Legal director and general counsel | Ocensa - Oleoducto Central
Head of legal, compliance, corporate social responsibility, and government relations | Mazda Colombia
Legal director Colombia and Costa Rica | Rappi
Senior legal director Latin America North, Central America and the Caribbean | Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine Latinoamérica
Vicepresident of corporate affairs | Organización Carvajal
Co-CEO and vice president of legal and corporate affairs | Sanford Management
Arbitration counsel | Agencia Nacional de Infraestructura (ANI)
Legal director and company secretary | CARACOL PRIMERA CADENA RADIAL COLOMBIANA
Deputy general counsel and head of legal Latin America | McKinsey & Company
Head of Law, Patents and Compliance Andean, Caribbean and Central America | Bayer Colombia
Head of Legal Colombia & Ecuador | Hitachi Energy
Head of Legal Colombia & Peru – executive director | Banco J.P. Morgan Colombia
Senior litigation counsel (ACAC-Central America, Andean, Caribbean) | Uber
Vice president of legal affairs and general secretary | Scotiabank Colpatria
Legal Manager for Colombia and LSP (Cluster Chile, Perú and Ecuador) | GlaxoSmithKline
Chief legal officer and general counsel | Avianca
Legal director-private sector | Banco de Desarrollo de America Latina CAF
General counsel beauty and wellbeing– Head of legal Andean region | Unilever
Senior Legal and Compliance Director America, Andean Countries, Chile and Venezuela | Mondelēz International
Legal vice president | Steward Health Care International Colombia
Corporate and legal counsel | Avaya Communication de Colombia
Head of Legal Department Colombia, Perú, LatAm Export Markets, Panamá Operations, Americas HUB | Haleon
Vice President of Hydrocarbon Contracts | Agencia Nacional de Hidrocarburos
Corporate legal department | National Oilwell Varco de Colombia
Chief Counsel of Private Sector/Non-Sovereign Operations, Legal Affairs | Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF)
On Tuesday 23rd June, Legal 500 returned to Tokyo to launch the GC Powerlist: Japan 2026, in partnership with AMT, Morrison Foerster and Just Legal.
This year’s Powerlisters gathered at the Roppongi Hills Club for an evening of celebration, set against scenic views over the city. Leading in-house counsel from across the country came together in recognition of the vital role GCs play in today’s legal landscape, and to mark their achievements over the past year.
The evening opened with a welcome address from Isabel Caine, editor – corporate counsel at Legal 500, who spoke about the increasingly multi-faceted role of in-house counsel and how the modern GC is called upon to act as legal adviser, business partner and risk manager.
Ryu Umezu, co-managing partner at AMT, then took to the stage to congratulate nominees. In a nod to Japan’s recent World Cup success, he compared the position of in-house counsel to that of football manager, highlighting how legal teams guide their organisations through periods of uncertainty to successful outcomes.
Jeremy White, co-head of Morrison Foerster’s Asia M&A/PE practice, closed out the evening’s speeches. Focusing on the excellence in the room, he spoke to the qualities that distinguish the modern GC – and this year’s Powerlisters.
The certificate presentation then began, with honourees taking to the stage to collect their award and have their official photograph taken. Umezu was joined by Keiko Kaneko, chair of AMT’s management committee, to present the first half of the certificates, before Morrison Foerster partners Adam Harris and Takahiro Nonaka took over for the second half of the presentation.
The evening then gave way to lively conversation, providing attendees with ample opportunity to network and exchange ideas and experiences.
Legal 500 would once again like to thank AMT, Morrison Foerster and Just Legal for partnering with us to bring this event to life and congratulate all those who were included in the GC Powerlist: Japan 2026.