Nicolas has led numerous complex transactional matters and operations related to M&A, strategic associations, and plant construction (“Greenfields”). He also had prominent roles in portfolio diversification plans and creation of new businesses, serving a wide range of industries such as automotive, agro-industrial, food and beverages, energy and infrastructure, foundry, real estate, healthcare, and telecommunications. Similarly, Nicolás was involved in leading global matters related to the entry to market and establishing operations in countries such as the US, the UK, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, Hungary, India, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey, and Venezuela. He also oversaw the exploration of other potential investments in countries exploring other markets such as Colombia, Czech Republic, France, Peru, Poland, Spain, and Russia.
Nicolás is Counsel at the firm’s Monterrey office and has over 30 years of professional experience in the private sector. He began his career at Grupo Proeza, one of Mexico’s largest portfolio management companies, in the early 1990’s where he was the head of the legal department for several decades. His leadership role included also spearheading public relations, overseeing compliance, ethics, and internal audit matters, as well as acting as the general representative and secretary of the company’s board of directors and its subsidiaries worldwide.
During his tenure as General Counsel, Nicolás took on the challenge of redesigning the company’s legal practice by integrating a department ready to lead the growth, diversification, and geographic expansion plans of Grupo Proeza. This brought strong results including a ten-fold increase to the company’s consolidated annual revenues. His holistic and practical approach constantly gave all the company’s business units regular worldwide support.
Nicolas’ experience includes participating in setting out and execution of the company’s capital structure strategy, taking part in the negotiation and closing of various credit and financing contracts, including the issuance of bonds under 144A rules linked to sustainability criteria. Likewise, he carried out the implementation of a global ethics & compliance program under a 100% Compliance / 0 tolerance for Corruption rule, creating compliance and outreach committees across Grupo Proeza’s different divisions and subsidiaries including the Corporate Governance Model and Family Office matters. Nicolás also overhauled and set out the company’s new institutional relations policy.
Experience
- Negotiation and acquisition of an automotive company with operations in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, England, USA, and Venezuela.
- Negotiation with a Private Equity Fund and acquisition of an automotive company with operations in Germany, Hungary, Turkey, United States, China, and South Africa.
- Acquisition of a healthcare staffing business in USA.
- Greenfield projects to install manufacturing plants in India and Thailand.
- Creation and startup of new Strategic Business Units (Foundry, Real Estate, IT and Health Care)
- Acquisition of bearer capital stock taking control of a Business Unit.
- Lead the filing to enter in a tax consolidation regime in Mexico.
- Acquisition of orchards and special agricultural regime lands (Ejidos), conversion into private property and issuance of “T” Shares according to agricultural law.
- Attend the bankruptcy process of Chrysler and GM (relevant customers) and Tower Automotive (Partner)
- Dispute resolution processes, including international litigation and arbitration in different projects.
Education
- Master’s Degree in Tax Law from Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León (UANL).
- North American Legal System studies taught by Georgetown University’s International Law Institute.
- Law Degree from Universidad de Monterrey.
