Webinar: Debt, Equity and M&A Outlook for LatAm Markets

Ricardo Navarro is Co-Head of Investment Banking LatAm ex Brazil at Itaú based in New York, where he oversees the bank’s Fixed Income activities in the region. Mr. Navarro joined Itaú in 2019 as Head of International Debt Capital Markets for LatAm ex-Brazil and more recently in July 2020 assumed his current role. Previously, Mr. Navarro was the portfolio manager of the EM Opportunities Credit Fund at Noctua Partners. Prior to joining Noctua, he worked at Itaú for 6 years in the Debt Capital Markets team. In over 18 years of investment banking experience, Mr. Navarro has successfully advised clients on capital market transactions, including international bond transactions for sovereign issuers such as the Republic of Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay and Uruguay; quasi-sovereign clients such as Petrobras, Rutas del Este and YPF; and corporate issuers such as GeoPark, Falabella, AES, Genneia, Adecoagro, Tigo, among many others. Mr. Navarro holds a BS in Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering from Cornell University, an MBA from Columbia University and is Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).

 

Enrique Bernales is Co-Head of Investment Banking LatAm ex Brazil at Itau based in New York. Mr Bernales joined Itau in 2015 as Head of Energy & Natural Resources. In 2017 he was promoted to Head of M&A Latam Ex Brazil and more recently in July 2020 assumed his current role. Prior to joining Itau, he was a Director in the LatAm Investment Banking coverage team at Credit Suisse, in charge of Energy and Natural Resources. He started his career in 2004 as an analyst within Credit Suisse’s European Energy Group based in London. He moved to the LatAm Investment Banking coverage team in New York in 2007. In over 15 years of investment banking experience, Mr. Bernales has successfully advised clients on M&A and capital market transactions with a cumulative value in excess of US$100bn, including the IPO of Ecopetrol in 2007, sale of Las Bambas for US$6bn, re-IPO of YPF in 2011, sale of Saesa in 2009, Petrobras sale of downstream assets in Latin America outside Brazil, etc. Mr Bernales earned a Economics degree from Universidad del Pacifico in Lima, Peru in 2002 and Master’s degree from ICADE in Madrid, Spain in 2004.

 

Oscar Stephens represents issuers, borrowers, underwriters, arrangers, placement agents, investors and lenders in a wide variety of multi-currency financing transactions. Oscar’s practice focuses on advising private corporations, financial institutions, sovereign and quasi-sovereign entities on bilateral and syndicated lending, private placements and capital markets deals with a cross-border component, particularly in Latin America. He has deep experience in structures involving debtors and assets located in, and revenues originated out of, Central and South America, in diverse transactions such as asset-backed securitizations, future flow structured finance, project bonds, project finance, acquisition finance and secured/leveraged finance. Oscar has relevant experience in the energy, oil & gas, renewables, banking, financial services, construction, manufacturing, shipping, mining, and food & beverage industries. A native of Chile, Oscar conducts business in both English and Spanish and has broad experience in civil law jurisdictions throughout the Americas and legal structures used in non-recourse financing. Oscar’s bi-cultural background has allowed him to bridge differences and find common ground in complex transactions involving multiple jurisdictions.