Team size: Nine

Major legal advisers: Brigard Urrutia (Colombia); Perez Bustamante y Ponce (Ecuador); BLP (Costa Rica); Arias Law (Guatemala)

Could you share an example of a time when you came up with an innovation that improved how your legal team works and did not come at a large expense?

Innovation takes various forms, whether through groundbreaking inventions or by utilizing available tools to unlock our team’s capabilities. Because we focus on both types, I will share one of each.

Firstly, we revolutionised our workflow by implementing a centralized management system. Through collaboration between our attorneys and the engineering team at one of our manufacturing sites, we developed an all-in-house litigation management tool, corporate obligations follow-up method, legal library, and a comprehensive yearly objectives tracker. This single administration hub enables us to generate real-time dashboards providing valuable insights and enhancing our decision-making process.

On the other hand, we harnessed the power of our internal training platform to create a customized learning path focused on enhancing our business acumen. By incorporating commercial and product-specific content, we empowered our team to develop a deeper understanding of our organization’s core operations, strengthening our standing as key enterprise architects.

Remarkably, these innovations came at zero cost to the company.

Can you foresee any key developments to the way general counsel work over the next five years?

I foresee significant advancements reshaping the role of general counsel in the next five years. We will witness a greater reliance on AI and data analytics, accelerating work processes, enhancing decision-making, and mitigating risks. By replacing some of the workload with technology, general counsel will assume a more strategic position, navigating emerging regulatory frameworks in areas like data privacy, cybersecurity, and sustainability, to name a few. Furthermore, fostering strong business acumen and collaborating cross-functionally will be imperative for general counsel to drive value and contribute to the achievement of corporate goals. Keeping that in mind, my team works under the premise that we are not just legal advisors, we co-create business strategies providing legal know-how, with a preventive and reactive approach that facilitates the achievement of Bayer’s objectives, whilst building a culture of compliance.

What are some of the main trends impacting the industry sector you work in in Colombia?

In Colombia’s legal industry, several trends are shaping the landscape. One is the increased focus on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors. Companies are recognising the importance of sustainable practices, ethical governance, and social responsibility. This trend is driving the adoption of robust compliance frameworks, risk management strategies, and a greater emphasis on transparency and accountability. Additionally, the digital transformation of legal services is reshaping the way legal professionals operate, with advancements in technology such as AI, enabling greater efficiency, accuracy, and cost-effectiveness.

What is a cause, business-related or otherwise, you are passionate about, and why?

One cause I am deeply passionate about is promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) within and beyond Bayer and the legal industry. Not only is promoting justice and equal rights the correct thing to do, but by actively fostering DE&I, organisations drive innovation, foster creativity, and lead to better decision-making.

By advocating for DE&I, we create opportunities for underrepresented individuals, challenge biases, and contribute to building more inclusive societies. I am particularly committed to breaking down barriers for women in leadership roles, empowering them to reach their full potential and shatter glass ceilings. Also, being the youngest legal head in the company worldwide, I constantly challenge the generation bias and strive to be the testimony that age does not define technical capabilities nor the ability to lead.