trust are created within the organization when their goals and people’s needs move forward together.
A Career Built on Complexity and Purpose
Carolina’s career is shaped by her love for international law and the impact that she strives to accomplish. Right from the start, her interest in law was piqued as it allowed her to travel through different systems, cultures, and viewpoints. “At the start of my career, I was interested in international law due to its diversity of cultures, legal frameworks, and different perspectives,” she remembers.
But not Carolina. She figured that expertise made complete sense legally, but still, a broadened, strategically granulated approach was required. “The automotive industry brought that all together,” she elaborates. “It’s global, fast-moving, and constantly evolving,” which is an ideal setting to leverage legal arsenal and business acumen.
Her work within the Truck Business has been especially rewarding. “Our products are sold to be part of the daily work of our customers,” she explains. It spurs her to ensure that she offers legal advice that balances due diligence with human-centered, practical approaches.
Redefining Leadership in Male-Dominated Spaces
According to Carolina, real leadership has the potential to change even the most conservative and patriarchal industries. “In male-dominated sectors, leadership based on collaboration, integrity, and fortitude is not simply impactful, it is transformational,” she further said. Carolina’s reasoning goes against the traditional frameworks of male leadership by reversing the pillars of trust and change.
She also points out the distinctive contributions women tend to make as leaders. “We tend to be more resilient and used to juggling so many things—a mother, professional, partner, friend— all in a purposeful way,” Carolina explains. Such a harsh sense of empathy and focus combined makes women leaders far better equipped to deal with complex professional challenges.
Carolina’s example inspires women to embrace the authentic self that lies within them. Change in the automotive industry stems from embracing concepts that go beyond perception, highlighting success through characteristics such as compassion, perseverance, and humanity instead of command and domination over others.
Investing in the Next Generation
Carolina ’s leadership philosophy is centered around mentorship. She states that inspiring others does not stem from showing a ‘perfect’ journey but rather that every journey is tangibly valuable if it is purposeful and grounded in determination. Carolina motivates her successors and tells them not to shy away from ‘not’ knowing what the future or the next steps hold. What matters the most is stepping forward, having the grit to face hardships, and simply being humble in learning and evolving through that journey. Carolina often emphasizes this to reflect on ‘her’ commitment to the future leaders of this country, whom she wishes to embrace authenticity and unyielding power.
In the fast-paced, high-stakes environment of legal leadership, Carolina draws her resilience from a place of deep-rooted purpose. For her, the scope of the legal leader is far beyond merely trying to avoid potential problems. It includes earning credibility, championing change, and fostering it within the unit itself. According to her, the core of a leader can never be defined with one simple and shallow statement. “What defines us isn’t what we say—it’s how we choose to show up, every single day,” she asserts.
A Lasting Legacy of Inclusion and Impact
As a businesswoman and professional in Latin America, Carolina Susana possesses both bold and humble aspirations for herself— To carve out a legacy. As a legal strategist, she intends to put forward the fact that leadership can also be human, integrative, and valiant. True leadership lies not in complying to the standards set by society but rather in breaking them while being true to oneself.
The aim is to alter people’s perceptions and create new opportunities for other people. Carolina Susana wants to show people that achieving success does not mean losing your identity. This is a truth that motivates her and gives life to her constantly seeking to create conditions that are suitable for collaboration and inclusivity.
In addition to being the legal head and engine of the group’s strategies in Latin America, Carolina Susana is the first mover of ideas and policies and the defender of inclusiveness. She complements the success of Iveco Group in Latin America because she is actively transforming the image of the automotive industry. It is this guiding paradigm that people and politics can combine innovative leadership that drives credible and sustainable growth.
In an industry that does not like to change often, change is welcomed through globalization. Carolina’s leadership marks a new direction for the industry— one that combines authenticity, empowerment, and boldness while measuring success through deep cultural change rather than only business.
Inspirational Quotes that Guide Her Journey
- “Ask yourself if what you’re doing today is getting you closer to where you want to be tomorrow.” – Walt Disney
- “If you want to be part of the 5% of people who achieve extraordinary things, you need to do what the other 95% are not willing to do.” – Jonatan Loidi
- “Your attitude multiplies your knowledge and talent. You can be brilliant, but without the right attitude, it amounts to nothing.” – Victor Küppers
- “Understanding how people from different cultures communicate is not optional in a global workplace—it’s the key to building trust, avoiding conflict, and leading effectively across borders.” – Erin Mayer
