About

Number of years practice: 20 Law school attended: Amherst College, Harvard Law School Languages spoken: English, French and Spanish Principal practice areas: Acquisition Finance, Leveraged Finance, M&A, Project Finance Admissions: New York

Chantal Kordula has picked up a number of awards for her work on syndicated financings and restructurings and, in recent years, has been involved with some of the most significant infrastructure financings in Mexico. In 2014, she acted as counsel to the Mexican Ministry of Transport and Communication on its $1bn (first stage) and $3bn (second stage) secured financings to develop the new Mexico City international airport. Kordula received particular praise for her role in the second stage of this financing, which was the largest syndicated revolving bank facility issued to a borrower in Latin America. Her work in the energy sector has also focused on transformational projects. That same year – 2014 – Kordula helped raise around $1.2bn in financing for the construction and operation of the180-mile long Ramones II Sur natural gas pipeline (as well as working to establish the easements and rights-of-way with landowners that allowed the project to proceed). As part of Cleary Gottlieb’s representation of long-time clients, the state-owned entities Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE) and Pemex, she helped spearhead the first Mexican law corporate debt securities offerings utilising the Euroclear and Clearstream international clearing systems. Kordula has also built a formidable M&A practice in Mexico, representing a number of the country’s most prominent companies, including repeat client Coca-Cola FEMSA in its 2013 acquisition of a 51% stake in Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines from The Coca-Cola Company; and Grupo Bimbo on its $709m acquisition of Sara Lee Corporation’s North American Fresh Bakery, its €115m acquisition of Sara Lee’s Iberian fresh bakery business, and the acquisition and financing of its $2.5bn purchase of Weston Foods.