Team size: 110

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?

It has been almost a year since I stepped down as vice president corporate affairs and general secretary of Ecopetrol. One of my major achievements was the design and implementation of robust corporate governance best practices for the group. After this experience, I have come to GeoPark, and have begun a corporate governance transformation that is preparing us for strategic and exponential growth that we intend to achieve in the coming years. I have assembled an excellent multi-disciplinary team to look at the international and diverse corporate structure we have as a group in every jurisdiction in North America, Europe, and Latin America. We are setting out a clear approach to evolve towards what best practices should apply across the group, not limiting ourselves to the minimum of the law, but ensuring that we can add value by designing clear guidelines and practices. This has been at minimal expense, as our experienced corporate governance team have clear guidance on and how to achieve our objectives.

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

I foresee that general counsel will need to work differently in the near future. The main value of a general counsel is not only to master the law, but also to be able to connect legal issues with political, economic, and business considerations that will make legal advice more relevant and applicable to business decisions. For this reason, from a structural and knowledge point of view, a general counsel will benefit from a broader view of the business, including other areas, not only legal, such as social, sustainability and corporate communication and governmental affairs.

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

The energy sector is being affected an increased need for meaningful dialogue with stakeholders, in particular with the communities in the areas where we operate. This translates into engagement that is not only focused on the licence to operate, but engagement that drives a deep understanding of the territory, its history, its culture, and its long-term needs of sustainable growth. Ultimately projects will require restructuring as to include communities as partners and not just as beneficiaries.

There is also an urgent need to accelerate the energy transition, net zero emissions by 2050 is not enough. The energy sector is rethinking its approach on climate change towards new initiatives that will eventually become low-emission business lines that could be implemented in a shorter timeframe and including upskilling and retraining the workforce.

What measures has your company taken to embed sustainability practices into its core business operations, and how does the role of the general counsel contribute to driving and ensuring sustainable practices within the company?

We have integrated sustainability practices into our business “DNA”. First, the strategy, SPEED and legal affairs department, which I lead, not only includes the corporate and business legal affairs of GeoPark, but also offers a portfolio of other areas that have synergies with each other that provide comprehensive services to our internal and external clients in a coherent manner. The creation of this new department and the way it is shaped sends a clear message to our stakeholders about the importance of these issues.

Secondly, we have structured corporate governance of sustainability so that it is understood and managed from top-down and bottom-up. This implies that all our employees and contractors must understand the value of and abide by our sustainability practices. Sustainability is also a crucial part of the board’s role when it comes to strategy. This governance starts with our sustainability committee and the board, which discusses these issues as an integral part of our business culture.

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

I am passionate about transforming companies and helping them to grow, which involves taking risks. Being in the energy sector, specifically oil and gas, a necessary but constantly challenged industry, there is no choice but to embrace transformation. I believe that growth can be achieved by embracing the change that comes with a solid understanding of sustainability, energy transition and governance. If managed well, all of these, provide the platform for long-term, sustainable growth.