Katherin Diaz Velilla Joins Global Law Experts as Exclusive Member for International Tax Expertise in Colombia

Global Law Experts is pleased to announce the enrollment of Katherin Diaz Velilla of V and V Associates as an Exclusive Member, in recognition of her extensive experience and well established professional focus on international tax law in Colombia. Her admission reflects a rare blend of regulatory insight gained in the public sector, practical advisory experience in the private sector, strong technical tax expertise, and ongoing participation in academic and professional tax communities.

As co founding partner and managing partner of V and V Associates, Katherin Diaz Velilla leads a boutique legal and tax advisory practice serving clients engaged in cross border commerce, tech business, financial services, energy, manufacturing, retail and services. Her work centres on helping businesses understand and manage the Colombian tax consequences of international operations, while developing tax structures that are commercially workable, legally defensible, and prepared to withstand scrutiny from the Dirección de Impuestos y Aduanas Nacionales, DIAN.

Her enrollment as an Exclusive Member highlights her international tax practice in Colombia. In this field, success requires more than a command of statutory rules. It calls for an understanding of how Colombian tax requirements interact with cross border transactions, international standards, transfer pricing obligations, corporate reorganisations, and investment and operational models used by businesses entering or expanding into the jurisdiction. Diaz Velilla is able to approach these questions from both sides of the regulatory relationship. She advises companies with a lawyer’s precision, informed by her prior senior experience within Colombia’s tax administration and policy environment.

International Tax in Colombia

Katherin Diaz Velilla advises companies, investors, technology platforms, FinTech businesses, and energy groups on a wide range of international tax matters. Her portfolio includes cross border tax structuring, inbound and outbound investment planning, transfer pricing, tax efficient reorganisations, and intercompany arrangements. She also supports clients in the tax aspects of mergers and acquisitions and represents businesses facing high value audits, investigations, and other forms of tax controversy.

This combination of preventive planning and dispute focused support is central to her professional profile. Businesses need structures that enable investment, fundraising, market entry, financing, and growth. At the same time, those structures must align with Colombian law, be supported by appropriate documentation, and reflect the economic substance of the underlying business. Diaz Velilla helps clients address these requirements from the beginning, identifying risks early so they do not become disputes later.

Her experience is particularly valuable for international groups operating through rapidly changing business models. Digital services, financial technology, renewable energy projects, and extractive supply chains often generate complex questions about how income should be allocated, how intercompany transactions should be treated, how regulatory requirements should be met, and how evolving international tax standards should be applied. Diaz Velilla advises clients on how contracts, governance arrangements, operating models, and tax positions should work together, rather than treating tax issues as a standalone exercise.

She also supports clients in transfer pricing matters, including the preparation and defence of transfer pricing positions. Her work may involve transfer pricing documentation, group financing arrangements, holding structures, and analysis of transactions between related entities. When a matter has already attracted the attention of the tax authorities, she brings a strategic approach to audits and investigations, including negotiations and settlement focused discussions where appropriate.

A distinct strength of her practice is the ability to anticipate how Colombian tax authorities may assess cross border arrangements in practice. Her earlier work within DIAN and her experience connected to public and legislative environments give her a grounded perspective on how these matters are handled. Combined with her private sector experience, this approach strengthens her ability to spot issues that may not be obvious from a purely theoretical review of tax rules.

Professional Experience and Regulatory Perspective

Katherin Diaz Velilla began her legal education at the Universidad de Cartagena, Master’s in International Taxation, UNIR. Doctoral research in Economics and Law, UIC Barcelona. Her continuing professional development includes postgraduate training and executive programs, alongside specialised education focused on transfer pricing, tax compliance, and regulatory leadership.

Her career spans 14 years in international taxation, including more than eight years at the DIAN auditing cross-border operations. It includes senior responsibilities within DIAN, advisory roles linked to public policy and legislative contexts, and senior manager advisory work in the private sector, including a . This experience has given her exposure to tax administration, policy considerations, corporate tax management, and advisory practice for complex corporate and cross border matters.

That breadth is especially useful in international tax assignments, where client goals must be balanced with regulatory expectations and practical compliance realities. A technically sound tax structure can still create problems if there is no supporting evidence of genuine business activity, coherent contractual documentation, reliable records, and a tax position that properly reflects the allocation of functions and risks. Diaz Velilla’s advisory approach is designed to address these interconnected factors and reduce execution risk for clients operating across jurisdictions.

She is also committed to education and professional development. Diaz Velilla contributes to postgraduate tax programs, teaches, supervises theses, and delivers seminars that translate complex developments into practical guidance. She has authored technical pieces and columns focused on tax and regulatory topics, and she has spoken at the International Tax Congress as well as in university programs in Colombia and abroad. These activities enhance her ability to explain advanced legal and tax concepts clearly for business leaders, professionals, and students.

Supporting Businesses Across Sectors

Diaz Velilla’s clients range from early stage start ups to multinational groups. Her sector experience includes digital services, banking and payments, FinTech, renewable energy, and extractive supply chains, each of which presents distinct international tax considerations.

For start ups and fast growing companies, early advice can influence how a business approaches fundraising, group formation, cross border expansion, intellectual property arrangements, financing, and contractual relationships. Diaz Velilla helps companies evaluate tax implications before decisions become difficult and expensive to change.

For established international groups, her work often involves reviewing existing structures, analysing intercompany transactions, updating transfer pricing policies, and advising on reorganisations. She also supports compliance as new international tax standards take effect in Colombia, and she advises on the tax aspects of mergers and acquisitions to ensure tax considerations are integrated into wider corporate planning.

In FinTech and payments, business models can evolve faster than regulation. Diaz Velilla brings experience in the intersection of digital economy regulation and tax advising, helping clients assess how their contracts, operations, and revenue models align with Colombian tax requirements. In the energy sector, including renewable energy projects, she supports investment planning and project structuring, ensuring tax considerations are aligned with applicable regulatory and commercial needs.

This sector breadth strengthens her practical understanding of the pressures clients face. International tax advice must support real business decisions, not simply describe legal obligations. Diaz Velilla’s goal is to deliver outcomes such as responsible tax optimisation, risk mitigation, defensible compliance, and effective dispute resolution, while supporting business continuity and protecting reputation.

Why Her Expertise Meets Global Law Experts Standards

The selection standards of Global Law Experts focus on lawyers whose professional experience, specialist knowledge, and client focused approach demonstrate meaningful authority in their chosen field. Diaz Velilla meets these standards through the depth and range of her international tax work in Colombia.

Her background reflects more than a decade of experience within the Colombian tax environment, alongside senior roles in both public and private sector settings. This gives her a multidimensional perspective on tax matters. She has worked within the institutional framework that administers tax rules, advised in public policy contexts, managed tax issues within the corporate environment, and now leads a specialist boutique practice.

Her expertise is also reflected in the matters she handles. Cross border structuring, transfer pricing, international investment planning, corporate reorganisations, taxation of digital business models, audits, investigations, and negotiated outcomes require careful analysis and strategic judgment. Diaz Velilla supports clients at both the planning stage and the dispute stage, offering coordinated guidance as their circumstances develop.

Finally, her academic and professional contributions underline her standing. Through teaching, thesis supervision, involvement in postgraduate tax programs, technical writing, and speaking engagements, she demonstrates a commitment to advancing understanding of international tax issues beyond individual transactions or disputes.

A Practical Approach to International Tax

Diaz Velilla encourages businesses to start with early risk diagnosis and careful documentation of economic substance. She focuses on ensuring transfer pricing policies are robust, that commercial contracts support the tax position being adopted, and that governance and operating arrangements are consistent with the structure companies intend to implement.

This approach is especially relevant as Colombian tax authorities increasingly focus on cross border arrangements, documentation quality, digital business models, and the substantive reality of transactions. Companies must be able to demonstrate how their structures operate day to day, and how their tax treatment matches the underlying commercial facts.

When issues arise, Diaz Velilla guides clients through risk mapping, voluntary disclosures where appropriate, negotiations, and litigation strategies. Her objective goes beyond producing a technical result. She also considers continuity of operations, reputational risk, and the broader commercial impact of tax disputes.

Global Law Experts is proud to welcome Katherin Diaz Velilla as an Exclusive Member. Her international tax practice is grounded in Colombian regulatory experience, strong technical capability, sector knowledge, and practical business judgment. Through V and V Associates, she advises on cross border tax structures, transfer pricing, digital economy regulation, investment planning, and tax controversy.

With her blend of public sector perspective, private sector leadership, and academic engagement, she is a valuable addition to the Global Law Experts network. For businesses and individuals navigating Colombia’s changing international tax landscape, her practice offers a thoughtful and commercially aware approach to managing complexity, reducing risk, and supporting responsible cross border growth.