Head of Legal Colombia & Ecuador | Hitachi Energy
Luz Ángela María Márquez Useche
Head of Legal Colombia & Ecuador | Hitachi Energy
How do you approach managing legal aspects during periods of instability or crises, and how does your legal strategy align with the broader business strategy to ensure the organisation’s resilience?
Periods of instability or crisis require legal teams not only to react, but also to actively contribute to the business strategy to ensure continuity and resilience. This means acting as a true business partner — facilitating a swift, coordinated response that mitigates legal risks and protects the organisation, while focusing on scenarios that either have the least negative impact or best mitigate potential adverse consequences.
However, the role of legal departments is not purely reactive. Our work begins well before any adverse event occurs. We aim to ensure that, in the event of a crisis, the organization is prepared to face it with minimal disruption. This involves conducting thorough risk assessments in contracts, negotiating clauses that not only protect the company, but also providing flexibility to adapt to unforeseen circumstances, maintaining continuous regulatory monitoring, and developing contingency plans for various scenarios. These are just some of the actions we take as business partners to ensure a fast, effective, and efficient response in times of crisis, contributing directly to the company’s financial stability and recovery capacity.
What are the major cases or transactions you have been involved in recently?
I have led the negotiation of multi-jurisdiction contracts with strategic regional clients, ensuring compliance with the legal frameworks of each country while preserving key commercial terms. These transactions also involved the implementation of new technologies and the development of intellectual property assets.
Additionally, I structured and negotiated complex agreements involving multiple entities within the corporate group and various products with a single client — requiring a high level of coordination and alignment. I also led negotiations on cybersecurity terms and conditions, carefully considering the regulatory nuances of each jurisdiction involved.
What measures has your company taken to embed sustainability practices into its core business operations, and how does the role of the general counsel contribute to driving and ensuring sustainable practices within the company?
Technologies that are redefining legal work not only improve efficiency, but also transform the nature of the profession itself.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is undoubtedly the most relevant, accessible, and easily implementable technology. It supports contract analysis by identifying risk clauses, patterns, or inconsistencies, and suggesting provisions to include. In legal research, AI can analyze large volumes of documents in seconds, enabling legal departments to work more efficiently and access broader, more reliable sources of information.
Smart contracts are self-executing agreements that automatically take effect when predefined conditions are met. While these tools require user training to ensure reliable outcomes and pose challenges in terms of data security, they significantly enhance agility and allow users to extract insights from vast document sets.
To stay current with these technologies, it is essential to invest in training to understand their scope and limitations, collaborate with LegalTech teams in the development and testing of new tools, and be willing to train these systems to deliver increasingly accurate and trustworthy results.
How do you prioritise diversity and inclusion within your legal department, and what initiatives have you implemented to foster a more inclusive and equitable work environment?
Within our legal department, we prioritise diversity and inclusion through a combination of initiatives designed to enrich the organisation with fresh ideas and diverse perspectives that strengthen decision-making. We achieve this by empowering team members, creating mentoring spaces to support leadership development, fostering open dialogue, and ensuring fair performance evaluations based on real, measurable objectives.
We also promote continuous learning opportunities to support professional growth and ensure that all voices are heard and valued. These efforts help cultivate a collaborative and equitable work environment where innovation and inclusion go hand in hand, ultimately contributing to a stronger, more resilient legal function.
Head of legal and integrity Türkiye, Romania, Georgia and Azerbaijan
Hitachi Energy
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Head of legal and integrity Türkiye, Romania, Georgia and Azerbaijan
Hitachi Energy
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