About

Martha Elena Ruiz Diaz-Granados is company secretary and legal counsel at Movistar, Telefónica’s Colombian operating entity. During her time with the company, Ruiz Diaz-Granados has helped maintain stability and consistency through a series of jarring changes of ownership. In 2000, Ruiz Diaz-Granados was senior counsel at financially distressed Colombian mobile operator Celumóvil when it was purchased by BellSouth as part of the US company’s ambitious Latin American expansion. Four years later, BellSouth sold its Latin American assets to Telefónica, bringing the Spanish operator into the Colombian market for the first time under its Movistar brand. A subsequent merger between Telefónica and the state-owned telecoms operator Colombia Telecom (Coltel) saw further change and complexity introduced into the company’s operations. Throughout this challenging period, Ruiz Diaz-Granados has helped those around her keep a cool head and has contributed to the success of the company. In the words of one senior partner, Ruiz Diaz-Granados ‘has been able to thrive within her organisation, despite constant and momentous change. She has achieved this thanks to her ability to adapt and add value, regardless of the challenging environment’.