Vanessa is partner at Nader, Hayaux & Goebel with more than 20 years of experience in real estate finance and investment, projects and project finance, energy, structured finance, financing of public entities and M&A. She has particularly strong experience in financing and investments in the hospitality sector as part of a wide real estate practice that also covers the retail, residential and industrial markets. Her hospitality work includes advising on investments in hotels, mega-developments, fractional and timeshare regimes, as well as their related financing. Vanessa is also an expert in project finance and public-private partnerships, including energy and infrastructure projects.
As leader in the industry, she was instrumental in implementing the PPP schemes in Mexico, advising both the national government and the government of the state of Mexico on the structuring, bidding and implementation of the first PPS projects, and has been involved in major hospital, road, water, and prison PPP projects. In addition, she has also advised clients on the preparation of unsolicited proposals and bids under the Mexican PPP law.
She has a strong international experience advising multinational and national clients, particularly major hotel, tourism and leisure groups, on real estate investments and development in Mexico, as well as in forming bidding consortiums and other aspects of infrastructure and energy projects in Mexico. She also advises financial institutions participating in tourism, energy, and infrastructure.
Vanessa has advised LCA Capital in many real estate transactions. She provides ongoing advice to Marriott on several matters. She has also recently advised various consortiums in different large federal road upgrading, refurbishment and operation projects.
She’s ranked in band one in Projects and Real Estate by Chambers & Partners Latin America and has been recognized on the category of “Hall of Fame” in projects and infrastructure and as “Leading Individual” in real estate by Legal 500, 2023. Additionally, she is a founding member of Abogadas Mx, having served on its board of directors for 6 years, as well as co-director of the Women’s Leadership Initiative of the Mexico chapter of the Urban Land Institute.
Vanessa obtained her LLM from the University of Chicago Law School, having graduated as an attorney from the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México with honors.
Recent work highlights include:
- Advised Marriott Hotels International, on (i) its joint venture regarding two major hotels one in Cancun and one in Puerto Vallarta, and (ii) on the recent sale of the JW Marriott Mexico City, where negotiations also took place with the adjacent condominium owner.
- Advised Aeroméxico in its negotiations with a Mexican developer regarding a joint venture where Aeroméxico contributed the land of its existing building on Paseo de la Reforma in Mexico City in exchange for the development of the property and receiving new office space. The transaction also involved negotiating a lease for the temporary use of office space during construction.
- Advised a consortium in the public tender issued by the National Bank of Public Works and Services, SNC (BANOBRAS) for the maintenance, renovation and operation of 4 highways and 2 bridges, located in Nuevo León and Tamaulipas, under a 10 year PPP structure backed by federal funds from FONADIN.
- Currently advising a consortium in the public tender issued by the National Bank of Public Works and Services, SNC (BANOBRAS) for the maintenance, renovation and operation of 5 highways and 1 bridge, located in Campeche, Chiapas, Tabasco and Veracruz, under a 10 year PPP structure backed by federal funds from FONADIN.
- Advising Banco Santander (México), and the syndicate of lenders (Banobras and Inbursa) on the preparation and negotiation of a senior loan facility and a VAT facility to finance AT-AT, a subsidiary of OHL México, in connection with its investment in a toll road that will run from Atizapán to Atlacomulco in the State of Mexico.
- Advised FibraHotel, the first real estate investment trust (REIT) specialized in business-class hotels, on its agreement to acquire Fiesta Americana Condesa Cancun, an all Inclusive Hotel with 507 full-service rooms operated by Grupo Posadas, and on the acquisition of a Fiesta Americana hotel, located in San Juan del Río Querétaro.
- Advised the Water Commission of the State of Sonora (CEA) on the legal terms of a PPP international bidding process to build, operate and maintain for 20 years a desalination plant in Guaymas, State of Sonora, Mexico partially funded by CONAGUA and FONADIN.
- Advised the Public Workers Social Security and Services Institute (ISSSTE) on the legal terms of various international PPP bidding processes to build and maintain hospitals in Villahermosa (Tabasco), Tepic (Nayarit), and Mexico City.
- Advised Constructora y Edificadora, GIA + A (“GIA”) in its participation in the international public bidding number APP-019GYN006-E3-2016 issued by ISSSTE for the construction of Hospital Regional Mérida, as well as on financial closing.
- Advised the Government of the State of Sonora in drafting and preparing a reform package that includes amendments to the State Constitution and local legislation regarding public finance and public procurement matters including the modernization of public private partnership projects and financial discipline matters.
- Represented FibraHotel, in the long-term lease of a real estate property from Grupo Gicsa for the development of a hotel in the Forum Buenavista mall.
