Team size: 3000+

What are the key projects you have been involved in over the past twelve months?

I played a key role in the legal and strategic readiness process for the commissioning and operational start-up of a cement production plant in Antioquia. This involved coordinating complex regulatory, environmental, land-use, contractual and community-related matters under tight operational timelines. By providing practical, business-oriented legal solutions and anticipating potential contingencies, I helped the company reduce execution risk, preserve project continuity and enable the timely commencement of operations, which was critical for achieving the company’s regional growth and production objectives.

Can you describe an instance where your legal advice directly influenced business strategy or commercial objectives?

Throughout my career, I have consistently approached the legal function as a strategic business enabler rather than a purely risk-control role. One particularly relevant example was my involvement, as local legal lead, in the redesign and implementation of the company’s sustainability strategy, including a significant transformation in stakeholder and community engagement models around our industrial operations. My role went beyond ensuring regulatory compliance; I advised the business on the legal, reputational, operational and social-risk implications associated with the new framework, helping leadership align commercial objectives with long-term license-to-operate considerations and ESG commitments. This legal guidance directly influenced the company’s decision-making process regarding external engagement, governance structures, and risk mitigation protocols.

How has the role of general counsel evolved, and what are the most important attributes for the modern in-house lawyer?

The role of the general counsel has evolved significantly from that of a purely technical legal advisor to a strategic business partner deeply integrated into corporate decision-making. Today, the modern in-house lawyer is expected not only to provide sound legal analysis, but also to understand the commercial drivers of the business, anticipate operational and reputational risks, and contribute actively to the achievement of corporate objectives. In increasingly complex organisations, the general counsel also plays a critical role in aligning different functions and ensuring that legal, operational, financial and communications teams speak a common language rather than operating in isolated silos — effectively avoiding what I would describe as an internal “Tower of Babel.”

In my view, the most important attributes for the modern in-house lawyer are strong business acumen, strategic judgment and the ability to translate complex legal issues into practical, concise and commercially viable advice. Equally important is the capacity to combine depth and rigour in legal analysis with agility and simplicity in the delivery of legal guidance, particularly in fast-paced business environments where timing is often critical. Finally, the modern general counsel must adopt a preventive and forward-looking approach, identifying legal, regulatory and stakeholder risks at early stages and helping the organisation address them proactively before they evolve into material issues.

How do you manage situations where legal advice and commercial objectives conflict?

In my view, situations where legal advice and commercial objectives appear to conflict should never be approached as a confrontation between the legal team and the business. The role of the in-house lawyer is not to act as a barrier to growth, but rather to help the organisation achieve its commercial objectives within a sound legal and ethical framework. There are, of course, certain legal, compliance and integrity boundaries that neither the company nor its employees can cross, and it is the responsibility of the legal function to ensure those limits remain clear. However, within those boundaries, the focus should always be on finding viable alternatives, creative structures and practical solutions that allow the business to move forward while appropriately managing risk.

I also believe it is essential for legal teams to maintain a strong sense of partnership with the business. At the end of the day, we are all part of the same organisation and working toward the same objectives. If a strategic initiative fails or a business opportunity is lost unnecessarily, the legal function has also failed in part. For that reason, I always seek to understand the commercial rationale behind a project, engage constructively with stakeholders, and provide advice that is pragmatic, business-oriented and solution-driven, rather than purely theoretical or restrictive.