About

CEMEX is a multinational building materials company that was originally founded in Mexico, but now has operations in more than 50 countries and is the second-largest company of its kind in the world. Since acquiring a Colombian cement company in 1996, CEMEX has continued to grow within the country. The Latin American and Colombian legal teams are led by Camilo González Tellez, who operates as both general counsel and compliance officer at CEMEX LatAm Holdings and vice president for legal affairs at CEMEX Colombia. González – who featured in the 2016 GC Powerlist: Colombia for his individual talent – is supported by a legal team that has gone to great lengths to maintain CEMEX’s reputation as an ethical company. The legal team had a significant input into work that ultimately led to CEMEX Colombia receiving the International Model Company award in 2017. The award recognised the company’s ‘commitment to increase the standards of corporate social responsibility in the areas of Quality of Life in the company, Ethics and Corporate Governance, Community Engagement, and Care and Preservation of the Environment’, according to a press release. As the only company in the construction sector to receive the award, the legal team’s efforts across particularly ethics, corporate governance and preservation of the environment cannot be underestimated especially considering the criticisms that are often aimed at the industry. However, the legal team’s excellence is not just seen in industry awards, but has a demonstrable impact on the economy of Colombia. Recently CEMEX developed a specialty high-strength ready-mix concrete for the construction of Colombia’s longest bridge. The complexity of this task challenged the legal team as much as the scientists and engineers – temporary mobile plants had to be constructed, environmental regulations adhered to and employee matters handled. When industry recognition is coupled with the department’s work on some of the most important infrastructure projects in Colombia, it is easy to see why the legal team is one of the best in the country.