Juan Federico Fischer
Juan Federico Fischer is the managing partner of Fischer & Schickendantz, one of Uruguay's leading law firms. Both a lawyer and an MBA, he manages the firm's foreign investment consulting unit, advising both multinationals and individual investors mainly in real estate developments, acquisition of local companies and privatizations.
In his 16 years as a corporate attorney, Juan has worked in some of Uruguay's main privatizations (Punta del Este Airport, 1994, Montevideo port, 1995 and 2000); in major local corporate debt restructurings; in international debt restructurings (regional debt-equity swap of Italy's Parmalat, 2004), in mergers and acquisitions (AstraZeneca spin-off of Avecia, 2000, Katoen Natie's acquisition of the Montevideo port, 2006, Sherwin Williams' acquisition of Pinturas Industriales, 2007). He has advised and is counsel to dozens of multinationals such as Bombardier, Computer Associates, Bechtel Corp., UBS, Cable & Wireless, HSBC, and Globo of Brazil, and to multilateral institutions such as the World Bank Group.
Currently, Juan specializes in major real estate developments, both commercial and residential. Among the current projects that Juan is currently the lead advisor to, are: the 150-acre Sugar Loaf Ocean Club and Spa, Uruguay´s first coastal development designed for American buyers; Laguna Tranquila, a pioneering 250-acre development in Uruguay´s easternmost province, Rocha; José Ignacio Polo Club, a 350-acre project under the direction of renowned architect Carlos Ott; Carmelo Polo, and Apart 356, the largest residential project in Montevideo´s newly renovated Historic District.
Juan's firm, Fischer & Schickendantz, is also the local advisor to First American Corp., (the world's largest title insurer), and is one of the main references to foreign buyers of real estate in Uruguay.
Juan graduated from Uruguay's Catholic University's School of Law in 1994, and in 2002, he obtained an MBA degree from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, where he majored in strategy and finance. Juan was born in France and besides Uruguay, has lived abroad for twelve years, in Washington D.C., New York, Chicago, London, and Central America. His overseas work experience spans deals in the United States, most of South America, Mexico, Britain, Spain, Italy, and Romania. Juan is fluent in Spanish, English, and French.
Recent interviews as a leading advisor to foreign real estate investors include the New York Times, BBC, New Wire Investor and the International Herald Tribune.
Ubaldo Aguirre
Ubaldo Aguirre is a controlling shareholder and managing director of A&G, an Argentine investment banking firm that specializes in corporate restructurings, mergers and acquisitions, project finance and start up of new ventures.
A Columbia University M.B.A., he started his career with General Electric in the United States. He then joined the World Bank in Washington, D.C. through the Young Professionals Program and worked there for five years. Back in Argentina, he became Deputy General Manager of the National Development Bank where he was in charge of the international department. In 1981, he was appointed Member of the Board of the Argentine Central Bank, where he led the public sector international borrowing program and oversaw international operations.
After the 1982 debt crisis, he was responsible for international debt negotiations until late 1983. Subsequently, he was appointed Argentine Financial Representative for Europe and the Middle East in Geneva
In 1989, Mr. Aguirre was appointed Member of the Board of the National Development Bank and in 1991, Member of the Board of Banco de la Nación Argentina (BNA), and the largest bank in the country. He was thereafter appointed Member of the Board of Mercado Abierto Electrónico S.A., the local electronic bond market. Currently, in addition to his participation in A&G, Mr. Aguirre is Member of the Board of Juan Minetti S.A., the local affiliate of Holderbank, the world's largest cement producer, and of Dames & Moore Argentina S.A., which is part of the American engineering group. He is also a Member of the Committee of Fundes, an Argentine-Swiss foundation dedicated to the promotion of small enterprises.
