Mexico 2018 – GC Powerlist
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Mexico 2018

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Adrian Estrada

General counsel and institutional affairs director | Ternium Mexico

Materials and mining

Described as an ‘ambitious self-starter’, Adrian Estrada is known in the industry for his flexible approach to managing legal processes, as well as his high susceptibility to change. These attributes...

Agustín Ballina Casares

Chief legal counsel | JLL México

Financials

Wholly owned by Jones Lang LaSalle, JLL México has been providing specialised services to the Mexican real estate industry since 1991. Describing the company’s current chief legal counsel, Agustín Ballina...

Ahiram Sarai Barbosa Celis

Corporate lawyer | Pantos Logistics Mexico

Consumer products

A corporate lawyer of repute, Ahiram Sarai Barbosa Celis has a track record of providing excellent legal and business advice in a number of roles. She currently ‘reviews all contracts...

Alberto Paez

General counsel | Cuauhtémoc-Moctezuma (HEINEKEN México)

Food, beverages and tobacco

Founded in 1890, major Mexican brewery Cuauhtémoc-Moctezuma exists today as a subsidiary of HEINEKEN International after the Dutch brewer acquired the company in 2010 from FEMSA. Alberto Paez had been...

Alberto Sepúlveda

Executive vice president, general director of legal and institutional affairs | Walmart de México y Centroamérica

Alberto Sepúlveda was a partner with White & Case prior to working with Walmart de México y Centroamérica, which is emblematic of both of his immense technical legal skill and...

Alberto Sepúlveda

Executive vice president, general director of legal and institutional affairs | Walmart de México y Centroamérica

Consumer products

Alberto Sepúlveda was a partner with White & Case prior to working with Walmart de México y Centroamérica, which is emblematic of both of his immense technical legal skill and...

Alejandro Cantú Jiménez

General counsel | América Móvil

Telecommunication services

Now approaching two decades of experience with América Móvil, Alejandro Cantú Jiménez continues to diligently and successfully support the operations of one of Mexico’s largest and most important businesses. Since...

Alejandro E. Athié

General counsel (Mexico and Southern Cone) | Bank of America Merrill Lynch

Financials

In Latin America, Bank of America Merrill Lynch offers a full range of financial products and services to corporations, institutions and governments. Since 2011, Alejandro E. Athié has been the...

Alonso del Val Echeverría 

Chief legal counsel | Oro Negro

Energy and utilities

Oro Negro was founded in 2012 and is a leading Mexican company that provides integrated and diversified oilfield services. Assisting with the company’s drilling services, Alonso del Val Echeverría oversees...

Álvaro Gómez Godoy

General counsel | Grupo Rotoplas

Energy and utilities

In June 2017 Álvaro Gómez Godoy took the reins of the general counsel role at Grupo Rotoplas, and in doing so assumed responsibility of dispensing comprehensive legal advice to Latin...

Amanda González

Vice president, corporate counsel – Mexico | PGIM Real Estate

Industrials and real estate

Part of the global investment management businesses of US Fortune Global 500 company Prudential Financial, PGIM Real Estate has been redefining the real estate investing landscape since 1970. The company...

Having spent over 24 years at one of the most important real estate companies in Mexico, Grupo FRISA, Armando Ascencio Pérez has an almost unrivalled understanding of the company’s operations...

Blanca Verónica Casillas Placencia

Legal director – corporate division | Banco del Bajío and Institución de Banca Múltiple

Financials

A long standing in-house legal professional within Mexico’s financial services sector, Blanca Verónica Casillas Placencia has worked for Banco del Bajío since November 1995. Being recognised for her talent and...

Carla Revilla

General counsel | Grupo Axo

Consumer products

Over her long career in the legal profession Carla Revilla has accumulated substantial experience under diverse legislation, resulting in an almost unrivalled knowledge of Latin-American deals and their legal requirements....

Carlos A. Facha Lara

General counsel | Impulsora del Desarrollo y El Empleo en América Latina (IDEAL) and Minera Frisco

Industrials and real estate

Carlos A. Facha Lara joined Grupo Financiero Inbursa as a legal manager in 1996. After a spin–off of Inbursa in 2005, IDEAL was incorporated and Facha assumed the general counsel...

Carlos Eduardo Aldrete Ancir

Director of legal affairs and secretary of the board of directors | FEMSA

Food, beverages and tobacco

Fomento Económico Mexicano S.A.B de C.V, (FEMSA) is the largest franchise bottler of Coca-Cola products in the world by volume and also operates the largest convenience store chain in Mexico....

Carlos Hassey Artigas

Senior vice president legal and deputy general counsel | Grupo Aeroméxico

Transport and infrastructure

Carlos Hassey Artigas is an integral member of the Grupo Aeroméxico in-house legal team in his position of senior vice president legal and deputy general counsel, and lays out the...

Carlos Ortiz Mena

Head of legal | Fresnillo

Materials and mining

Carlos Ortiz Mena joined Mexican-based precious metals mining business Fresnillo as a legal manager in 2001, when the company was still a wholly owned operating division of Industrias Peñoles. Since...

Christian Paredes

General counsel  | SAP México

Information technology

SAP is the world’s largest business software company and has been operating in Mexico since 1994, and in 2014 the Mexican branch of the company appointed Christian Paredes to the...

Claudia Rosso Rizo

General counsel | Abilia

Industrials and real estate

With more than 17 years of experience as general counsel for real estate companies, Claudia Rosso Rizo is a respected and admired in-house legal expert. Her years as a real...

Daniel Perez-Cirera Santacruz

Legal, compliance and government affairs director | Samsung Electronics México

Information technology

Recognised for his non-linear way of thinking and strong analytical and negotiation skills, Daniel Perez-Cirera Santacruz has been at the heart of the launch and implementation of Samsung Electronics’ new...

David Gustavo Lamoyi

General counsel and corporate senior vice president compliance | Grupo Aeroméxico

Transport and infrastructure

David Gustavo Lamoyi’s career prior to joining Grupo Aeroméxico was one of public service, first with the Federal Consumer Protection Agency (Profeco), and later the Ministry of Finance and Public...

Denise Guillen Lara

Vice president, legal and leader of integration (Latin America) | Nielsen

Commercial and professional services

Denise Guillén Lara has practiced at a varied set of companies and firms over the course of a 24-year legal career, prior to joining Nielsen, Guillén directed and collaborated in...

Edgar Martínez

Legal and corporate development director | Japan Tobacco International (JTI) México

Food, beverages and tobacco

Since being featured in the GC Powerlist: Mexico in 2016, Edgar Martinez has continued to impress at Japan Tobacco International (JTI) México. His recent focus has mainly been on the...

Edgar Trueba Paz y Puente

Executive director | Morgan Stanley México

Financials

‘The need for involvement in all aspects of the company has allowed me to get a broader and better understanding of the industry, the company and the needs of both...

Eduardo Ramos Valdivia

Litigation counsel and lead counsel - Digital Factory & Process Industries and Drives divisions | Siemens México

Industrials and real estate

Upon starting his in-house legal career as a litigation counsel at Siemens México, Eduardo Ramos Valdivia was presented with the challenging task of participating in the transformation of the legal...

Eduardo Rojas Crespo

General counsel | Industrias Bachoco

Food, beverages and tobacco

Eduardo Rojas Crespo is highly capable, with over 25 years of experience as an in-house lawyer, 24 of which have been as general counsel. From 1994 to 2004 he was...

Elena Vargas

Legal manager | Pfizer México

Healthcare

One of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies, Pfizer has been operating in Mexico for over 65 years. With over 1,500 employees in the country, Pfizer México helps its parent company...

Fernanda Ramo

Senior corporate counsel | Amazon México

Consumer products

Distinguished by her negotiation and analytical skills, as well as her ‘out of the box’ thinking, Fernando Ramo boasts 20 years of leading growth initiatives across highly regulated and competitive...

Francisco Javier Mondragón Alarcón

Director of regulatory and legal affairs | TELMEX

Telecommunication services

Founded in 1947, TELMEX (Teléfonos de México) is a leading communications company in Mexico with a long history of delivering products and services to the country. Having served the company...

Francisco Merino

General counsel and senior vice president legal and government affairs (Mexico, Central America, Caribbean and Andean countries) | PepsiCo

Food, beverages and tobacco

US-headquartered multinational food and beverage corporation PepsiCo has had a presence in Mexico dating back to 1907. Francisco Merino’s association with the organisation began in 2004 and he now serves...

Gabriel Alfonso Roqueñí Rello

General legal director | Grupo Elektra

Financials

As a leading specialised financial and commercial services company in Latin America and the largest provider of short-term non-banking loans in the US, Grupo Elektra is one Mexico’s most successful...

Gabriela Hernández Morgan

Legal and compliance director | Consubanco

Financials

Gabriela Hernández Morgan joined Consubanco in 2007, a retail bank that was just starting up at the time, to lead the in-house legal team, and oversee all legal aspects of...

George Troy Hatch

Vice president and general counsel | AT & T México

Telecommunication services

AT&T has invested US$3bn in Mexico to deploy its high-speed mobile network service that will provide coverage, by the end of 2018, to 100 million people in Mexico. Employing 19,000...

Gerardo Sepulveda

Senior attorney | IBM México

Information technology

Gerardo Sepulveda is described by nominators as a ‘unique’ type of lawyer who is ‘innovative and always finding a way to get the job done’. Currently serving as the leading...

Gustavo Alarcon

Deputy general counsel | Industrias Peñoles

Materials and mining

Industrias Peñoles, the world leader in silver production, is also the second largest Mexican mining company and the first Mexican producer of gold, zinc and lead. Industrias Peñoles currently has...

Haiko Ledesma

General counsel and director | P&G México

Consumer products

Since entering the Mexican market in 1948, P&G has come a long way establishing a leadership position in the country by acquiring and opening a number of plants and a...

Hans Hutterer

Vice president and general counsel | FINSA

Industrials and real estate

One of the most formidably capable real estate and project finance legal professionals in Mexico, Hans Hutterer has been at the head of FINSA Real Estate Group’s legal function for...

Héctor Martín Ávila Flores

General counsel, secretary of the board and managing director - legal affairs | Grupo Financiero Banorte (GFNorte)

Financials

Considering GFNorte’s status as one of Mexico’s largest banks and the largest financial group controlled by Mexican investors, Héctor Martín Ávila Flores holds a prominent position in the country’s in-house...

Isabel Ocaña Ruiz de Velasco

General counsel and chief compliance officer | Engenium Capital

Financials

With approximately two decades of experience in the financial services sector, including at such well-regarded global financial powerhouses as Deutsche Bank, ING and GE Capital, Isabel Ocaña Ruiz de Velasco...

Jaime Orvañanos

Regional general counsel - Latin America | WeWork

Industrials and real estate

WeWork is an American company which provides shared workspaces, technology start-up subculture communities and various services for entrepreneurs and start-up businesses and enterprises. Serving as Mexico’s WeWork’s regional general counsel,...

Jaime Pous

Chief legal officer | Volaris

Transport and infrastructure

Volaris, also known as Concesionaria Vuela Compañía de Aviación, is a Mexican low-cost airline based in Mexico City. It is the country’s second largest airline and serves domestic and international...

Jaime Sánchez Fernández

Chief legal officer | Arca Continental

Food, beverages and tobacco

Amongst the top 10 largest domestic companies operating in the Mexican economy, Arca Continental is a beverage manufacturing and distribution company under licence from the Coca-Cola Company and currently stands...

Javier García García

General counsel | Mexichem

Materials and mining

Formerly general counsel of Grupo Kaluz, Javier García García is a highly experienced and knowledgeable legal counsel and a well-regarded motivator of the business people around him. During his time...

Jessica Guerra Cruces

Senior manager counsel | Kimberly-Clark de México

Consumer products

An in-house lawyer with over 10 years of experience, Jessica Guerra Cruces is a corporate and intellectual property counsel with a track record of delivering at a number of international...

Joaquin Balcárcel

Legal vice president and general counsel | Grupo Televisa

Sports and media

Mexican multimedia company Grupo Televisa is one of the largest media conglomerates in the Spanish-speaking world. In Mexico it also an important cable operator and an operator of a leading...

Jorge Dueñas Zapata

Director of legal ethics and compliance - Mexico and Central America | Boehringer Ingelheim

Healthcare

Jorge Dueñas Zapata joined Boehringer Ingelheim Mexico in 2000, and in 2009 he assumed the role of director of legal ethics and compliance. He is now the member of the...

Jorge Goñi Camarillo

General legal director - Mexico and Latin America | Banco Azteca

Financials

A versatile in-house legal professional, Jorge Goñi Camarillo’s time as an external counsel has involved supporting the operations of many group companies, showcasing his immense work ethic, attention to detail...

Jorge Kim Villatoro

General counsel | Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex)

Energy and utilities

Pemex is the largest company in Mexico and operates through the whole chain of value of the oil industry, from exploration and production to industrial transformation, logistics and marketing. Explaining...

José Lavin Castañeda

General counsel | Jugos del Valle-Santa Clara

Food, beverages and tobacco

One of the leading food, juice and beverage companies in Mexico, Jugos del Valle-Santa Clara produces and distributes some of the country’s most popular soft drinks. As part of Industria...

Jose Lechuga

Legal, compliance and government relations director (global affairs) | Navistar

Consumer products

Jose Lechuga’s 15-plus years of experience working at prestigious multinational firms places him among the top in-house lawyers in his sector. Formerly with such blue-chip businesses as Carrier Mexico, Industrias...

José Luis Soberanes Torres

Vice president - legal | MIRA

Industrials and real estate

José Luis Soberanes Torres assumed his current position as vice president legal in March 2017 and has since refined his legal corporate experience in the retail sector to bolster his...

Juan Alberto Rivera Bueno

Senior counsel and public affairs | Beam Suntory Mexico

Food, beverages and tobacco

Senior counsel for Mexico at the world’s third largest premium spirits company Beam Suntory Juan Alberto Rivera Bueno has consistently impressed with his work on important cases. Most recently he...

Juan Luis Rodríguez Rivero

Director of legal services - Hispanic Latin America | accenture

Information technology

Juan Luis Rodríguez Rivero has an almost unparalleled knowledge of the IT market in Latin America and Accenture’s method of business, having been engaged as an in-house lawyer with them...

Juan P. Visoso

Managing partner and general counsel | Nexxus Capital

Financials

Juan P. Visoso encompasses over 17 years of experience in private equity, finance and corporate law, primarily in M&As, banking and securities. Visoso joined Nexxus Capital in 2008 as general...

Juan Pablo Martínez

Legal director | Artha Capital

Industrials and real estate

Described by a nominating source as an individual with ‘a deep knowledge of transactional work’ who ‘has an unparalleled understanding of the business side’ of legal work, Juan Pablo Martínez...

Juan Pablo Patiño Riosferrer

General counsel | Grupo Pisa

Information technology

Grupo Pisa manufactures and distributes pharmaceutical products and medical and health devices to private and public sectors in Mexico, Latin America and internationally. Juan Pablo Patiño Riosferrer leads the legal...

Juan Salvador Nito Irigoyen

General counsel and compliance director | AlphaCredit Capital

Financials

Formerly an extremely successful and highly-respected external counsel for Creel, García-Cuellar, Aiza y Enríquez and Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP, Juan Salvador Nito Irigoyen took on his first general...

Karla Baez Elizondo      

General counsel | Grupo Idesa

Industrials and real estate

Grupo Idesa is one of the largest business groups in Mexico and produces, distributes, markets, and sells various petrochemical and chemical products in the country through four segments: petrochemicals, dstribution,...

Ligia C. González Lozano

Legal M&A director | Grupo BAL

Industrials and real estate

Mexican conglomerate Grupo BAL operates agricultural and livestock, commercial operations, industrial operations and financial services businesses through its portfolio of subsidiary companies. It is one of the biggest and most...

Lourdes Maldonado

Senior managing counsel, compliance, Latin America and Caribbean region | Mastercard

Financials

When Lourdes Maldonado assumed her current position of senior managing counsel for compliance in the Latin American and Caribbean businesses of Mastercard International, she successfully implemented a region-wide compliance programme...

Luis Manuel Chao G.

Legal manager - Latin America | Libbey Glass

Consumer products

Libbey Glass is a leading manufacturer in retail glassware with a number of different brands in its portfolio, and its operations in the Latin America region rely on the skills...

Luis Alberto Cárdenas Díaz

Legal director | Banco Sabadell

Financials

Headquartered in Spain, Banco Sabadell opened its first representative office in Mexico in 1991. The bank continues to develop its business in Mexico, with the launch of its retail banking...

Luis Alejandro Fraga Land

Director of legal affairs, compliance and procurement - Mexico and Central America | Praxair

Materials and mining

A heavily team-oriented legal professional, Alejandro Fraga Land makes it clear that his career successes were part of a collaborative effort that could not have been possible without the support...

Luis Enríquez De Rivera Morales

General counsel and compliance officer (Mexico and Latin America) | Continental

Consumer products

Recognised for his outstanding support to the German multinational tyre company, Luis Enríquez De Rivera Morales is the current general counsel for Mexico and Latin America for Continental, encompassing a...

Luis Miguel Briola

General counsel, secretary and chief compliance officer | Grupo Bimbo

Food, beverages and tobacco

Grupo Bimbo was founded in Mexico in 1943 and since then it has established itself as a world leader in the baking industry with a presence in 32 countries and...

Marcela Barreiro Castellanos

General counsel and secretary | Daimler México

Consumer products

Daimler México’s general counsel and secretary Marcela Barreiro Castellanos boasts a varied in-house and private practice legal experience gained across a number of sectors, and takes on a wide set...

Marco Mascarúa

Vice president corporate affairs and legal | Cuauhtémoc-Moctezuma (HEINEKEN México)

Food, beverages and tobacco

An outstanding senior in-house professional with an intricate knowledge of all applicable legal, corporate and regulatory affairs affecting Cuauhtémoc-Moctezuma – the major Mexican brewery that is a subsidiary of HEINEKEN...

Marcos Czacki

Operations director and general counsel | Daimler Financial Services México

Financials

A veteran of Daimler companies since 2002, Marcos Czacki is a highly respected in-house professional who has amassed a huge amount of experience in the areas of automotive, finance and...

Mariana Páez Robles Martínez

General counsel | Eutelsat Americas

Telecommunication services

Mariana Páez Robles Martínez assumed her current position as general counsel in Eutelsat Americas, one of the world’s leading satellite operators, in 2014. Throughout her career she has flourished in...

Marianna Elena Del Río Díaz

Legal counsel and regional compliance director | Linio

Consumer products

Marianna Elena Del Río Díaz joined Linio, the largest e-commerce platform in Latin America, in 2014 as the legal director for Mexico and regional compliance director. Under her management, Linio’s...

Mariano Riva Palacio

Vice president corporate counsel - Mexico | Prologis Mexico

Industrials and real estate

‘He is a real estate expert, has great common sense for business, and knows how to make outside counsel go the extra-mile’: such is the verdict of a nominating source...

Mariel Cabanas Suarez

General counsel | Gentera (Banco Compartamos)

Financials

Founded in 1990, Gentera (listed in the Mexican Stock Exchange) and its nine subsidiaries (Banco Compartamos, being one of them) represent the largest microfinance service provider in Latin America, leader...

Mario Barreiro Castellanos

Legal director - Latin America | Vestas

Energy and utilities

Since April 2015 Mario Barreiro Castellanos has been employed as legal director for Latin America at the largest wind turbine company in the world, Vestas. Now ultimately responsible for corporate,...

Mauricio Ibañez

Corporate legal director | Grupo México

Materials and mining

Earning over US$8bn in 2016, Grupo México is Mexico’s fourth largest company and its largest mining corporation. Corporate legal director Mauricio Ibañez joined the company in 2012 to head the...

Mónica Bichara

Director and associate general counsel | The Home Depot

Consumer products

Supporting the development of the world’s largest home improvement speciality retailer, director and associate general counsel Mónica Bichara joined The Home Depot in 2002, shortly after it entered the Mexican...

Norberto Aranzábal

Chief legal officer | Liverpool

Consumer products

Known throughout the country, Liverpool is a retailer which operates the largest chain of department stores in Mexico. As chief legal officer for this distinguished brand, Norberto Aranzábal has been...

Octavio Javier Borunda Quevedo

Legal consulting director and deputy general director of credit | Banco Nacional de Obras y Servicios Públicos (Bonobras)

Financials

Octavio Borunda serves as legal consulting director at Bonobras, a state owned development bank in Mexico with core business activities in municipal and state governments and project finance. Boasting 17...

Pablo Jimenez Zorrilla

Vice president legal and corporate affairs, Middle Americas | Anheuser-Busch InBev

Food, beverages and tobacco

A multifaceted legal professional who is qualified in both Mexico and the US, Pablo Jimenez Zorrilla occupies a senior legal position that is concerned with the Middle Americas region for...

Patricio Márquez Macias

Legal director - Mexico and CARICAM | Medtronic

Healthcare

Providing legal support on all areas of law to Medtronic’s entities in Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America, legal director Patricio Márquez Macias significantly contributes in an executive position to...

Rafael Octavio Romo Aguiñaga

Director of the legal department - business division | Banco del Bajío

Financials

Since its foundation in 1994, Banco del Bajío has transitioned from being a niche bank to one with national coverage offering a full range of banking products and services. Having...

Sports and media

Prior to his current role, Rafael Rodríguez Sánchez was an in-house lawyer for Iusacell, where he operated for almost a decade; he finished in the position of legal advisor for...

Ramiro Villarreal

Executive vice president legal and secretary of the board of directors | Cemex

One of the most prominent and successful Mexican companies, Cemex relies upon a formidably qualified, experienced and knowledgeable executive management team to safeguard the fortunes of this multi-billion dollar cement...

Ramiro Villarreal

Executive vice president legal and secretary of the board of directors | Cemex

Materials and mining

One of the most prominent and successful Mexican companies, Cemex relies upon a formidably qualified, experienced and knowledgeable executive management team to safeguard the fortunes of this multi-billion dollar cement...

Raúl Escalante

Legal corporate director - Middle Americas Zone | Anheuser-Busch InBev

Food, beverages and tobacco

Boasting advanced skills in compliance, antitrust, litigation and regulatory activities acquired over a 14-year period, Raúl Escalante currently serves as a legal corporate director at Brazilian-Belgian global beverage and brewing...

Raul Felix Saul

Legal director, ethics officer and corporate secretary Mexico | ENGIE

Energy and utilities

ENGIE’s presence in Mexico goes back almost 30 years and today, through its subsidiary ENGIE MaxiGas, has a vast portfolio for providing energy and gas services to the country. Among...

Raúl Humberto Zepeda Ruiz

General director of legal and institutional relations | Grupo Financiero Inbursa

Financials

With approximately two decades of experience in the financial services sector, including at such well-regarded global financial powerhouses as Deutsche Bank, ING and GE Capital, Isabel Ocaña Ruiz de Velasco...

Raymundo Carrillo de Albornoz

Corporate legal director | Walmart de México (Walmex)

Consumer products

Mexico City was the location of the first foreign store of US retail giant Walmart. Since 1991, the multibillion hypermarkets chain operator has added over 2,300 further retail units in...

René Buentello Carbonell

Executive vice-president and general counsel | IEnova

Energy and utilities

Occupying a position that encompasses both legal and commercial counsel within the upper echelons of the business at IEnova, a Mexican energy infrastructure company, René Buentello Carbonell is an experienced...

Ricardo Garduño

Managing director and legal head - Consumer Business, Mexico | Citibanamex (Citi)

Financials

Ricardo Garduño has been employed at Citi since 1999 and currently serves as managing director and legal head for the bank’s Consumer Business division in Mexico. As a member of...

Roberto Martinez Espinoza

General counsel | Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE)

Energy and utilities

An experienced legal professional in the public sector Roberto Martinez Espinoza oversees the legal function at Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE), a Mexican government company that generates, transmits, distributes and...

Rodrigo Peña Duran

Legal director Latin America and Caribbean | Bacardí y Compañía

Food, beverages and tobacco

Rodrigo Peña Duran has been described by a nominator as ‘one of the most experienced and knowledgeable lawyers in the spirits industry’, high and well-deserved praise given his record of...

Rodrigo Pérez Elizundia

Director legal (Mexico) and senior legal counsel (International) | ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions

Industrials and real estate

ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions is one of the world’s leading companies in the field of engineering, construction and service of all industrial plants and systems. In Mexico, with over 40 year’s...

Roman Ajzen

Legal director - FIBRA Macquarie and Macquarie Mexican Infrastructure Fund (MMIF) | Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets (MIRA)

Financials

MIRA is the world’s largest infrastructure asset manager with growing portfolios in real estate, agriculture and energy. Only a year after joining MIRA’s Mexico office in 2015, US-trained lawyer Roman...

Salvador Vargas Guajardo

Corporate legal director | Gruma

Food, beverages and tobacco

Founded in 1949, Gruma has developed into a food company with a leading position in the global market as a producer of corn flour and tortillas as well as other...

Santiago Bernard Covelo

General counsel | Elementia

Industrials and real estate

During his five-year tenure at Elementia, the Mexican building materials conglomerate, Santiago Bernard Covelo has impressed with his work on a number of high profile corporate transactions, such as acquisitions...

Sara Garza

Senior manager - legal counsel | Magna International

Consumer products

Canadian company Magna International is a leading global automotive supplier with operations in 28 countries. In Mexico, the company has 31 manufacturing plants, one product development, engineering and sales centre...

Selene Jasso González

Legal manager | Elementia

Industrials and real estate

Elementia is a Mexican manufacturer of construction materials with an international presence. As Elementia’s legal manager, Selene Jasso González has 65 people under her responsibility across the American continent stretching...

Sergio Romero

Legal director, litigation, labour and employment – Latin America | Uber

Financials

A lawyer with more than 15 years of experience, Sergio Romero has vast expertise in civil, commercial, financial and labour litigation, as well as unrivalled skills in structuring business and...

Valeria Chapa

Vice president and general counsel, Latin America | Honeywell International

Industrials and real estate

Described by colleagues as a ‘fantastic lawyer and professional’ Valeria Chapa has overseen the legal function of the international conglomerate Honeywell across the Latin American region for the last decade....

Viviana Alvarado Balderos

Legal and compliance executive director | Sura Asset Management México

Financials

Viviana Alvarado Balderas has over a decade’s experience with Sura Mexico (formerly ING México), being made legal and compliance director in late 2009, prior to which she was senior legal...

Wendy Alcala

General counsel and compliance officer | Nestlé Mexico

Food, beverages and tobacco

General counsel and compliance officer at Nestlé Mexico, Wendy Alcala, provides full legal support to the company’s business lines in the country which include the manufacturing of dry, condensed, and...

For over 30 years, The Legal 500 has been analysing the capabilities of law firms across the world. In this series, The Legal 500, in collaboration with Legal Business, GC Magazine and The In-house Lawyer, is turning its attention to the in-house function, and recognising those corporate counsel who are driving the legal business forward.

The GC Powerlist is a series of publications, highlighting the most influential in-house lawyers and legal teams in business today. I would like to express my personal thanks to our sponsors Creel, García-Cuéllar, Aiza y Enriquez for supporting this publication. A special mention must also go to the in-house lawyers that took time to speak to us throughout the process, as well as to the research team that worked on this GC Powerlist publication.

David Burgess,
Publishing director,

 

Mexico’s economic performance proved strong and resilient over the course of 2017. As Latin America’s second largest economy it outperformed expectations in the first half of the year responding to challenges with sound fiscal and monetary policy. Although consumer spending is expected to regrow over the next 12 months, upcoming national elections and a lengthy renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) have provided some uncertainty to internal markets.

With Mexico housing both international domestic businesses and regional operations of large multinationals, corporate counsel in the country are posed with a diverse set of challenges and opportunities. Managing financial transactions, responding to legislative and regulatory changes, delivering innovative solutions or devising strategies that enable their business to remain profitable are just some of the ways they contribute to their organisations. Through these efforts, the Mexican in-house lawyer is considered vital in the most important affairs of companies and reinforces the idea that close alignment to the business is a key part of their utility.

In this year’s GC Powerlist: Mexico we are pleased to highlight some of the region’s leading corporate counsel. To put together the list, we canvassed opinions from both law firm partners and in-house counsel in Mexico. We identified lawyers who are not only technically gifted and highly trained, but have also utilised their legal knowledge strategically alongside keen business insight to make a positive impact towards their organisation’s success.

Mudasser Ahmedi
Senior research analyst

Creel, García-Cuéllar, Aiza y Enriquez

Creel, García-Cuéllar, Aiza y Enriquez logo

Once again Creel, García-Cuéllar, Aiza y Enriquez is honored to sponsor the GC Powerlist Mexico. The past two editions of the GC Powerlist were successful not only in assembling the leading and most innovative general counsel in Mexico but served as a vehicle for networking and exchanging valuable insight among the leading corporate counsel in the country and other attendees.

As appears to be the norm, we meet at a time of great challenges for Mexico. On the one hand, we continue to face uncertainty regarding the future of the North American Trade Agreement and, thus, the economic model our country will follow for the following years and perhaps decades (protectionism vs globalization). Concurrently we are half-way through a heavily contested presidential and congressional election, where the fundamental issue facing the electorate is the rule of law, corruption and impunity, which continue to be the greatest strain on Mexico’s development and aspirations for broader well-being. We are truly at a cross-road that will mark the future for generations to come.

Despite such adversity and uncertainty, Mexico’s economy remains resilient. Albeit only at 2%, GDP continues its steady growth, foreign direct investment is strong, and the overall economic and financial fundamentals of the country are sound. The structural reforms enacted after 2012, including energy and telecommunications are deepening and yielding positive results. Congress just passed a landmark Fin-Tech law and entrepreneurship is at an all-time high in Mexico.

With compliance and rule of law being the cornerstone issues facing any company globally, like never before the role of corporate counsel and GC’s as strategic thinkers within corporates is evident. Companies can ill afford to envision the role of a GC as one of mere support, but rather they must embrace the GC as a core member of the management team, and an active participant not only in allowing for the ordinary course of business to persevere, but most importantly, as a key player in defining the company’s long-term strategy and protecting its goodwill.

To all the corporate counsel included in the GC Powerlist Mexico 2018, we sincerely congratulate and commend you. Your contributions and dedication will not only shape the future of your companies, but also enrich the legal community and profession.

Jones Day Hong Kong Roundtable 2024

The Legal 500 was thrilled to join a selection of top Jones Day partners and a hand-picked group of 15 the most prominent GCs in Hong Kong for a freewheeling and no-holds-barred discussion on geopolitical risk management at a time of global transition. Steve Brogan, managing partner of Jones Day from 2002-2022 flew over to lend his considerable expertise to the discussion, as did Partner-in-Charge Hong Kong Joelle Lau. Joining them to give expert briefings on the topics of the day were partners Peter Wang, Dr Qiang Xue, James Fidler, Samuel Ngo and Charles Chau. The conversation moved from sanctions and counter sanctions, to the increasing pre-eminence of the Asian economy, to the philosophy of the rule of law in times of crisis.