Meet the Expert with Mariana Oliveira, Head of Legal at Mercan Properties

In this edition of Meet the Expert, we speak with Mariana Oliveira, Head of Legal at Mercan Properties. As the company continues to grow, Mariana shares how the Legal team helps support Mercan’s hospitality and investment projects, working across departments and contributing to a strong foundation for long-term success. From project development to future growth opportunities, discover the role Legal plays behind the scenes in shaping Mercan’s journey.

How would you describe your role as Head of Legal at Mercan Properties?

I see my role as Head of Legal as being both a safeguard and a catalyst. On the one hand, I want to be a safe harbor for the team and for the business – someone they can come to early, transparently and without fear of judgment, so that we can tackle issues before they become problems. On the other hand, I am probably the person who demands the most from the Legal team and from our external partners: I set a very high bar in terms of quality, ownership and responsiveness.

No one expects more from them than I do, but equally, when something does not go as planned, no one will stand by them and protect them more than I will. My role is to combine that level of support with that level of expectation, so that the Legal function is seen as a trusted partner that enables Mercan to grow in a robust and compliant way.

The Legal team supports a wide range of areas across the company. How does this diversity of work contribute to Mercan’s operations and growth?

The breadth of work we handle is one of our biggest strengths. The Legal team is involved in everything from structuring investment vehicles and drafting complex agreements to supporting licensing, operations, HR and investor relations. This gives us a 360‑degree view of Mercan’s projects and of how the different pieces of the business fit together.

Because we see so many different areas, we can spot risks and opportunities earlier, challenge assumptions in a constructive way and help create solutions that work not just legally, but also commercially and operationally. This diversity also forces us to keep very high standards: we need to be technically rigorous, but also pragmatic and fast, so that the company can continue to grow without compromising on compliance or investor confidence.

How does the Legal Department contribute across the lifecycle of Mercan’s projects, from development to operations?

Legal is present throughout the entire lifecycle of a project. In the early stages, we are deeply involved in structuring, due diligence, contract negotiation and regulatory analysis, helping to ensure that each project is built on solid and sustainable foundations. As we move into the construction and pre‑opening phases, we provide support on permitting, agreements with third parties and the alignment of the project with an evolving legal and regulatory framework. Once the projects are operational, we remain closely engaged on a wide range of matters, including compliance, investor relations, labor and employment, data protection and the ongoing management and renegotiation of contracts as the business evolves.

Over time, we have also developed a robust audit mechanism for our operating hotels, which allows us to ensure that we continue to add value well beyond the opening date of each project. It has been particularly gratifying to see the concrete results of these collective efforts, both in terms of risk mitigation and in the strengthening of our internal culture of compliance and accountability.

As Mercan continues to expand, what opportunities do you see for its continued development?

Mercan’s expansion opens up a wide range of opportunities at different levels. From a legal perspective, growth translates into more complex structures, new jurisdictions, constantly evolving regulation and increasingly higher expectations from both regulators and investors. This naturally brings challenges, but it is precisely in this environment that the Legal team can create the most value for the organization.

We have the possibility to further professionalize and standardize our internal processes, to invest in technology and in more efficient ways of working, and to deepen our culture of knowledge sharing across teams and jurisdictions. At the same time, we can help position Mercan as a true benchmark in our sector in terms of governance, transparency and the way we manage legal and regulatory risk. For the members of the team, this context also represents a very concrete opportunity for personal and professional growth: to specialize in specific areas, to assume greater responsibility and to develop a genuinely international mindset.

My ambition is that, as Mercan continues to grow, the Legal Department is perceived not only as a gatekeeper, but as a demanding yet highly supportive partner – one that pushes the organization to go further, but always in a safe and sustainable way. In that sense, the Portuguese Legal team has already been supporting the legal teams in other jurisdictions as they are set up and consolidated. This has been an extremely rewarding process to witness and to participate in, and it is something that genuinely energizes every member of the team.