Miami 2025
Supported by the Association of Corporate Counsel
Executive vice president, deputy general counsel, Head of Global Content and Intellectual Property, Mexico Litigation and Regulatory, and International Distribution | TelevisaUnivision
Central America and Caribbean Sub-Cluster Legal Head and Senior Counsel for Banking & International Legal | Citibank
General Counsel, North America, Caribbean & Asia | LATAM Airlines Group
VP, General Counsel Corporate & Global Chief Privacy Officer | Millicom International
VP & Senior Counsel, Latin America and Caribbean | Marriott International
Marisol Mateos is an international bilingual attorney who has worked in the hospitality industry since 1992, having worked in Europe and Latin America. She has experience in hotel development agreements,...
Head of Legal, Wealth Americas Banking & Lending;Â Director, Associate General Counsel | Citigroup
Nilo Barredo is the Head of Legal for Citi Wealth’s Banking and Lending businesses in the Americas. In this role, Nilo supports Wealth’s diverse banking and lending products in North...
Chief Legal and Compliance Officer | Millicom International
Associate general counsel - Product SSA Latam | Airbnb
Victoria´s background includes operating in fast-paced legal departments supporting the business and managing efficiency and simplification of in-house legal departments for over 20 years. Victoria is experienced in multi-country environments with varied...
Vice president & Associate general counsel, global M&A, Americas | Diageo
Chief Administrative Officer, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary | InspereX
Formerly Ethics and compliance executive and in-house advisor- Latin America and Global Marketing | Rockwell Automation
Executive Vice President, Secretary and General Counsel | Ingram Micro Holding
 Augusto Aragone serves as executive vice president, secretary and general counsel for Ingram Micro, a leader in delivering the full spectrum of global technology and supply-chain solutions to businesses around...
Vice President and Regional General Counsel - Latin America and Caribbean | SAP
General Counsel | Universal Alloys
Daniela Rost is an accomplished attorney with over a decade of experience as in-house counsel for companies within the same corporate group, including Universal Alloys, Georgian American Alloys, Felman Production,...
Vice president & associate counsel - compliance and ethics | Southern Glazer's Wines and Spirits
Delia C. Reyes is currently the Vice President-Associate Counsel, Compliance & Ethics at Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits (SGWS )– Central Region. Delia joined SGWS in March 2020 holding Legal...
Senior Associate General counsel | Visa
Diana M. Becerra is an international lawyer with over 15 years of experience in-house legal experience in start-ups, private high growth, and public companies. Her extensive expertise spans across various...
Formerly Director legal, senior counsel | Daikin Applied Americas
Vice President - Legal Affairs, Export Compliance Officer and Empowered Official | Barfield
Executive Vice President and General Counsel | Cisneros Group of Companies
Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary | Fresh Del Monte Produce
Effie D. Silva has served as the senior vice president, general counsel, corporate secretary since 2022. In this role, Effie leads the company’s legal, risk management, food safety, government affairs,...
General Counsel, Legal & Compliance, Latin America & Canada | Boston Scientific
Managing General Counsel for the Americas | ACS Infrastructure
Senior Vice President and chief legal officer | GSI Management
SVP, Chief counsel, North America | Mondelēz International
Legal director, payments and risks (Americas) | Uber Technologies
Jessica has over 25 years of legal experience. She is currently Uber’s Director of Payments Legal, covering payments-related matters for the Americas. Jessica began her legal career as a corporate...
General Counsel Latin America & Caribbean | Marsh Mclennan
Jorge serves as the General Counsel for Marsh McLennan in the Latin America & Caribbean (LAC) region. In this role, he is responsible for ensuring compliance with legal and regulatory...
Vice President, Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer | Laureate Education
Laura Paredes is an internationally educated lawyer, licensed in Colombia in 2003 and also in the State of Missouri, USA in 2020. Additionally, she is a registered and authorized in-house...
Vice President & Associate General Counsel (Regional General Counsel, Americas) | Japan Tobacco International
Senior vice president, senior counsel - corporate, m&a, public company | New Fortress Energy
Senior Director, Assistant General Counsel | Miami Dolphins and Hard Rock Stadium
Marc Weinroth is Senior Director, Assistant General Counsel for the Miami Dolphins and Hard Rock Stadium, where he is responsible for all legal matters, risk management, and government affairs. Marc...
Vice president, customs & regulatory affairs, DHL Express Americas | DHL Express
Vice president, Issues, Events & Remediation, Control Management (Operational Risk) | American Express
The work I am currently supporting is heavily impacted by regulatory scrutiny of the operational risk and related control environment at American Express as the company grows to become...
Senior Vice President, general counsel | Miami Dolphins, Hard Rock Stadium, F1 Miami Grand Prix
SVP, Chief Legal Officer & Secretary | Royal Caribbean Group
Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Board Secretary | Ryder System
Director, legal (North America) | Verifone
Robert serves as Director for North America Legal at VeriFone, Inc, where he structures complex commercial partnerships and enterprise merchant agreements with major global payments partners. His strategic deal-making has...
Executive vice president and general counsel | Cirion Technologies Solutions
Ms Plastino has 25+ years of experience in the technology and telecom industries, as well as in multinational investments in Latin America. She is currently based in Miami, FL and...
Chief Legal Officer | Caban Energy
Violeta Longino, an internationally recognised executive leader, is the chief legal officer for Caban Energy, an energy infrastructure provider, offering end-to-end solutions for the largest telecom companies in the world....
Legal 500 is thrilled to announce the third edition of the GC Powerlist Miami 2025, recognizing the outstanding senior in-house counsel who continue to lead the way in the legal profession. Each year, we have the privilege of celebrating the impressive achievements of individuals who are driving legal excellence, and this year, as we gather in Miami, we’re reminded of the city’s dynamic role as a global business hub where innovation and opportunity intersect.
As we enter 2025, the strategic priorities guiding in-house teams reflect both evolving challenges and transformative opportunities. As one general counsel shared, “Heading into 2025, our legal team’s priorities are grounded in technology and digital transformation, compliance, business integration, risk mitigation, and talent development. Legal technologies streamline workflows, improve contract management, and enhance data analysis.” Another noted the growing role of AI, stating, “Internally, we will continue to test and adopt the AI tools that empower our legal team to work more effectively and responsibly, as well as enhance our due diligence framework and body of precedents to reflect the evolving implications AI adoption, both by the fund and by our portfolio companies.” Sustainability also continues to shape legal strategies, with many prioritising ESG initiatives, “sustainability and ESG initiatives continue to shape our legal strategy, ensuring that environmental, social, and governance considerations are embedded in business operations.”
Legal 500 is incredibly grateful for the engagement of the in-house community, whose leadership continues to set the bar for excellence in the legal profession. We are honored to showcase these exceptional individuals and their teams, whose work drives lasting impact.
We would also like to extend our deepest gratitude to Winston & Strawn for their continued partnership and support, making this celebration possible. We look forward to recognizing the remarkable contributions of Miami’s top in-house counsel and the exciting developments shaping the legal landscape in the city.
The 2025 edition of the GC Powerlist Colombia, held at the elegant Casa Medina in Bogotá, brought together some of the most influential general counsel and in-house legal leaders from across the country and region. The event highlighted how Colombian legal departments are evolving to meet the demands of an increasingly complex, tech-driven, and sustainability-conscious business environment. Key themes throughout the day included the strategic adoption of AI and legal tech, lean but agile team structures, shifting approaches to external counsel, and a strong commitment to ESG and inclusive leadership.
One of the most prominent discussion points was the integration of legal technology, particularly AI and large language models, into in-house legal work. Across companies like Uber, Unilever, Takeda, and GFT, there is strong momentum around the use of AI tools for contract lifecycle management—ranging from clause extraction and risk flagging to version control and automated drafting. However, rather than viewing AI as a replacement for legal professionals, most GCs described these technologies as strategic enablers that allow their teams to focus on higher-impact work. Laura Jaramillo Franco of Bayer provided one of the most detailed insights into how her team has deliberately structured their AI use. She emphasised that the value lies not in using AI for its own sake, but in tailoring each tool to specific use cases that align with legal risk standards and data protection policies. Tools such as Harvey, myGenAssist, Claude, Notebook, ChatGPT, Gemini, and Gamma are all part of Bayer’s ecosystem—each selected and implemented with clear purpose and governance.
Legal design was another emerging theme, with institutions like Scotiabank and Unilever investing in simplifying legal documents to make them more accessible to non-legal stakeholders. This is especially relevant in consumer-facing sectors where clear communication builds trust and mitigates risk. There is also growing interest in predictive analytics for litigation and compliance risk mapping, as legal departments seek more proactive ways to support business decisions.
Despite the growing influence of technology, staffing models remain lean. Most legal departments consist of teams ranging from three to nine professionals. However, size is no longer the defining factor of effectiveness. Instead, agility, business-embeddedness, and cross-functional collaboration are key. General counsel from companies such as Scotiabank, Cargill highlighted the increasing involvement of legal leaders in crisis management and business strategy, often working side by side with finance and communications teams. Upskilling, especially in technology and leadership, is an area of active investment, with Uber, for instance, noting formal programs aimed at equipping in-house lawyers for this evolving role.
The event also revealed a shift in the use of external counsel. In-house teams are now more confident in handling complex matters internally, including regulatory strategy, litigation, and M&A. Companies such as SierraCol and Bancolombia highlighted that while law firms remain essential, engagements are becoming more selective and strategic. The focus has moved from transactional work to long-term partnerships that add specialized value or support cross-border challenges.
Sustainability and ESG responsibilities continue to expand within legal departments. Legal leaders are increasingly central to ensuring compliance with ESG frameworks, advising on disclosures, and shaping product strategies aligned with social impact. Viviana Prada Rey of Grupo Cibest shared how her legal team plays a key role in advancing the company’s mission to contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. From advising on sustainable finance initiatives to monitoring ESG-related regulatory developments in both Colombia and the United States, the legal function has become instrumental in driving long-term impact.
Another area of strong focus was crisis resilience. Legal teams are leading scenario planning and designing compliance playbooks, ensuring they are prepared for unexpected events. Leadership and inclusion also featured prominently. Companies are integrating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) into their legal team strategies. Juliana Hoyos Flórez, General Counsel of SierraCol, discussed the company’s ALMA program (Academia de Liderazgo para Mujeres de Alto Impacto), which has empowered over 180 women across the company and community with leadership skills and is expected to reach 300 by 2026.
In conclusion, the GC Powerlist Colombia 2025 was a testament to the transformation of the legal profession in the region. Far from being reactive support functions, today’s legal departments are strategic, tech-savvy, socially conscious, and embedded at the heart of business decision-making. As demonstrated once again, Colombia’s in-house legal leaders are not just keeping pace with global trends—they are helping define them.
