Event information
The Legal 500 is thrilled to officially announce the forthcoming GC Summit Colombia 2023, scheduled for November 21st, 2023, in the vibrant city of Bogotá.
The GC Summit Colombia 2023 is designed to cast a spotlight on Colombia’s presence on the global stage and delve into how general counsel and senior in-house lawyers are managing the multifaceted legal and business challenges that both domestic and international companies encounter.
In collaboration with our partners Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, León Cosgrove Jiménez, LLP, and Parra Rodríguez Abogados, this event will feature a series of panel sessions covering a diverse range of cutting-edge and contemporary topics for in-depth discussion.
These sessions will encompass various critical themes, such as effectively navigating international disputes, adapting to the evolving legal landscape, recognising the significance of ESG considerations, and surmounting labor and employment issues.
Drawing upon the extensive expertise of our distinguished speakers, this event will offer pragmatic, hands-on guidance tailored to the needs of in-house counsel.
The GC Summit Colombia 2023 is an unmissable occasion for all in-house counsel in Colombia aspiring to elevate their professional development to the next level.
Agenda
1.00pm – 1.45pm Registration and light lunch
1.45pm – 2.00pm Opening remarks
- Sara Maggi, deputy editor – GC Powerlist Series, The Legal 500
- Carlos Felipe Payan Rodriguez, corporate legal counsel, compliance officer, Avaya
2.00pm – 2.50pm Winds of Change: Challenges and opportunities for foreign investors in Latin America
In a polarised political environment, governments across Latin America are pursuing policies that have fundamentally changed the investment climate in the region. Proposed tax reforms, energy reforms, health reforms, and pension reforms, among other proposed measures, have had important consequences for investors operating in some of the most stable economies in Latin America. This panel will discuss the key considerations for navigating this new political and legal landscape, focusing on present business opportunities and key considerations for protecting foreign investments.
- Laura Sinisterra, partner, Debevoise & Plimpton
- Adrianna Rojas, vice president, portoflio management infrastructure, Brookfield Asset Management
- Alejandra Bonilla Lagos, corporate vice president legal, Frontera Energy
2.50pm – 3.40pm Bribery and corruption in the era of AI
Join us for a thought-provoking session where we delve deep into the intersection of AI and ethical challenges surrounding bribery and corruption. In this digital age, malevolent actors continuously find innovative ways to exploit technology for fraudulent gains, making it more critical than ever to address these issues. Do not miss this opportunity to explore how AI can both pose a threat and provide solutions in the fight against bribery and corruption. Engage with us in this insightful discussion on safeguarding business integrity and ethics in the digital age.
- Oscar Tutasaura, partner, Posse Herrera Ruiz
- Juan Pablo Ovalle Arana, country counsel, IBM de Colombia
- Rodrigo Borda, LATAM ethics and compliance business partner director, Astellas Farma Colombia
- Sara Calderón, head of legal and business conduct, Gilead Sciences Colombia
- Katherine Rueda Chavez, senior managing counsel, senior director Andean region, Visa
3.40pm – 3.55pm Coffee break
3.55pm – 4.45pm International litigation – recent developments and emerging trends
As the world becomes more globalised, companies engaging in cross-border transactions must proactively consider the legal risks they are exposed to in different jurisdictions. This panel discussion will highlight recent developments in international litigation and the practical considerations that foreign companies must take into account when navigating the United States legal system including recent developments on personal jurisdiction, seeking discovery under 28 U.S.C. Section 1782, and the legal exposure that foreign companies face, under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) and pursuant to the recent supreme court case in Yegiazaryan v. Smagin
- Diego Pérez Ara, partner, León Cosgrove Jiménez
- Carlos Andrés Bonilla Sabogal, legal vice president – Colombia and Perú, CEMEX
- Carola Andreina Rojas Wulkop, head of arbitration group, Refinería de Cartagena
- Maria Andreina Hernandez, litigation and arbitration associate, León Cosgrove Jiménez
4.45pm – 5.35pm Navigating legal uncertainty in Colombia: Strategies for business sustainability
In today’s complex and ever-changing legal landscape, addressing issues related to sustainability, diversity, and human rights has become more crucial than ever. This engaging panel discussion will bring together legal experts, thought leaders, and advocates to explore the intricate web of laws and regulations that intersect with sustainability practices, diversity and inclusion initiatives, and the protection of human rights. Attendees will gain valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities these legal gray areas present and discover strategies to promote a more ethical and inclusive business environment.
- César Barajas, director banking and finance group, Parra Rodríguez Abogados
- Daniela Peréz, lawyer – corporate and M&A transactions, Parra Rodríguez Abogados
- Francisco Morón, legal director, secretary general and legal representative, Abood Shaio Foundation
- Gerardo Hernández Correa, legal vice president, Banco de Bogotá
- Jorge Rodríguez, legal and government affairs manager, Natura and Avon Colombia
5.35pm – 5.40pm Closing remarks
5.40pm – 7.00pm Drinks and canapés
Speakers
Sara Maggi, deputy editor - GC Powerlist Series, The Legal 500
Sara Maggi joined The Legal 500’s editorial team, specialising on the in-house legal community, in 2022; since then, she has led the research for several editions of the GC Powerlist Series, aimed at highlighting the expertise of in-house counsel worldwide.
In researching for the GC Powerlist Series, Sara has had the opportunity to interview a large number of globally acclaimed general counsel, chief legal officers, and heads of legal using English, Italian and Spanish. Sara’s passion and interest in corporate governance have allowed for conversations, reports and write-ups concerning hot topics in the area such as ESG, legal tech, diversity and inclusion and changes to the role of general counsel in years to come.
Sara holds a BA from the University of Westminster and an LLM in International Corporate Governance from the University of Law in the United Kingdom. She was a Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators in 2022.
Oscar Tutasaura, partner, Posse Herrera Ruiz
Oscar Tutasaura is a partner at Posse Herrera Ruiz. His professional practice focuses on corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, and privatisations.
Oscar’s experience in M&A includes advising buyers, sellers and public entities in domestic, international acquisitions and privatisations in a number of industries such as energy, pharmaceutical, infrastructure, fast food, chemical, automotive, and chain stores. Oscar has extensive experience advising clients on cross-border mergers and acquisitions in the insurance industry.
Prior to joining Herrera Ruiz, he worked as an associate at a Colombian firm and at the New York offices of Sidley Austin, LL.P. Óscar is a professor of law in obligations at the Faculty of Jurisprudence of the Universidad del Rosario.
He is a lawyer from Universidad del Rosario, with a specialisation in commercial law from Universidad de los Andes and a master’s degree in international legal studies from Georgetown University. He is admitted to Colombia and the State of New York. He is a member of the New York State Bar and the New York City Bar.
César Barajas, director banking and finance group, Parra Rodríguez Abogados
César Barajas is the director of the Banking & Finance group at Parra Rodríguez Abogados with particular emphasis on structured finance, secured transactions, insolvency, cross-border transactions, and high-value equipment financing. Lawyer from Universidad del Rosario in Colombia and with a Master of Laws (LL.M) in International Business Law from Tilburg University in The Netherlands. As a member of Parra Rodríguez Abogados, César has also engaged in the promotion of sustainable business practices within the private sector.
Diego Pérez Ara, partner, León Cosgrove Jiménez
Diego Pérez Ara is a Partner at the Miami, Florida office of León Cosgrove Jiménez, LLP. Civil and common law-trained, he helps clients navigate the murky waters of complex international disputes. His practice involves international and domestic arbitration (under most major institutional rules) federal and state court litigation, and proceedings before government regulatory agencies.
Mr. Pérez Ara has represented foreign and domestic corporates and sovereigns before Venezuelan and U.S. courts and all major arbitral institutions. His dual qualification allows him to understand the cultural and legal differences between the various legal systems and to help clients in whatever forum they may find themselves.
Daniela Peréz, lawyer - corporate and M&A transactions, Parra Rodríguez Abogados
Daniela has been a lawyer in Parra Rodríguez Abogados since 2017. She concentrates her practice in corporate and M&A transactions. Daniela has participated in various cross-border transactions. She also represents several Colombian and international companies from different industries in corporate matters, including airlines and world’s leading manufacturers of construction materials, amongst others. Daniela has also engaged in the promotion of Sistema B (B Corp) in Colombia.
Daniela holds an LLB from the Universidad del Rosario. In 2015, she obtained a Master I in International Law in Paris 1 Pantheón-Sorbonne.
Francisco Morón, legal director, secretary general and legal representative, Abood Shaio Foundation
Francisco Morón is legal director, secretary general and legal representative of the Abood Shaio Foundation. His professional practice focuses on corporate, contractual, dispute resolution and regulatory matters, particularly in issues related to the provision of health services. Francisco is a lawyer from the Universidad Externado de Colombia, with a master’s degree (LLM) in International Business Law from Tilburg University in the Netherlands and a specialisation in Commercial Law from Universidad de los Andes.
As legal director and secretary general of the Abood Shaio Foundation, his practice also addresses issues related to constitutional actions, the pharmaceutical industry, trade union management and generally, issues related to the Colombian Social Health Security System.
Carola Andreina Rojas Wulkop, head of arbitration group, Refinería de Cartagena
Carola is the head of arbitration of Refinería de Cartagena. She has an L.L.M with merits in international Dispute Resolution and Economic Law from Queen Mary University of London with extensive knowledge in litigation, dispute resolution, business, and international trade under various legal frameworks and under the rules of various arbitration institutions. Carola has more than 12 years’ experience in litigation and commercial arbitration, claims management and extension of time dispute, analysis and structuring of energy, transportation, and construction contracts, project finance and management. She obtained a Law Degree from the Andres Bello Catholic University in Caracas, Venezuela. She is admitted to practice in Venezuela and Colombia; speaks Spanish, English, German and basic French.
Carlos Andrés Bonilla Sabogal, legal vice president - Colombia and Perú, CEMEX
Alejandra Bonilla Lagos, corporate vice president legal, Frontera Energy
Alejandra is the corporate vice president of the legal area and general counsel of the Canadian oil and gas company Frontera Energy. With more than 20 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, Alejandra is highly recognised in Latin America, with particular knowledge in hydrocarbon matters, specifically merger and acquisition operations, cross-border, litigation, corporate law and financing. Before joining Frontera, Alejandra worked at several law firms in Bogotá and other international hydrocarbon companies. Throughout her career, Alejandra has been involved in multiple highly complex matters, such as the restructuring of Pacific Rubiales Energy Corporation, contract migrations in Latin America, and various arbitrations.
Jorge Rodríguez, legal and government affairs manager, Natura and Avon Colombia
Jorge is a corporate lawyer and a specialist in commercial law from Universidad Libre. He has extensive experience in contractual matters, corporate governance, structuring of business models, e-commerce, labour relations, tax structuring, project leadership and other matters associated with business law. He began his professional career at Natura more than 13 years ago. Before becoming the legal and government affairs manager for Natura and Avon in Colombia, Jorge held the positions of legal analyst and legal coordinator at the company. Currently, he oversees the relationship with the public sector, national and international contracting, corporate structuring and legal viability of environmental projects aligned with the company’s objectives
Gerardo Hernández Correa, legal vice president, Banco de Bogotá
Gerardo is a lawyer from Universidad de los Andes specialised in administrative law from Colegio Mayor de Nuestra Señora del Rosario. He is legal vice president for Banco de Bogotá, and previously worked with the Colombian Central Bank (Banco de la República) where he served as secretary of the board of directors and executive manager. In his career within the public sector, he served as financial superintendent from 2010 to 2017, vice minister of labor and social security and head of the business development unit of the National Department of Planning
Laura Sinisterra, partner, Debevoise & Plimpton
Laura Sinisterra is a partner in the New York office in the firm’s International Dispute Resolution Group. Her practice focuses on international arbitration and litigation handling complex disputes in Latin America. Ms. Sinisterra is on the board of the Asociación Latinoamericana de Arbitraje (ALARB) and is vice chair of the International Arbitration Committee of the ABA’s International Law Section. She received an LL.M. from Harvard Law School and her law degree from the Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá, graduating first in her class. Ms. Sinisterra is admitted to the Bars of New York and Colombia. She is a native Spanish speaker and fluent in English, with a conversational knowledge of French.
Adrianna Rojas, vice president, portoflio management infrastructure, Brookfield Asset Management
Adriana is vice president, portfolio management, infrastructure at Brookfield Asset Management. With more than 14 years of experience in structuring and managing international projects, structured financing, contract negotiation, M&A, and corporate law, Adriana occupies a prominent place in the legal industry in Colombia and is highly respected in the in-house market. Before joining Brookfield, she was senior legal manager at EY Colombia, legal manager of structured financing at Bancolombia, and an associate at the firms of Cárdenas & Cárdenas and Pabón Abogados Asociados.
Juan Pablo Ovalle Arana, country counsel, IBM de Colombia
Lawyer graduated from the ‘University Externado de Colombia, with experience and knowledge in the handling of contract responsibility, civil liability, public as well as private contractual matters, with specific knowledge in intellectual property rights and copyrights regime, as well as in contract negotiation, corporate governance affairs, habeas data, compliance matters, implementation of regulatory policies, such as FCPA (foreign corrupt practices act) UK bribery Act, SARLAFT, GDPR and processes, and labor issues, fluent in English.
Rodrigo Borda, LATAM ethics and compliance business partner director, Astellas Farma Colombia
Lawyer from the Universidad de los Andes, specialist in public services from the Universidad Externado de Colombia, Master (LL.M.) in commercial and corporate law from Queen Mary, University of London and certificate in Latin America Health Care Compliance, Seton College School of Law.
Expert in law and corporate compliance in highly regulated sectors. Currently director for LATAM of ethics and compliance (CCEO) of the Japanese multinational Astellas Pharma, previously senior legal and compliance counsel and data privacy manager at Bayer, associate lawyer of Posse Herrera Ruiz and legal advisor of Grupo Energía de Bogotá.
Coordinator and professor at the Universidad de los Andes in the corporate compliance and compliance programmes: Sagrilaft and PTEE. Colfuturo Fellow 2011 and Center for Commercial Law Studies Fellow 2011, QMUL.
Sara Calderón, head of legal and business conduct, Gilead Sciences Colombia
Katherine Rueda Chavez, senior managing counsel, senior director Andean region, Visa
Katherine is currently Visa’s senior managing counsel based in Colombia leading all legal matters for Visa in the Andean countries, which include Colombia, Peru, Venezuela and Ecuador.
Carlos Felipe Payan Rodriguez, corporate legal counsel, compliance officer, Avaya
Corporate and legal counsel at Avaya for Mexico, Andean Region and Caribbean and Central America-CCA where he also acts as compliance officer for the Andean Region. Lawyer from the University Externado de Colombia, LLM in French, European and International Business Law, from Paris-2 Pantheon Assas University, Paris, France. He is currently pursuing an Executive Master-LLM in Business Law at the Instituto de Empresa-IE in Madrid, Spain. He is a postgraduate professor at the Universidad Externado de Colombia in Business Law (Compliance) and Intellectual Property.
Maria Andreina Hernandez, litigation and arbitration associate, León Cosgrove Jiménez
In association with...
We are a multidisciplinary law firm with over 30 years of experience. We are committed with diversity, inclusion and environmental, financial and social sustainability. Our diverse and dynamic group or lawyers understands international business and our clients’ needs in Colombia, which allows us to solve complex matters with pragmatism, creativity and with complete though simplified and ethical solutions abiding by the law.
León Cosgrove Jiménez, LLP is a premier business and commercial disputes firm with deep ties to Latin America (LATAM), as it has been strategically headquartered in Miami for over 10 years. With a team that boasts Spanish speakers and civil and common-law trained lawyers from the region, we are uniquely positioned to partner with our LATAM clients in US domestic disputes as well as with international dispute resolution, including disputes adjudicated through arbitral fora such as the ICC, ICDR, and ICSID both in English and in Spanish. The firm has offices in Denver, Houston, Austin, and NYC.
Debevoise & Plimpton LLP is a premier law firm with market-leading practices and a global perspective. Our values are based on exceptional lawyering and delivering effective solutions to our clients’ most important legal challenges, applying clear commercial judgment and a distinctive collaborative approach. More than 900 lawyers work in nine offices across three continents, within integrated global practices, serving clients around the world. Our clients look to us to bring a distinctively high degree of quality, intensity and creativity to resolve legal challenges effectively and cost efficiently.
Posse Herrera Ruiz is a specialist law firm that, with a multidisciplinary and systematic approach, finds comprehensive, creative, prudent and value-added solutions that optimize the return on investment and minimize the risks of its clients. It has been committed to providing legal advice with the highest quality standards since its foundation, on the basis of the L. Posse y Cia firm, which dates back to 1927.
Aguilar Castillo Love is the first homegrown, full-service, regional Latin American law firm with more than 60 lawyers working across Bolivia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and Paraguay. Through legitimacy, cross-border business insight and forward-thinking legal expertise, we provide security for our clients on highly complex and critical matters. We place priority on the quality of our practice, the nature of its work and the value of our relationships. We are instruments for business integrity through the law.