About

A major Colombia-based conglomerate with significant holdings in the cement and energy sectors, Grupo Argos posted revenue figures of around COL$14 trillion, equating to around $4.5bn, and had over 11,000 employees in 2016. It is, therefore, a serious operation requiring excellent support at all levels; its legal team is no exception. Indeed, one nominating individual praised the team for its ‘professionalism and commitment to excellence’, and for ‘fielding a team of brilliant legal minds whose philosophy is to accept nothing less from itself than perfection’. Specific projects that have highlighted the Grupo Argos legal team’s abilities include their support of the company’s definitive agreement with German cement business HeidelbergCement to acquire one of its cement plants in West Virginia, USA. This $660m deal, which was ultimately closed in December 2016, will also see Grupo Argos acquire the plant’s associated terminals and support facilities in a major coup for the company. This ranks alongside other high profile deals and acquisitions previously completed by Argos and enabled by its legal team, including large deals to purchase assets of French cement major LafargeHolcim in order to expand their operations globally. Singled out by the nominator for particular praise were José Camilo Abello and Maria Uriza at Grupo Argos, as well as Juan Luis Múnera and Alejandro Botero at subsidiary cement company Cementos Argos. Collectively, these individuals were lauded for their ‘remarkable ability to hone in on the important and easily-overlooked details of the transaction, and to ensure that those details were attended to with the interests of their employer in mind’.