About

Grupo Suramericana (Grupo SURA) is a Latin American diversified financial services company listed on the Colombian Stock Exchange and registered with the ADR- Level 1 program in the US. It operates two main fields of investment, one being its core strategic interests in the financial service, insurance, pension, savings and investment sectors; and the other being its portfolio interests in the processed food, cement and energy sectors. Fernando Rodas is the firm’s vice president of legal and secretary general and oversees the legal affairs of the company and its corporate governance facility. Recent expansion of subsidiary companies and company acquisitions demonstrate his skills and achievements with regard to overseeing large deals from a legal perspective. Suramericana recently acquired a 99.6% stake in RSA Insurance Group in Latin America for US$614m expanding the reach of the insurance division further into Chile, Mexico, Uruguay, Brazil, Argentina and Colombia. Similarly, the Group acquired Segurous Banistmo in Panama boosting the insurance division’s stake in the industry in Latin America to become the fourth largest insurance company in the region. These expansions demonstrate the powers of Rodas’ legal team to combine expansion with good governance and facilitate the business of the company. Additionally, in terms of governance Rodas and his team are involved in the implementing of new international financial reporting standards (IFRS) to further increase the transparency of the group and its international reputation.