Before joining TelevisaUnivision in 2021, Veronica Rodriguez spent nearly two decades on Wall Street advising global companies, private equity firms and financial institutions on some of the most sophisticated transactions in the market. During her career in BigLaw, including at Paul Hastings, she led multibillion-dollar mergers and acquisitions, securities offerings, capital markets transactions, restructurings and complex financings across numerous industries and jurisdictions.
Among the transactions that helped define her career were Mexico’s first-ever mortgage-backed FIBRA financing and the landmark $3 billion financing of GE Capital’s commercial real estate portfolio in Mexico, a first-of-its-kind transaction that established an important precedent in the Mexican capital markets.
Today, Rodriguez brings that same commercial mindset to her role as Executive Vice President, Co-General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of TelevisaUnivision, where she serves as one of the company’s senior enterprise executives.
While her title reflects legal leadership, her responsibilities extend far beyond the traditional role of a general counsel. She leads the company’s Legal, Government Affairs and Compliance organizations while overseeing a broad enterprise portfolio that includes corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, enterprise privacy, cybersecurity, technology infrastructure, national security, procurement, real estate and facilities, legal operations, digital distribution, U.S. linear distribution, strategic partnerships, advertising compliance and oversight of the company’s most significant litigation matters.
“My boss once described me as ‘she gets stuff done,’ but he didn’t use the word ‘stuff,’” Rodriguez says with a laugh.
That reputation has followed her throughout her career. After joining TelevisaUnivision as Assistant General Counsel, she quickly advanced to Deputy General Counsel before being promoted to Executive Vice President, Co-General Counsel and Corporate Secretary.
Despite overseeing one of the broadest executive portfolios within the company, Rodriguez has never lost the transactional instincts that shaped her career.
“I still think like a deal lawyer,” she says. “The difference is that today I’m evaluating every issue not only from a legal perspective, but also through financial, operational, governance, regulatory and strategic lenses.”
That mindset has become increasingly valuable as TelevisaUnivision continues its transformation into a global media and technology company. Streaming, sports rights, advertising technology, artificial intelligence, audience measurement, cybersecurity and data privacy have fundamentally changed both the business and the legal landscape.
Rodriguez operates at the center of those discussions, partnering closely with the CEO, Executive Chair, CFO and Board of Directors on many of the company’s most consequential decisions.
A Seat at the Executive Table
As Corporate Secretary, Rodriguez oversees governance for the Board of Directors and its committees, ensuring directors receive the information they need to make informed decisions on matters ranging from financings and strategic transactions to enterprise risk, cybersecurity, litigation and corporate governance.
But she views governance as much more than board books and meeting minutes.
“A great Corporate Secretary helps management and the Board navigate difficult decisions,” Rodriguez says. “It’s about anticipating issues, simplifying complexity and creating an environment where directors have confidence that they’re seeing both the opportunities and the risks.”
That ability to bridge business strategy with legal judgment has become one of Rodriguez’s defining strengths.
Whether the company is evaluating a financing, negotiating a transformative commercial partnership, responding to a regulatory development or addressing an enterprise-wide operational issue, Rodriguez is responsible for integrating legal, financial, operational and governance considerations into a practical path forward.
“I’ve always believed lawyers create the most value when they help move the business forward,” she says. “The goal isn’t simply identifying legal risk. It’s finding solutions that allow the company to achieve its objectives responsibly.”
Beyond the Traditional General Counsel
Much of Rodriguez’s time today is spent leading functions that many organizations would place outside the legal department.
In addition to overseeing Legal, Government Affairs and Compliance, she provides executive oversight for enterprise privacy, cybersecurity, technology infrastructure, procurement, real estate and facilities, legal operations, investor relations, finance and key distribution businesses.
Her role requires balancing legal risk with business execution, regulatory expectations with commercial objectives and long-term strategy with day-to-day operations.
“You cannot lead functions like these in silos,” Rodriguez says. “Every decision touches multiple parts of the company. The legal, operational, financial, technology and regulatory considerations are all interconnected.”
That cross-functional leadership has made Rodriguez one of the company’s principal strategic advisors. Colleagues describe her as equally comfortable negotiating complex financings, briefing the Board, leading enterprise initiatives, engaging with regulators and policymakers, overseeing crisis response or helping shape the company’s long-term strategy.
Leading Through Transformation
The pace of change across media has only reinforced Rodriguez’s belief that the role of today’s executive lawyer is fundamentally different than it was a decade ago.
“The best lawyers today have to understand finance, technology, cybersecurity, privacy, artificial intelligence, public policy and the commercial realities of the business,” she says. “Legal advice is only one part of the equation. Leadership is about connecting all of those disciplines and helping the company make sound decisions.”
That philosophy reflects the lessons Rodriguez learned over nearly twenty years representing clients in high-stakes transactions where technical excellence alone was never enough. Clients expected commercial judgment, responsiveness and the ability to solve problems.
She has carried those same principles into executive leadership.
Grounded by Family
Despite the breadth of her responsibilities, Rodriguez says her greatest accomplishment has nothing to do with transactions or titles.
“My career has been incredibly rewarding, but my family is my foundation,” she says. “My husband and my mom and dad have supported me through every stage of my career, and my children, Mason and Maxx, are my greatest source of pride. They’re why I work hard, but they’re also what reminds me what truly matters.”
Rodriguez believes motherhood has fundamentally shaped the executive she has become.
“It teaches resilience, empathy, patience and perspective. Those qualities make you a better parent, but they also make you a better leader.”
As TelevisaUnivision continues to navigate an industry undergoing unprecedented transformation, Rodriguez remains at the center of many of the company’s most important decisions.
Drawing on nearly two decades of experience leading groundbreaking transactions on Wall Street and now serving as one of the company’s senior enterprise executives, she helps shape how TelevisaUnivision approaches governance, strategy, public policy, enterprise risk and long-term growth
Boies Schiller Flexner is a firm of internationally recognized trial lawyers, crisis managers, and strategic advisers known for its creative, aggressive, and efficient pursuit of successful outcomes for its clients. From the thorniest, most high-stakes matters to straightforward business disputes, the firm has a knack for identifying the strongest arguments, understanding the benefits of each, and determining when and how to deploy them in a case. With offices located throughout the United States and in London and Italy, BSF operates as one firm with a seamless approach to building the most skillful and cost-effective team possible for every matter.
