About

Adriana Londoño is director of corporate affairs at Cenit Transporte Y Logistica De Hidrocarburos, a specialist in the transportation of hydrocarbons in Colombia. Throughout her career she has built a stellar reputation for her strong people skills and ability to oversee operational change, both of which have been essential during the growth of the oil industry in Colombia. Joining the organisation shortly after its creation three and a half years ago, Londoño was part of the team that established Cenit and played a pivotal role in creating the legal function at the company. Londoño instantly made an impression on her colleagues with her leadership and sound judgement, as well as her ability to rapidly decide on key legal and government affairs matters using in-depth analysis. As Cenit is an affiliate of Colombia’s largest oil company, Ecopetrol, Londoño had to show strong resolve when dealing with its initial dependence on the parent company. ‘I had to push back on our owner, Ecopetrol, in many instances’, Londoño explains. On one occasion, Londoño had to make a sound and strong legal case to her owner and functional vice president against Ecopetrol settling with a contractor. ‘I helped build a strong case and argued my position with all necessary support and details. My case was accepted, saving Cenit millions of dollars’. In particular, Londoño’s time at Cenit is characterised by her successful management of issues not related to traditional legal work, in areas such as regulation, governance and risk. ‘Working on such issues was highly rewarding, as it helps you understand the complete operations of the company and acquire different kinds of skills’. Londoño currently oversees a team of seven people in the legal department and serves as a ‘right hand person’ to the CEO in many strategic, ethical and governance matters. In addition, she is also the secretary of Cenit’s board, managing the agenda and potential issues to be discussed. Prior to joining Cenit from Ecopetrol, Londoño worked for seven years at some of Colombia’s most significant law firms, namely Brigard & Urrutia, Baker & McKenzie and Zuleta Legal Partners.