“More than the importance of ‘expanding my network’ is the need to stay connected with my environment and my sector.”

An interview with Carlos Calderon, Legal Director North Latam at BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. in Colombia.

How would you describe the state of the GC Community in your region? How has it changed since you first moved in-house?

I believe the current state of the GC community in the Latin American region is more connected today than it was in 2015. Digitalisation and the development of new connectivity tools, catalysed by the pandemic, have enabled the formation of communities. However, in the case of in-house lawyers, I believe there is still a fragmentation, both in terms of economic sector or industry and sub-regions (e.g., “Andes,” “North Latam,” “South Cone,” etc.), in addition to cultural and language barriers (interestingly, many Latin American hubs are in Brazil, but many lawyers in this region only speak English as a second language).

Therefore, I believe there are many opportunities to integrate and strengthen these communities, including in how to approach this population. I will be glad to talk and discuss about this further.

Why is expanding your network important to you? What kinds of connections or discussions would be most valuable to you?

More than the importance of “expanding my network” is the need to “stay connected with my environment and my sector,” I believe that the trend and narrative is increasingly oriented towards valuable connections, even in a professional environment, where despite awareness of a competitive environment, there is also room to generate synergies from the human side and from the intellect.

What do you want to achieve by collaborating with other GCs and senior in-house lawyers? Are there specific topics, challenges, or experiences you’d like to share or learn more about?

Aligned with my previous answer, I think the main achievement would be to connect with people and professionals who are truly convinced of acting with integrity inside and outside of business, as well as aware of the need to be constantly updated in the sector, beyond legal aspects.