Chief legal officer | Ultra Air
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Principal counsel, corporate operations and rest of Latin America | The Walt Disney Company
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
General counsel and corporate secretary | Frontera Energy
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Legal and compliance manager Colombia and Central America | Linde
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Legal manager Colombia | Fura Gems
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Legal counsel contracts | Comcel - Claro Colombia
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Legal vice president | Banco Davivienda
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Legal director of corporate affairs | Hoteles Decameron
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Executive vice president, general counsel | Inter-American Coal
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Director of legal and corporate affairs | Oleoducto de los Llanos Orientales and Oleoducto Bicentenario de Colombia
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Legal director | Odinsa
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Vice president - legal services | Brookfield
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Head of legal and corporate affairs, general counsel and compliance officer | Tecnoglass
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Corporate secretary | Grupo Ethuss
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
General legal counsel of palm oil business | Aceites Manuelita
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Associate general counsel - Latin America | Trane Technologies
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Advisor - legal vice president | Grupo Energía Bogotá
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Vice president legal | Ashmore CAF-AM
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
General counsel | Cenit Transporte y Logística de Hidrocarburos
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Legal director | Bancolombia
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Legal vice president– Colombia and Perú | Cemex
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Head of legal and compliance – compliance officer | Mazda
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Corporate legal counsel and compliance officer, Andean and CCA-Caribbean and Central America Region | Avaya
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Head of legal | Hitachi Energy Colombia
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Legal director, fintech and innovation | Banco Davivienda
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Legal manager, corporate secretary | Distribuidora Nissan (Grupo Vardí)
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Senior legal manager | GSK
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Legal manager and compliance officer - LATAM | Cepsa Colombia
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Legal director and general secretary | Alpina
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Legal vice president and corporate secretary | Bancolombia
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Legal director | Credicorp Capital Colombia
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Vice president legal and corporate affairs | Sanford management
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Director of legal, logistics and business | Biomax Biocombustibles
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Legal corporate manager | Geopark
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
General counsel Colombia, legal representative and board member | Compass Group
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Legal director | Airplan
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Legal and integrity manager | ABB Colombia
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Country counsel Andean region | Clarios
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
General counsel | Addi
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Legal vice president and secretary general | Arthur J. Gallagher Colombia
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Group general counsel | ISAGEN
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Chief legal and compliance officer | Teleperformance
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Legal vice president and secretary general | Citibank Colombia
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
General counsel and corporate affairs director | Grupo Empresarial Levapan
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Legal director | Autopista Río Magdalena
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Legal counsel Colombia | IDB Invest
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Senior counsel Mastercard Andean Region | Mastercard
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Vice president, general counsel and secretary general | Grupo Nutresa
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Chief legal officer | Grupo Aval
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
General secretary and legal director | Caracol Primera Cadena Radial Colombiana
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
General counsel | Automotores Toyota Colombia
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Senior counsel Latam and third party risk, export controls team manager | Zoom Video Communications
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Legal manager | Banco de Bogotá
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Legal director | DSV Air & Sea
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Vice president legal | Cámara Colombiana de la Infraestructura
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Legal director | Bavaria & CIA
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Vice president legal and corporate affairs - CLO | Grupo Sura
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Head legal counsel Colombia | Trina Solar
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Chief legal | Caracol Television
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Legal vice president - general counsel | Hoteles Decameron
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Country counsel Colombia and LCR | IBM de Colombia
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Chief counsel | Mondelēz International
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Legal director Andean region | Visa
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Senior counsel | Primax Colombia
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Legal director | Constructora Las Galias
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Legal manager for Andean cluster | Kuehne+Nagel
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Legal vice president - general counsel | Amarilo
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
General legal counsel | BBVA Colombia
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Senior legal manager Central Latam | Medtronic
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Legal operations team lead BLSC | Schlumberger
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
General secretary | EPM
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
General counsel | Fondo Latinoamericano de reservas - FLAR
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Executive director - head of legal Colombia | JP Morgan
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Legal and compliance manager Colombia and Panama | Bureau Veritas Colombia
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Legal director | Bolsa de Valores de Colombia
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Vice president of corporate affairs and secretary general | Ecopetrol
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Vice president legal and general secretary | FDN
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Head of legal | BNP Paribas Colombia Corporacion Financera
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Vice president legal | Altra
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Senior legal counsel | Uber
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Legal head | JGB
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Legal and corporate affairs director Latam | Falck
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Legal head | UBITS
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Legal counsel Colombia | Petrobras International Braspetro
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Head of legal Colombia - BC LAC leader | Diageo
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Executive legal director | FoxTelecolombia
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Corporate, commercial leasing counsel | Terranum
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
General counsel and compliance officer | Nestlé Colombia
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Vice president of corporate affairs | Grupo Argos
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
General counsel | Avianca
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Chief counsel of private sector legal division and member of the board of directors | CAF - Development Bank of Latin America & CAF - Asset Management Uruguay
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
General counsel | CNR
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Head of legal | Gilead Sciences
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Financial legal director | Corficolombiana
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Legal director | Philip Morris International
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
General counsel and head of compliance | Bimbo De Colombia
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Legal director Colombia - data privacy advisor Latam | Unilever
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Legal counsel - Colombia and Peru | Schlumberger
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Legal manager | Parque Arauco
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
General counsel | EdgeUno
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
General legal counsel | Manuelita
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
Legal manager and general secretary | Banco Santander de Negocios Colombia
#GCPowerlist Colombia 2022
It has been a privilege and an honour to conduct research for this year’s Legal 500 GC Powerlist: Colombia 2022, the first edition after the imposed hiatus caused by the pandemic. As lead researcher, I have had the opportunity to speak with the most outstanding in-house counsel in the region. Our interviews have touched upon several topics such as sustainability, technology and the impact of Covid-19 on business operations. Among other revelations, the overall picture that emerged is that Colombia-based in-house counsel have come out from the pandemic stronger than ever and ready to look ahead, working to bring added value to their organisations, harness technology to drive efficiencies, and make their operations more sustainable to promote the growth of the country.
Colombia’s position as one of the region’s most stable economies has allowed it to face the pandemic and overcome it without significant repercussions, and some statistics highlight this. Colombia’s GDP has expanded by 10.6% and is predicted to grow faster than any other country in Latin America. It continues to be an attractive destination for foreign investors, given the existence of multiple business centres and various sectoral demands. The strategic geographic position it enjoys at the centre of the continent allows for greater connection with every destination across the hemisphere.
Additionally, Colombia has been actively responding to international challenges, acting on sustainable development. It aims to reduce its greenhouse emissions by 51% by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050. These are just some factors that make Colombia a solid place to do business and, in turn, a fertile environment for producing high-quality in-house counsel.
This year’s GC Powerlist Colombia highlights the role of general counsel in embracing change and innovation, working towards the development of their country — “my team and I work with the purpose of being seen as supporters of these initiatives, which requires an attitude towards change backed by the legal knowledge that allows seeking for responses, said Jorge Adrián Rincón Plata, chief legal officer in Grupo Aval. Technology will continue to demand in-house lawyers to drive efficiencies and work smarter. These pages reveal that in-house lawyers in Colombia are on top of their games when it comes to adapting to new scenarios and changes. As Fernando Victoria Peña, chief legal and compliance officer at Teleperformance, suggests: “the pandemic has brought many lessons to the legal profession. Our role can adapt and transform, and we can guarantee the same legal security through new technologies. We are opening the Pandora’s box to be more efficient and productive”.
I want to extend the most profound gratitude to every in-house lawyer who participated in this edition of the GC Powerlist. This issue of our worldwide publication acknowledges the most outstanding and impressive in-house lawyers who have tackled new challenges and have used their expertise and versatility to adapt to new scenarios and master the use of technology advancements to promote the success of their corporations. I am incredibly proud to be able to introduce this list of Colombia’s most outstanding, agile and acclaimed in-house lawyers.
Sara Maggi | Research analyst | GC Powerlist Series
With glorious sunshine streaming through the windows of the Mercury Room at The Fairmont Singapore, The Legal 500 and Jones Day Breakfast Roundtable got underway in the best possible setting, and as guests mingled with fresh coffee there was great anticipation about the coming session. This was not least because Jones Day’s global disputes practice leader Sion Richards had flown in from London to talk through some of the recent eye-catching (and, as they would see later, almost unbelievable) enforcement and recovery cases that he and the rest of Jones Day have worked on in the recent past.
A packed room of general counsel was amassed, all of whom were looking forward to an informative discussion on retrieving stolen assets with some of the most accomplished recovery experts in the legal world. With Singapore partner-in-charge Sushma Jobanputra watching on, the morning’s session began.
Sion Richards and asset tracing and judgment enforcement expert James Fidler, a Jones Day associate, began proceedings by outlining some of the methods of retrieving seemingly irrecoverable assets lost to fraud or recalcitrant debtors. They then moved on to discussing some of the highly complicated international cases they have worked on, which led to a number of probing questions from those in attendance.
The discussion was then widened to the whole room, including Jones Day Partners Tim Cullen, Zac Sharpe, Vinay Kurien and Dennis Barsky. While acknowledging that the advent of cybercrime, the international payment network, cryptocurrencies and sophisticated online criminal syndicates have made enforcement and recovery a more daunting, chaotic and expensive prospect than ever before, many were impressed with the results that a well-funded investigation can achieve in the right circumstances.
Essentially, if the wealth lost to fraud or recalcitrant debtors is large enough to warrant the expense of hiring top-notch recovery teams, there are options.
