What are the most significant cases or transactions that your legal team has recently been involved in?

I have been involved in two significant transactions recently. The first one is the M&A of Pfizer. Its consumer healthcare division was merged with GSK’s one. This was one of the most significant transactions for the industry, given the relevance of consumer healthcare companies at the moment.

Furthermore, I have taken an active role in the GSK spin-off. Up to that point, GSK has been the holder of the two divisions — pharmaceutical products and consumer healthcare products. Because of the spin-off, the consumer unit will become a new company listed on the stock exchange dedicated to consumer healthcare products.

What will be the main focus for the company in the next 12 months and how do you intend to assist with this?

Since the spin-off is reaching its final stage, I have decided to stay with Pharma and dedicate myself to its growth. We have managed to widen our portfolio and propose new products including Oncology. Pharma is coming with lots of new particles, which I find beautiful and very interesting.

In Colombia, there is now a new president that will bring a lot of changes from the governmental perspective. GSK Colombia must adapt to these new realities, getting ahead of what is expected from us from a commercial standpoint and I would have to focus in adapting our current ways of working to the new reality. My focus will be to enable new processes and to focus on new models of contracting according with the latest regulations.

Our objective for this year is to achieve a successful spin-off without compromising the current operation of Pharma. That brings lots of challenges from the operative to the legal perspective. It requires lots of work to structure two companies separately.

What advice would you give to an aspiring in-house lawyer or general counsel?

I have started my career in the corporate world. I am passionate about my work and love working with companies. We cooperate with external firms, but at the end of the day, the in-house team truly knows and understands its internal clients. It is exciting as you learn every day about everything, not just the law.

I would say to any aspiring candidate to go ahead since there is so much to learn. It makes you grow not just as a professional but also as a person. You are cared for when you are in a company, giving you the tools you need to face new challenges. It is also an excellent opportunity to build network and communicate worldwide.