About

Led by Nicolas Ruiz, Falck’s legal department in Latin America has consolidated itself as a necessary business partner to the different areas of the company and is currently viewed as an integral support tool for any new projects and actions that it plans to develop. ‘Before starting any project, our team will review the different aspects from a legal stand point, in order to pave the road for the team, enabling employees to know how they can operate without raising legal contingencies’, says Ruiz. Falck is a Nordic-based conglomerate that has operations covering four distinct business areas: healthcare, assistance, safety services and emergency. Recent highlights for the team in Colombia have included working with Falck’s business and commercial teams in a ground-breaking initiative aimed at introducing technological advances to health services, as well as liaising with government entities, in order to obtain relevant approvals. The team has particularly impressed with its proactivity in approaching government entities in the region, in order to argue for the issuance of new regulations. On the transactional side, the team has made an impact on the business with its assistance on two key corporate acquisitions in Latin America, with a net worth of $9m, as well as with winning a tender to provide ambulance services in Matecaña’s International Airport Colombia. Now Falck’s legal unit is viewed as a vital element in pushing the company’s strategy in the region. Ruiz explains: ‘Generally, the legal area is deemed as a hurdle to pass in order to make business opportunities. We wanted to change this perspective, so right from the start we are there guiding the other teams, facilitating new business and ensuring the minimum possible amount of legal contingencies’.