Zamira Zapata Valdés is currently the Vice President and Associate General Counsel for Mergers and Acquisitions, Americas. In such role, Zamira is accountable to provide pro-active, fit for purpose legal advice and deal execution for all global business development activity across North America (“NA”) and Latin America and the Caribbean (“LAC”), delivering outcome-orientated solutions while appropriately mitigating legal risk and protecting our reputation. Key enabler of Diageo´s inorganic agenda.
Prior to this role she was the VP & General Counsel of Diageo’s Central America, Caribbean, Free-trade zone and Border business, and in addition to overseeing corporate security and brand protection, she led the company’s compliance team in this region. During this period, she also played a relevant role on the CCA Executive Committee and the Executive Committee for the Zacapa business, which is key for Diageo, especially in markets such as Italy, the US, and Mexico.
Zamira started her journey in Diageo in 2011 as VP and General Counsel for the Mexican business. During her assignment in Mexico she led the legal team, as was a key member of the Executive Committee and Secretary of the Board of Directors of the Mexican companies. One of her most significant contributions was playing a key role in the acquisition and integration of tequila Don Julio and the negotiation of the return of the Smirnoff brand with no major risk for the business and implemented according to business case allowing normal operation as of day on and expanding our portfolio.
Before joining Diageo she was the Legal Corporate Director in Genomma Lab, a leading public Mexican company in the pharmaceutical and personal care products segment in Mexico with an increasing international presence in the U.S.A. and Latin-America. I led the acquisition of different brands such as Teatrical, Micotex, Nasalub, Ossart, Sante, Vanart, Pomada de la Campana, Nordiko, Alert, Wildroot, and X-L3 which became relevant assets to the company.
Zamira has also worked for Mexico’s´ federal government, first in President Felipe Calderon’s staff and then as Head of the Unit for Promotion of Trade and Investment in the Ministry of Economy, she coordinated Project "tuempresa.gob.mx", a one stop shop created by the Federal Government to facilitate the establishment and implementation of business by simplifying federal procedures. Also, she participated in the development of alternatives and processes that improve the regulatory framework for enhancing productivity and competitiveness.
From 2002 to 2007, she was an associate at Law Firm White & Case, in both Mexico and New York offices, where she represented several multinational clients in corporate and financial matters, especially for cross-border transactions (Mergers & Acquisitions, Securities, Co-Investments and Project Financing). Zamira has given lectures as a professor at the Law Faculty of Mexico´s National University (UNAM) for the subjects Business Law, and Banking and Securities law.
Ms. Zapata has been featured in a couple of magazines like Modern Counsel and Abogado Corporativo from Thomson Reuters and has been considered for the last four years as one of the one hundred most powerful women in business by the Mexico CNN Grupo Expansion magazine.