Biography
She obtained her Law degree as well as a specialization in Finance Law from Universidad del Rosario, Bogota. Additionally, pursued an LL.M. in Business and Bankruptcy Law at the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) and is admitted to practice law in Colombia and the State of New York. She is an Insol Fellow.
Until December 2021, she was the Superintendent of Bankruptcy Proceedings in Colombia (Chief Justice of Bankruptcy of Colombia), and currently works as advisor in business insolvency, complex litigation, and arbitration.
Between 2019 and 2021, she represented the Republic of Colombia at the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Working Group V (Insolvency Law). During her participation, some relevant documents were approved: UNCITRAL Model Law on Enterprise Group Insolvency with Guide to Enactment (2019) and the Legislative Recommendations on Insolvency of Micro and Small Enterprises (2021). She is still part of the experts group of the aforementioned working group.
She led the reforms to the bankruptcy regime to address the effects of the Covid-19 crisis and, as a result, the Government of Colombia issued Legislative Decrees 560 and 772 in April and June 2020 and the subsequent regulations. These rules provided for the creation of an extra-judicial bankruptcy proceeding, the incorporation of artificial intelligence tools to bankruptcy cases, and the creation of a simplified insolvency regime for small enterprises.
She is a member of prestigious associations, including the International Women's Insolvency & Restructuring Confederation (IWIRC), where she is the Academic Director for Latin America; The International Association of Restructuring, Insolvency & Bankruptcy Professionals (INSOL) where she is a member of the Legislative and Regulatory Group and the Latin America Roundtable Committee; the International Insolvency Institute; Colegio de Abogados Rosaristas, were she is a member of the directive board; and Instituto Iberoamericano de Derecho Concursal (IIDC) where she is a member of the directive board.
She has received important awards and recognitions including the American Bankruptcy Institute’s “40 under 40” 2020 Class and the Global Restructuring Review “40 under 40” 2022 Class. Susana was named Woman of the Year in Restructuring 2022 by IWIRC. Also, in 2022, she was selected as part of INSOL’s Future Forty, a celebration of the rising stars of the insolvency industry in recognition of the 40th anniversary of the organization.