Career Biography

María José Becker is legal vice-president and general counsel of Veltis Latam, a Chilean industrial services group with more than 25 years of experience in operational continuity for the mining industry. A senior attorney with more than 18 years of experience in corporate, tax and labor law, she is a member of the company’s Executive Committee.

Ms. Becker began her career at Morales & Besa, where, after a summer placement in 2004, she spent 13 years as an associate. She grew with the firm from 28 to nearly 80 lawyers, working across corporate, governance, M&A, labour and tax matters, and leading teams and national and international operations early in her career. Advising clients in banking, mining, oil and gas, industrial, retail, pharmaceutical, port and technology sectors, she became the “in-house (but out-house)” lawyer her clients relied on for business-minded advice.

In 2018 she joined Veltis Latam, then Ferrovial Servicios. Today the group operates in the region through four companies: Steel, Berliam, Walvis and Quintrax. It employs around 4,500 people and serves leading copper producers such as Codelco, BHP and Antofagasta Minerals. Ms. Becker advises the mining business on corporate governance, compliance, risk and insurance, labor matters, litigation, and tax and financial matters.

Her in-house team handles the company’s core legal work, including the legal review of bidding documentation, negotiations with clients and suppliers, and advice on collective bargaining with an average of 25 unions, while external counsel supports specialized matters. The team has negotiated high-value service contracts with Chile’s major mining companies.

A close and approachable leader, Ms. Becker works side by side with the people at the mining sites in order to experience the mining business from the inside, an approach that keeps the legal function grounded in operational reality. She is a member of Women in Mining and supports diversity and inclusion initiatives, one of the company’s fundamental values. She has also represented Veltis Latam at UNICEF, promoting initiatives that foster the inclusion and integration of people with disabilities.

Ms. Becker sees in-house lawyers as key drivers of change. She emphasises combining legal, financial and business knowledge, resilience, quick decision-making, and technology that keeps costs on budget, particularly as AI reshapes the role of the in-house lawyer.