Ecuador’s Heka opens in Cuenca, adds new partner
Ecuador’s Heka Law has opened an office in the southern city of Cuenca and added a new partner as office head
Juan Andrés Gortaire (pictured) is the new partner in charge of the new Cuenca office, and who will be tasked with structuring and leading the competition law department at a national level, and strengthening the corporate, M&A and real estate areas of the firm.
“With this important addition, Heka continues to position itself as a leading firm in the national market in Ecuador,” the firm said.
“Juan Andrés and Heka have a common vision as to how they can bring benefits to their clients, adding to and strengthening the service offering of the firm.”
Juan Andrés has more than 10 years’ experience advising both national and international companies in corporate, competition, M&A and real estate matters, focusing on business sectors such as retail, automotive, construction, industrial and hotels.
Before joining Heka, Juan Andrés worked for several prestigious Ecuadorian law firms, and held the post of national director of competition at the Market Power Control Superintendency, and was a member
of the team advising the aforementioned entity.
“Juan Andrés is a lawyer with high ethical standards, dedicated to meeting the needs of his clients through an excellent service offering, who will add value to the firm in its growth at national level,
especially in competition law. It is for this reason that we are delighted to welcome him as part of our team,” partner Santiago Albán said.
Juan Andrés has advised on several global and national transactions, notably the advice given to Anheuser Bush InBev in its merger with SAB Miller in 2015 and 2016.
He graduated in law from the San Francisco de Quito University in Ecuador, and has a diploma in intellectual property from the American University Washington College of Law, as well as a diploma in finance from the Technological Institute of Monterrey (Mexico).
He has completed several courses in competition law and is a member of the Ecuadorian Institute of Competition Law and is legal counsel for the Cuenca Chamber of Construction.
“Cuenca is the Ecuadorian city with the highest GDP per capita in manufacturing after Quito, and is where some of the largest Ecuadorian companies are based. The legal industry in the central-south region of Ecuador must adapt to the needs of the economic operators of this region, whose geographical scope in the exercise of economic activities is national and therefore demands full-service firms with international standards,” the law firm said.
