Jamaica-based cell phone company Digicel says it has appointed Damian Blackburn as CEO of its Honduras operations. Blackburn, who had previously been regional CEO overseeing 12 Caribbean markets, joined Digicel 2.5 years ago. He replaces Ghada Gebara, who left the company after 5 years to pursue private projects.
Category: People
Posted inDaily Brief
Banorte Welcomes New Chairman
Mexican financial group Banorte has named Guillermo Ortiz as its new chairman effective in March 2011. Ortiz was head of Banxico, Mexico’s central bank, until early 2010, when Agustin Carstens took the position. Current chairman Roberto Gonzalez will become chairman emeritus. The appointments must now be approved by company shareholders.
Posted inDaily Brief
ING Adds Economist
Gustavo Rangel has joined ING as senior economist, focusing on Brazil and Argentina, according to a source at ING. He is set to start November 1, reporting to David Spegel, global head of EM strategy. Rangel comes from Medley Global Advisors, where he was an economist focused on Brazil. He had previously been at Barclays.
Posted inDaily Brief
Interacciones Targets MXP 3-Year
Banco Interacciones is looking to issue up to MXP1.5bn in 3 year bonds by December, CEO Gerardo Salazar tells LatinFinance. Bookrunners have not been mandated and no guidance provided. The bank is only doing a Mexico roadshow, but will look to go international for next year’s bond issues, adds Salazar. The notes are rated Ba1/A1.mx by Moody’s, and will be issued under a senior debt program of up to MXP10bn. Grupo Interacciones specializes in sub-national and public infrastructure financing in Mexico. It is also looking to issue $2bn equivalent of covered bonds in local and international markets, and $280m of subordinated debt in the next 4 years, according to Salazar.
Posted inDaily Brief
Bank of Tokyo Names LatAm CIB Head
The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ has named David M. Gruppo head of LatAm corporate and investment banking, a newly created position. He will report to Randall Chafetz, head of corporate and IB for the Americas. Gruppo has held LatAm corporate and investment banking positions at Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and Santander. Most recently, he has been in various capacities with IBM, including its TJ Watson Research unit.
Posted inDaily Brief
Correction: BNP Appoints New Loans Head
An October 21 Daily Brief entitled “BNP Appoints New Loans Head” incorrectly portrays the nature of the move. A corrected version follows:
Sarah Saint-Amand has left her role as vp in BNP Paribas’ loan syndications group, according to a spokesperson for the bank. She will be replaced by Kristie Pellechia, who has been in the bank’s restructuring division for the past two years. Ernesto Meyer remains head of loan syndication, but has relocated from Sao Paulo to New York.
Posted inDaily Brief
UBS Confirms Centola as Brazil IB Head
UBS has confirmed that Eduardo Centola will be CEO of the investment bank in Brazil. Lywal Salles will join him as chairman of UBS Group Brazil, while Daniel Mendonca Barros will become CEO of the UBS broker-dealer and Head of the UBS Securities business in Brazil, after the closing of UBS’s acquisition of Link Investimentos. All 3 will be based in Sao Paulo. Centola joins from Standard Bank where he served as CEO of the Americas, and will report to Raul Esquivel, head of UBS Investment Bank for LatAm, and Salles. Salles will report to Robert Wolf and Raul Esquivel, head of UBS investment bank for LatAm.
Posted inDaily Brief
BP Reported Selling Venezuela Assets
A BP spokesman declines to comment on statements by German Khan, CEO of BP joint venture TNK-BP, stating that his company would acquire several of the oil company’s assets in Venezuela. According to press reports, Khan told reporters TNK-BP would acquire 16.7% of Petromanagas, 40% of Petroperija and 26.6% of Bougeron. BP also declined to comment on the potential value of those assets, though they have been estimated at $1bn, according to an industry banker not associated with the deal. Khan has been looking for assets to acquire in LatAm, the banker says, but this is his first acquisition of oil assets on the continent. He had previously acquired non-oil & gas assets outside of Venezuela, the banker says.
Posted inDaily Brief
Credito Inmobiliario to Meet Buyside
Mexico’s Credito Inmobiliario is set to meet fixed-income investors next week on a non-deal roadshow. The lender will begin Tuesday in Switzerland and visit London Wednesday. CEO Angel de Soto Hernandez and CFO Isabel Ruiz Serrano will headline the tour, managed by HSBC and Heritage Capital. The Ba3 lender is a fully-owned subsidiary of Caja de Ahorros del Mediterraneo.
Posted inDaily Brief
White & Case Names Mexico Partner
US-based law firm White & Case has elected Mexico City-based Sean Goldstein as partner in its global project finance practice. He has experience representing sponsors in a wide variety of infrastructure and energy projects as well as in asset finance work. Goldstein is one of 35 new partners elected for 2011.