Helena Álvarez Uribe serves as the Head of Corporate Legal for the ANDEAN Region of Henkel (covering Colombia, Venezuela, Peru and Ecuador).

In addition to handling all Henkel’s legal matters, Helena also contributes strategic guidance to the company as member of the Board of Directors for Colombia. She also acts as General Secretariat, offering support to all functions and business units. Helena is responsible for handling all the legal aspects of M&A and restructuring processes across all countries of the Andean Region, and giving legal advice on expansion projects.

Helena graduated in Law from Universidad de la Sabana and completed a postgraduate degree on Contractual Law from Universidad del Rosario. She is also a candidate for Magister in International Corporate Law. Prior to joining Henkel, Helena served in the commercial legal team of Cencosud.

Claudia Barrero is a lawyer at Philippi, Prietocarrizosa Ferrero DU & Uría in the Colombia office. She joined the firm in 1997 and was made partner in January 2005. Her legal practice focuses on Banking, Finance and Capital Markets and Corporate / M&A. She focuses on mergers and acquisitions of listed companies and has extensive experience in capital markets, infrastructure projects and corporate governance matters. She has acted as adviser to issuers on IPOs and debt issues, as well as to several Colombian and international clients in matters such as cross-border mergers and acquisitions and all related corporate governance aspects. She has also advised the Colombian government in various privatization processes, especially in the energy sector.

Claudia is part of the International Steering Committee of the Women in The Profession (WIP) of the Vance Center. In recent years, Claudia has worked with the Vance Center to organize Women in the Profession conferences across Latin America. At these conferences leading lawyers share ideas about ways of promoting diversity in the legal profession. Senior women lawyers from across the hemisphere have participated in each conference. The conferences have led to a new understanding of the importance of diversity in the legal profession and to exciting new initiatives to promote the hiring, retention, and promotion of women lawyers.

Claudia has a Law Degree from Universidad Externado de Colombia (1992), a Post-graduate degree in Commercial Law from Universidad de los Andes (1994), an LLM in International Business Legal Studies from University of Exeter (UK) (1996) and took the Stock Market Operations Course, Cesa-Incolda-Bolsa de Valores de Colombia (2003). She was the first non-American to chair the Board of SCG Legal, United States (2014), and is currently main member of the Board of SCG Legal, United States (2011-2016). She has been member of the board of financial institutions and domestic companies and has taught in the area of capital markets in various universities in Colombia.

She was recognized by Euromoney Legal Media Group's Americas Women in Business Law Awards with the award for Best Corporate Lawyer of the Year in Latin America (2014) and was listed as one of the Inspiring Women in Law in Latin America, by Latin Lawyer (2013). On behalf of the Colombian Stock Exchange she received recognition for the continued support and contribution to the strengthening of the stock market in Colombia (2011) and was included in the list of lawyers "Top 20 under 40" by Latin Lawyer (2004).

Andrés F. Umaña joined Microsoft in 2013 and currently serves as Corporate External and Legal Affairs Lead. At Microsoft, Andrés leads all the subsidiary's philanthropies as well as drives all the diversity strategy.

From 2006-2013, Andrés worked as a Senior Associate at Brigard & Urrutia, Colombia, where he focused his practice on telecoms, media and technology, handling all the transactional work.

Andres graduated in Law from Universidad del Rosario in 1998. He obtained a Juris Doctor from Universidad de Los Andes in 2002, and completed an LLM in Law, Science & Tecnology from Standford University. 

Valeria first joined 3M Colombia in 2006, after having practiced as a lawyer at Brigard & Urrutia in Bogotá, Colombia. During her first years at 3M, Valeria worked on consolidating the legal affairs department at 3M, which had only recently been created.

In 2011, Valeria joined the Legal Affairs team in Kimberly-Clark Colombia as a General Counsel. During her time at Kimberly-Cark, Valeria was responsible of handling a number of legal matters as well as supervising all social responsibility initiatives of the firm throughout Colombia. In 2014, Valeria returned to 3M where she became a General Counsel and Compliance Manager.

Apart from the general legal support given to 3M Colombia, Valeria is the Chair of the Women Leadership Forum locally, and leads all the social responsibility campaigns within the company.

Marie Clare  Le Chevalier joined Accenture in 2002, where she now serves as Director of Legal Services for Argentina. Marie Clare also oversees the Legal, Regulatory & Compliance Operations for Latin America. She is responsible for handling all the geographic support to the legal team as part of the Compliance, Operations, Regulatory and Ethics Legal division across Latin America. Marie Clare is also member of the Board of Directors of Accenture Argentina. Until September 2011, she served as Legal Lead representing Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela & Perú.

Prior to joining Accenture, Marie Clare worked as a Senior Associate at Perez Alati, Grondona, Benites, Arntsen & Martínez de Hoz (h) in Buenos Aires.

She holds a juris doctorate degree from Buenos Aires University and completed a journalism degree from the Catholic University, in Argentina. She earned a Postgraduate Certificate in Business Law from London Guildhall University, nowadays London Metropolitan University, as part of an LLM programme in International & Comparative Business Law.

María Adelaida Perdomo co-founded Aequales in 2014, a consultancy firm based in Peru and Colombia which promotes gender equality and diversity. Aequales produces the only corporate gender equality rankings in the region, whilst also providing consultancy services to corporations in order to improve their gender diversity, focusing on their culture, policies and processes.

Maria is a psychologist from the Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá, and holds a Master's degree in Human Rights from the London School of Economics. She is a fellow of the Global Competitiveness Leadership Program at Georgetown University. Her studies have focused mainly on gender equality, diversity and women's rights.

Rocio Suarez is a Spanish qualified lawyer and the Diversity Manager at Chambers and Partners. Rocio specialises in International Law and European Affairs and practised in a law firm in Italy. She gained extensive experience by working in institutions, governmental bodies and human rights organisations across Europe and South America. Rocio worked at the legal division of Eurojust in The Hague and collaborated in a justice project at the Ministry for Women in Peru. She has also been an active member of several women’s movements in the UK, Spain and Peru.

Previously Rocio worked as a researcher for the Chambers Latin American guide, before transitioning to being the Diversity Manager where she now works with general counsel, barristers and law firms across the world, organising and moderating legal seminars covering all aspects of diversity including those facing women working within the law.