About

Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (International Centre for Tropical Agriculture) is a not-for-profit research and development organisation dedicated to reducing poverty and hunger while protecting natural resources in developing countries. Whilst working in collaboration with hundreds of partners to help developing countries be more profitable and resilient, the centre aims to assist policymakers, scientists and farmers respond to some of the most pressing challenges of our time. The legal department of the organisation, led by general counsel Maria Virginia Jaramillo, oversees global corporate strategic and tactical legal initiatives, providing the senior management of the company with effective legal advice on pressing matters. Apart from negotiating critical contracts and overseeing lawsuits and administrative enquiries, Jaramillo and her team are heavily involved in governance and compliance, and manages the insurance program of the organisation. As the team supports an institution that operates within the international research sphere, its work also has significant exposure to intellectual property issues. Achievements by the department over the last few years have included the design of software for legal contract management and the transformation of the unit from a locally-focused function to a team that attends to all regions that the organisation works with, including Asia, Africa and Latin America.