About

Number of years practice: 35 Law school attended: Harvard Law School Languages spoken: English, Portuguese and Spanish Principal practice areas: M&A Admissions: New York

With well over three decades of practice, Rubén Kraiem has amassed truly extensive experience and has become known for his capabilities in both the US and across Latin America. In his current position as corporate partner, practice head for the Latin America Initiative and co-chair of the Clean Energy & Climate Working Group at Covington & Burling, Kraiem advises companies based in Latin America that are engaged in cross-border acquisitions or financings as well as clients with business interests in the region. Over his career, he has advised clients from diverse sectors including life sciences, banking, insurance, telecommunications, healthcare, real estate and consumer products. Kraiem’s advice has become trusted by key clients to the extent that he has represented many of them on their acquisitions and joint ventures for decades. For example, his long relationship with Citigroup saw him work on their 2001 acquisition of Grupo Financiero Banamex, and then continue to advise the subsequent joint venture Citibanamex. Most recently he worked on the Citibanamex sale of its remaining interest in Grupo Aeroméxico (2014), and on the sale of its merchant acquiring business (now known as Servicios de Pago Banamex) to EVO Payments International (2015). One deal that drew particularly strong recognition across the industry was the sale of Grupo P.I. Mabe to Belgian publically listed company Ontex Group; Kraiem’s advice to Mabe’s owners on the divestiture gained him an industry award. Today he continues to counsel some of the biggest players in a number of industries, and has the respect of peers across the US and Mexico.What are your predictions for change in the US-Mexico relationship? A renegotiation of NAFTA would potentially have profound consequences for the US-Mexico relationship. NAFTA is not only a trade and investment agreement but also a foundational policy document for Mexico: if it ceases to be effective to any meaningful extent, this could pave the way to a return to protectionist/closed economy policies that did tremendous harm in decades past. All of this said, it is possible that parallel agreements could be done that would actually improve NAFTA, possibly reducing the wage differential between Mexico and the US and ensuring that areas where the two countries are clearly aligned (i.e. in competition with other parts of the world) are those that are highlighted for purposes of investment. Are there any sectors you regard as likely growth areas for the Mexican market over the next five years? Financial Services Technology; E-health; Renewable energy and alternative fuels.