About

Formerly at Coca-Cola FEMSA, where he was general counsel with responsibility for South American corporate affairs, AngloGold Ashanti’s Felipe Márquez, vice president for corporate affairs & general counsel for Colombia, has stunned peers with the efficacy of his transition between sectors: ‘the speed with which has understood the mining sector in general and the specifics of the gold industry in particular is simply breath-taking’, notes one. Moreover he has done so with the mining sector enduring a difficult period in the Colombian market, ensuring that his role involves the management of extensive liaison with government bodies and the relevant mining and environmental authorities. Internally, since his arrival in 2012, he has remodelled the legal department, shifting its emphasis from one of ‘reactive response’ to one of ‘pro-active engagement from the outset with the business’ strategic discussions and decision-making’. This process has involved a shift in the perception of risk and a re-orientation towards the result rather than the means, resulting in ‘counsel more attuned to the business reality than simple legal theory’. The resulting growth of understanding between the legal and other departments has seen it come to be seen as an ally in business ally rather than a hindrance. Nevertheless, commentators say his most notable achievement to be his management of the numerous litigious issues that have arisen around the company’s La Colosa project. Dissolving the previous defence team, he has replaced it with a committee for contentious matters comprised of himself and lawyers from leading firms, prietocarrizosa and Posse Herrera & Ruiz, a step that has led to a string of positive results. Insiders note ‘his excellent legal criteria’, and highlight that he has been entrusted with responsibility not only for La Colosa, ‘a $5bn project that, on its own, would turn Colombia into AngloGold Ashanti’s most important producer’, but also other projects, such as Gramalote.