Webinar: "Allocation of Oil & Gas Areas in Colombia"

Armando Zamora is the current President of the National Hydrocarbons Agency (ANH). He is also a Mechanical Engineer and Specialist in High Government from Los Andes University. He has a Master of Science and Doctorate in Engineering from MIT, and an MBA from IMD (Lausanne). He is an Honorary Professor at the Centre for Energy, Petroleum and  Mining Studies of the University of Dundee (Scotland), where he was Deputy Director.

Mr. Zamora was the first Director of the National Hydrocarbons Agency from 2003 to 2011, emphasizing in the creation and strengthening of the new regulatory authority of the hydrocarbon sector in Colombia, as well as the adoption of a new model for concession contracts. He organized and executed six area bid rounds for exploration and production of the hydrocarbon sector, derived as modern, competitive and fair. Among other achievements, he has also served as Senior Advisor to Accenture Strategy Energy and Schlumberger Business Consulting, Senior Consultant to the Boston Consulting Group, and Consultant to the IDB, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the International Finance Corporation. He previously worked at Mobil de Colombia, the Institute of Nuclear Affairs, Carbocol and Corporación Invertir en Colombia, currently Procolombia.

Carlos Mantilla McCormick's practice area is Oil and Gas Law, he has advised and represented companies and government entities in contracting processes, area allocation, disinvestment of assets, negotiation of participation interests in contracts, mergers and acquisition, farmin and farmout agreements, lawsuit and arbitration processes, design and issuance of policies and regulations for the hydrocarbon sector, incorporation of investment vehicles, creation of branches of foreign companies, obtaining of government licenses and permits, and management for the fulfillment of commitments and contractual and legal obligations.

He has 30 years of experience in the oil sector, he has been Vice President of the National Hydrocarbons Agency (ANH), Vice President of Transportadora de Gas Internacional (TGI), Legal Manager of Occidental de Colombia (OXY) and advisor of the National Hydrocarbons Agency, of national and foreign operating companies. He worked at the Banking Superintendency and Bogotá Chamber of Commerce.

He is a Lawyer from the Universidad Externado de Colombia and a Specialist in Commercial Law from the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana. He studied for a Master of Business Administration at the University Institute of Business Administration (IADE) of the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain, in addition to specialized courses at the Center for Energy, Petroleum and Mineral Law and Policy of the University of Dundee, Scotland, and at Yale University, United States.

Currently, he works at the Law Firm: Mantilla McCormick Asesores.

Marianna Boza is a transnational attorney authorized to practice in Venezuela and Colombia. She is a Director at Brigard Urrutia and is Head of Mining and O&G. In her capacity, Marianna advises clients around the world on the operations and corporate transactions of upstream, midstream, or downstream energy companies.  She has substantial experience advising companies in the oil & gas and petrochemical sectors. She has been involved in major upstream, midstream, and downstream projects in Latin America, advising in the negotiation and drafting of the relevant contracts. Marianna has advised clients in the negotiation, creation, and financing of joint ventures for the development of hydrocarbons and petrochemical activities and the processing of gas in Venezuela and Colombia.

Marianna was the senior legal counsel at Shell Venezuela, actively participating in the downstream business to produce oil by-products. Additionally, she was an in-house attorney in secondment for the legal department of Repsol and ChevronTexaco in Venezuela, where she provided business-focused advice and gained on-site experience.

Marianna actively participates in several binational chambers of commerce and associations of industry and trade; she is currently the vice president of the Board of Directors of the Colombian-Canadian Chamber of Commerce and the director of the Extractive Committee of the Colombian-Canadian Chamber of Commerce.  Marianna is also a member of the Latin America Regional Executive Committee Association of International Petroleum Negotiators (AIPN).