< strong> Biography

Juan Carlos is a Colombian lawyer with more than 30 years of experience leading legal and compliance functions in the healthcare and life sciences industries. He is currently legal and compliance director at Novo Nordisk Colombia, where he oversees corporate, commercial, and regulatory matters, and drives the affiliate’s compliance agenda. In 2024 he was appointed head of compliance for Southeast Europe on a short-term assignment in Warsaw, where he strengthened monitoring processes, implemented data privacy action plans, and managed regulatory audits with successful results.

Throughout his career, Juan Carlos has been recognised for handling complex regional challenges and building compliance cultures that protect both companies and patients. At Baxter Healthcare, where he served as legal director for Latin America, he managed legal and compliance strategies across more than ten jurisdictions and a network of over seventy renal clinics. He led the renegotiation of distribution agreements to align with pharmacovigilance and competition requirements, defended the company in high-profile antitrust investigations in Colombia, Chile, Mexico, and Brazil, and directed Baxter’s exit from Venezuela, mitigating labour and legal contingencies. His leadership reshaped the legal function in the region, focusing resources on high-value work and embedding compliance into daily operations.

He has also been instrumental in building legal frameworks for emerging industries. As legal and compliance director at Clever Leaves, he guided international restructuring efforts between Canada and Colombia, oversaw land acquisitions for cultivation projects, and negotiated key supply and distribution contracts that secured the company’s expansion. Most importantly, he designed and implemented a compliance program that became central to the company’s sustainability, covering codes of conduct, anti-money laundering policies, and training for the entire workforce.

Earlier in his career, Juan Carlos gained valuable experience at leading Colombian law firms and in the public sector. His work included arbitration, privatisations, public procurement, and disciplinary processes, giving him a broad perspective that he later applied in the corporate arena.

Juan Carlos earned his law degree from Universidad de los Andes and holds a Master of Laws from the London School of Economics. He has complemented his education with diplomas in market access and finance, as well as certifications in negotiation and legal English.

Fluent in Spanish and English, Juan Carlos combines deep technical expertise with a practical leadership style. He is recognised for guiding organisations through legal complexity, reducing regulatory and reputational risk, and positioning compliance as a driver of long-term business value.