Colombia 2026
Supported by the Association of Corporate Counsel
Legal and compliance manager, Colombia | FURA Gems Inc.
VP, legal affairs | Steward Health Care International Colombia S.A.S.
Legal lead Colombia – contracting counsel senior manager | Accenture Ltda.
Senior advisor | Grupo Energía Bogotá S.A. E.S.P.
Associate legal director, NOLA & South Cone region | BioMarin
Legal director, Colombia; Global director of corporate and finance | Rappi
Senior corporate and legal counsel, Mexico, Colombia, Peru and Central America and Caribbean Islands | Avaya Communication de Colombia S.A.
Legal and compliance director | Job&Talent
Legal director, Andean Cluster & Central America and the Caribbean | Haleon Colombia S.A.S.
Legal and compliance manager and compliance officer | Mazda de Colombia
VP, corporate and legal affairs and chief transformation officer | Organización Terpel S.A.
Chief legal officer, Middle Americas region | Teleperformance (TP)
VP, corporate and legal | Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores S.A.
Deputy general counsel and head of legal, Latin America | McKinsey & Company
Legal, public affairs and sustainability director; antitrust, data privacy and ethics and compliance officer; Renault foundation director, Colombia | Renault Sofasa
Director of corporate affairs, head of legal and corporate affairs function | Grupo Energía Bogotá
Head of law, patents and compliance, Central America and Andean Countries | Bayer S.A.
Head of legal, Colombia & Ecuador (until May 2026) | Hitachi Energy Colombia S.A.S.
Cluster legal counsel and data protection manager | Kuehne + Nagel
Head of legal, corporate, international and treasury banking | Banco de Bogotá S.A.
Senior director, assistant general counsel, lead commercial lawyer (Colombia) | Cargill
General counsel and corporate secretary | ADL Digital Lab S.A.S.
Legal counsel and brand protection manager | Diageo Colombia S.A.
Head of legal | ALPINA PRODUCTOS ALIMENTICIOS S.A.S. BIC
Legal and compliance director, Northern South America | Bureau Veritas
Head of legal and judicial legal representative | Organización Terpel S.A.
Legal manager, CCA and legal lead for Latin America distribution business unit | Cummins Inc.
Chief counsel of non-sovereign operations, legal affairs | Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF)
General counsel, beauty and wellbeing and head of legal Andean region | Unilever
Global counsel, global commercial operations | Energizer Holdings, Inc.
Legal director | Concesión Aeropuertos de Oriente S.A.S.
Senior legal and compliance director, America, Andean Countries, Chile and Venezuela | Mondelēz International
Senior legal director, Latin America North, Central America and the Caribbean | Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine Latinoamérica
Head of legal, Colombia & Peru and executive director | Banco J.P. Morgan Colombia
Contracts manager, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru | SLB
I am delighted to introduce Legal 500’s GC Powerlist: Colombia 2026, in recognition of the key role that in-house lawyers play in today’s legal and business landscape.
Against a backdrop of rapid geopolitical, economic and technological change, companies and their legal teams are being called upon to navigate increasing complexity, manage risk and support business growth.
As Ana Maria Galindo Lozano, senior contracts counsel at SLB, notes, ‘the practice of law has undergone a profound transformation’. The role of general counsel (GC) has had to evolve alongside it. GCs are no longer solely advisors, but also business partners, strategic interpreters and decision-makers.
Their influence within organisations continues to grow. ‘The role of the in-house lawyer is not to act as a barrier to growth, but rather to help the organisation achieve its commercial objectives within a sound legal and ethical framework’, explains Carlos Andrés Bonilla Sabogal, legal VP Colombia and Perú at Cemex Colombia S.A. Achieving this requires a ‘deep understanding of the business, industry dynamics, corporate governance and enterprise risk’, adds Beatriz Eugenia Rivera Polanco, senior advisor at Grupo Energía Bogotá.
But the modern GC’s expertise must extend beyond the legal – and the business. The role’s ‘evolution requires a combination of strong technical expertise and a deep understanding of the business environment’, points out Carlos Calderón, associate legal director NOLA and South Cone region at BioMarin.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a key example. No longer viewed as an emerging technology, AI has become a strategic priority for organisations, many of which are now moving beyond implementation towards optimisation. As a result, legal teams are playing a central role in enabling its integration.
‘AI presents a significant opportunity for legal departments to enhance efficiency and focus resources on higher-value strategic work’, explains Adriana Londoño Ángel, legal VP at Hoteles Decameron. But, she continues, ‘legal teams should ensure that the use of AI complies with confidentiality obligations, data protection requirements, cybersecurity standards and ethical considerations’.
AI’s potential is accompanied by significant risks. ‘Its use must be governed by clear policies to protect confidential and personal data and ensure accountability’, warns Tatiana González C, head of legal, Andean Region, at Unilever. Human oversight remains essential to maintaining quality, governance and trust. As Fernando Victoria Pena, legal and compliance director, Andean Region, at Teleperformance, observes: ‘In practice, this means AI does not replace legal judgment; it amplifies it’.
On July 1st, Legal 500 unveiled the fourth edition of the GC Powerlist: Portugal 2026, in partnership with PLMJ. Hosted once again on the rooftop terrace of the firm’s Lisbon office under a blazing summer sun, the event brought together many of Portugal’s most accomplished in-house lawyers to celebrate this distinguished community of legal leaders.
Returning to its individual-focused format, this year’s edition marked the reintroduction of the Rising Stars category, recognising some of the country’s most promising emerging in-house counsel. It also saw the world debut of the Transnational Leaders category, highlighting general counsel whose leadership and influence extend beyond national borders and whose responsibilities span multiple jurisdictions.
The evening commenced with a welcome address from Legal 500’s editorial lead Francisco Castro, who emphasised the importance of continuously evolving the publication to reflect the realities of Portugal’s in-house legal market. He highlighted the rigorous research and selection process behind the GC Powerlist series and congratulated the honourees for their outstanding contributions to the profession and the organisations they serve.
Following this introduction, Bruno Ferreira, Managing Partner of PLMJ, took to the stage to congratulate those recognised in this year’s edition. In his remarks, he underscored the increasingly strategic role of in-house counsel in supporting business growth, navigating complexity, and driving legal excellence. He also reflected on the transformative impact that AI is having on the legal function and the opportunities it presents for corporate legal teams.
Concluding the formal proceedings, Alexandra Reis, Senior Counsel at Tabaqueira and a recipient in the inaugural Transnational Leaders category, shared a few reflections on the significance of recognising in-house lawyers and the value of fostering a strong, connected legal community. Drawing on her own experiences, she spoke about the importance of networking, knowledge-sharing and celebrating a profession whose contributions often take place behind the scenes.
The launch of the GC Powerlist: Portugal 2026 proved to be a fitting celebration of the country’s leading in-house legal talent. The evening showcased the depth, expertise, and influence of Portugal’s corporate counsel community while reaffirming Legal 500’s commitment to recognising and championing its achievements. We extend our sincere thanks to all those who participated in this year’s research process, and to PLMJ for once again partnering with Legal 500 to provide a platform that honours these exceptional legal professionals.
