About

For nearly 30 years now, Armando Gómez has worked for some of the largest multinationals active in Latin America, including Colgate-Palmolive (1989-1998), GSK Mexico (1998-2001), Eli Lilly (2004-2010) and, since 2011, AstraZeneca. He also spent time at Mexican IP firm Becerril, Coca & Becerril (2001-2004), where he represented some of the world’s largest pharmaceuticals companies and developed a number of innovative IP defence strategies. He is described by one nominator as ‘one of the principal legal contributors to the current agenda of pharmaceutical IP protection in Latin America. [His work has led to] a remarkable and lasting change in the way patents are defended.’ For example, during his time at Eli Lilly, where he served as Mexico-based general counsel for LACMASS (Latin America, Caribbean, middle and small size countries), Gómez worked closely with The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) – a leading industry body promoting pharmaceutical research and innovation – to devise a number of strategies in defence of IP rights, many of which are still in force today. At a time when Latin America GCs focused purely on corporate and commercial work, Gómez’s expertise and deep involvement in IP allowed him to make a distinctive contribution to the organisation – and the industry as a whole. Now based at AstraZeneca’s Delaware campus, Gómez finds himself working on a much broader range of matters across Latin America. He is frequently involved in investigations, transactions, risk mitigation, compliance, competition law, and labour and employment law. He has also overseen the redesign of AstraZeneca’s Latin America legal team and reduced its pool of external advisors. These efficiencies in headcount and redesign of external support reflect a wider transition in pharmaceuticals, with larger manufacturers shifting their focus from primary care to specialty care products. Attracting and developing legal talent and maintaining cost-effective relationships with competent external counsel is an area of focus for Gómez, who has worked to ensure the team is delivering continued legal support across the region. Throughout his long career, Gómez has seen the role of Latin America counsel evolve: ‘When I began [in-house], almost all senior LatAm counsel positions were taken by US or European lawyers. But in the last ten years there has been a growing realisation across a range of organisations that local knowledge can be a big asset. The idiosyncrasies of a particular market or region make it extremely important to employ regional counsel who understand that local business culture.’