Team size: 3

How do you approach managing legal aspects during periods of instability or crises, and how does your legal strategy align with the broader business strategy to ensure the organisation’s resilience?

My approach is centered on risk mitigation, robust compliance, and strategic alignment with our core business: value creation for institutional real estate investors. For a fund manager like Grupo IGS, resilience is ensured by two main pillars.

First, compliance and governance: we maintain an absolute commitment to anti-corruption and anti-money laundering policies, which is critical for securing capital from AFORES and international partners, especially given the current regulatory focus in Mexico. Our legal strategy is to be proactive in adapting to federal statutory changes impacting investment instruments (Certificados de Capital de Desarrollo or CKDs) and due diligence standards.

Second, portfolio diversification and structuring: our legal work ensures that investments across our different real estate platforms — such as the highly resilient industrial sector and low-to-middle-income housing land developments — are structured to minimise risk and maximise long-term returns as promised to our investors. Legal due diligence acts as the primary defense against market and counterparty risks, ensuring our transactions adhere strictly to the mandate of our investment vehicles, thus reinforcing the organisation’s stability and reputation.

What are the major cases or transactions you have been involved in recently?

Grupo IGS is a leading developer and fund manager focused on industrial and housing assets. My recent involvement has centered on transactions that define our investment thesis and growth trajectory in Mexico.

A key recent highlight was the legal management and closing of a significant deal for a portfolio of approximately 50 industrial properties across various Mexican states, valued at around $140m. This complex transaction involved extensive multi-jurisdictional due diligence and contract negotiation to ensure the portfolio’s seamless integration into our industrial platform, which serves large manufacturing and logistics firms.

Furthermore, I was instrumental in structuring the legal framework for new land acquisitions for low-to-middle-income housing joint ventures in high-growth cities like Querétaro and Guadalajara. This process involves complex trust structuring (fideicomisos) and partnership agreements to efficiently deploy capital from our CKD vehicles into profitable, high-impact housing developments. Earlier, I was involved in structuring a successful capital raise of up to MXN$2.7bn for a CKD, demonstrating our ability to secure institutional funding for our diversified investment strategy.

Sustainability and the Role of General Counsel:

Grupo IGS is committed to sustainable investment as a Signatory of the PRI (Principles for Responsible Investment), embedding ESG criteria into our core business as a real estate fund manager and developer. This includes responsible land use, energy efficiency in industrial assets, and focusing on social impact through our low-to-middle-income housing projects.

My role as Corporate Counsel is crucial in ensuring governance and compliance. I implemented legal frameworks that enforce these ESG mandates, manage risks related to environmental and social compliance, and structure investment vehicles like our CKDs to align legally with institutional investor requirements for responsible investment.