About

A leading kidney specialist healthcare company, DaVita Colombia’s
in-house legal team is recognised for its exceptional skill in legal matters pertaining to the medical and healthcare industry. Led by Helena Álvarez Uribe, head of legal, the team consists of three lawyers and a trainee including senior legal counsels Daniela Rivera Díaz and Juan Sebastián Alfonso Pulido. As head of the department, Álvarez is part of the company’s leadership team and is responsible for the strategic legal decisions and the corporate legal advisory for the company in Colombia. She also serves as alternate legal representative and principal member of the board of directors. Her team supports international legal strategies to be applied in all jurisdictions where DaVita has a presence. Each senior legal counsel has specific activities and focuses. Rivera is highly skilled in litigation and legal advisory regarding medical liability. Álvarez highlights that ‘she is focused in the attention of all the requirements and legal support to all kidney care centres from the regulatory, patient’s attention, and authorities control point of view’. Alfonso leads corporate and contractual matters and is described as, ‘the newest team member but has provided very relevant support on contractual drafting, corporate secretariat, litigation and has become a very important part of the team as well’. Despite each lawyer having specific assigned roles and activities, Uribe describes her purpose as leader is ‘to develop them as holistic legal advisors, so that all of us could face all of the legal matters that a fast paced growth company as DaVita, challenge us to solve and attend’. DaVita has developed tremendous growth during the last two years, having a particular focus in its expansion outside the US. As part of being the legal team responsible for giving advice to a Fortune 200 company, which in the particular case of Colombia has increased its market share by 6% in the last two years, and also facing the challenges of Colombia’s healthcare sector, has made the team evolve and adapt accordingly. On the strength and management style of her legal team, Álvarez highlights that: ‘Each day the increasing presence of international legal standards are leading us in the development of technological and more efficient ways to support as legal team the whole operation. Standardised processes, unification, cross border shared experiences and a committed team, has made the difference and has considerably influenced our legal advisory as local responsible in each jurisdiction. There is no way to succeed as a legal leader without the support of your team. Trust, communication, development, empowerment, and loyalty are some of the basic premises that has worked for me as a leader of such amazing and committed team as the DaVita Colombia legal team’.