Juan Federico Fischer

Juan Federico Fischer is the managing partner of Fischer & Schickendantz (www.fs.com.uy), one of Uruguay’s leading law firms. Both a lawyer and an M.B.A., he manages the firm’s foreign investment consulting unit, advising multinationals and individual investors in foreign direct investments in real estate developments, acquisition of local companies, agricultural enterprises and privatizations.

• advising and implementing project financing with the International Finance Corporation (World Bank Group) for Uruguay’s first airport privatization: Punta del Este airport, 1994;
• advising bidding consortium (Bechtel Corp. And International Water Ltd.) on Uruguay’s main water supply privatization, 1999;
• negotiating and structuring the sale of equity in Uruguay’s main port terminal to Belgian operator Katoen Natie, representing different shareholders, on two occasions, in 2000 and 2007;
• advising in major corporate debt restructurings, including Uruguay’s main consumer credit financing company, Creditos (1996); and regional debt-equity swap of Italy’s Parmalat, 2004;
• advising in mergers & acquisitions: AstraZeneca spin-off of Avecia, 2001; Sherwin Williams’ acquisition of Pinturas Industriales, 2007;
• advising and structuring the set up of foreign-owned agricultural ventures, such as the USD 60 M equity AAgro group, 2010; USD 58 M Investancia S.A., 2011; advice to USD 500 M multinational farm fund launched by Galtere, 2010;
• advising and structuring the set-up of the regional corporate structure for Computer Associates Inc, 2008;
• advising in structuring and financing contracts with GE Capital of aircraft purchases by Globo Telecomunicacoes (Brazil), 2008-2013;
• negotiation and closing of franchise agreement on behalf of J.H. Partners, a U.S. private equity firm, of Uruguay´s largest retail franchise: Gap stores, 2011; and Paraguay’s, 2013;
• advising on regional (Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay) reorganization and partial divestiture of retail and logistics operations for PVH Corp. (Calvin Klein), 2012-ongoing
• advising Minera Aratiri (Zamin Ferrous) on real estate and corporate tax law, including the negotiation and purchase of land for the project. Minera Aratiri is the largest foreign direct investment project in Uruguay´s history (USD 3 Bn). 2009 – ongoing.
• advising on residential real estate projects, including Jose Ignacio Polo Club (a 350-acre project under the direction of renowned architect Carlos Ott); Carmelo Polo, in Colonia (owned by Belgian/French investors); and Apart 356 (the largest project in Montevideo´s newly renovated historic district, owned by Spanish investors).Juan Federico graduated from Uruguay’s Catholic University’s School of Law in 1995, and in 2002, he obtained an M.B.A. degree from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, where he majored in strategy and finance. Juan is fluent in Spanish, English, and French.

Juan was born in France and besides Uruguay, has lived in Washington D.C., New York, Chicago, London, and Central America. His overseas work experience spans deals in the United States, Canada, most of South America, Mexico, Panama, Britain, Spain, Italy, and Romania.

He lectures globally on foreign investment in Uruguay, and is a permanent source on investment conditions in Uruguay to international publications.