About

Alejandro Athie developed a deep interest in banking and securities law when studying at law school, and after going on to work at a number of law firms joined the Securities Industry Association and the Mexican Stock Exchange (BMV) in 1995. Holding this position until 2002, Athie was in charge of regulation, supporting market surveillance areas, and also acting as head of legal for the derivatives exchange, which allowed him to interact with all Mexican financial regulators. Following this spell he joined Deutsche Bank to become head of legal and compliance working on global markets, equities and investment banking transactions, among other transactional and commercial trust activities. Keen to gain as much experience as possible, Athie then joined Bank of America México and Merrill Lynch México as general counsel in 2011. In 2014, his role was extended further: assuming responsibility over the southern cone of South America, Athie has responsibility for all legal matters, coordinating corporate legal activity and serving as secretary of the board. Athie recognises the biggest achievements of his career as developing the first OTC derivatives agreements in Mexico and creating a legal platform for exchange traded derivatives working closely with the regulatory authorities. In understanding the principles that have driven his successful career, Athie reinforces core values in his legal teams, placing the protection of the bank and its shareholders as the first goal. He also values the development of long term views on potential legal risk and approach to reputational matters. ‘At the end the contribution to the business is driven by experience and preparation resulting in good judgment and common sense to resolve the most important legal risks’ he says.