About

Andrea Campo heads the legal department of one of Colombia’s largest electrical companies, Centrales Eléctricas del Cauca’s (CEDELCA). In her four years at CEDELCA, she has overseen profound changes to the legal department’s function by changing its image and elevating its status within the company. From its previously function of defending, enforcing and supervising company level contracts, the legal department now has a more proactive influence, actively providing legal advice on all areas of CEDELCA’s business strategy. Campo’s visionary leadership has helped her succeed even against popular thinking. Just years ago, she was vocal against CEDELCA’s plans to partake in the popular movement of Colombian companies forming labour syndicates. Since then, many companies which adopted labour syndicalism have crashed or run into heavy financial troubles. It’s with this conviction that Campo leads the two in-house lawyers and one secretary in her team. Her focus is now on changing the litigious Colombian climate that makes it very easy for claimants to sue and win against electric companies, irrespective of their own culpabilities and negligence. Already, Campo’s efforts for a greater professional image for her legal department are proving successful, as CEDELCA has become less of an attractive target for claimants trying to bring dubious actions. Further, this unique business model has had a wider positive impact on how Colombian courts interact with the country’s energy sector. After various high-profile cases and many other legal interactions, courts have started to rule differently, and in favor of energy companies in a more consistent manner.