Speaker Bios
Sandra M. Upegui is currently Senior Legal Counsel with Dufry, a leading global travel retail company publicly listed on the swiss stock exchange with operations in 65 countries. Ms. Upegui currently oversees litigation and human resource matters for Dufry worldwide. She has also handled a variety of transactional matters for the company in multiple countries throughout Latin America, the Middle East and Australia, including acquisitions, corporate matters, concessions and various other contractual matters.
Ms. Upegui started her career at Shutts & Bowen LLP as a summer associate and upon graduating from Florida State University College of Law she returned full time to Shutts & Bowen LLP as an associate in the litigation department. She eventually became a litigation partner in the International Litigation Practice Group focusing her practice in various industries, including banking, real estate, insurance and healthcare.
After 9 years with Shutts & Bowen LLP, she decided it was time to make a career change and she joined the University of Miami as Assistant General Counsel. At the University of Miami, Sandra Upegui advised senior management in various legal matters, including privacy and security, healthcare, contracts and litigation. She stayed with the University for 5 ½ years and then decided it was time to take a world sabbatical for a year and traveled to 17 different countries during that time.
Upon her return, Ms. Upegui opened her own solo practice representing various companies on a diverse range of business legal matters, including corporate law, contract negotiation, employment matters and litigation. She acted as general counsel for a high-end jewelry company during this time and eventually decided to join the Dufry Group legal team.
A decisive and top-performing corporate transactions attorney, with a demonstrated track record of achievement in securities law, finance, corporate and commercial transactions, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, SEC and NYSE compliance, Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, board proceedings, public and private equity and debt offerings, corporate reorganizations and restructurings, and contract review and negotiation. Extensive expertise drafting legal documents, including contracts, leases, licenses, proxy statements, and general corporate documents. Demonstrated experience in managing legal staff, including third-party vendors and outside counsel.
Trusted legal advisor to the board of directors, C-Suite, and management. Adept at assessing all issues to adequately protect clients, improve efficiency of operations, ensure compliance, and deliver exceptional results, while adhering to challenging deadlines. Exceptional interpersonal skills directing teams to support achievement of overall corporate goals and objectives.
Highly motivated attorney with strong work ethic, leadership ability, and proven skills in the insurance, risk management, compliance and legal fields. Practical and academic experience in the areas of claims, corporate governance, regulatory compliance, technology issues, complex drafting, legal research and writing and handling difficult legal issues. Excellent problem solving skills and the ability to conceptualize and organize work. Very adaptable with strong creative, interpersonal and communication abilities, including the ability to assimilate information, analyze problems and arrive at viable solutions efficiently.
Nisha Bhatia serves as General Counsel for Pensam Residential. Nisha first joined the firm as an intern in 2009. Nisha’s responsibilities include: ensuring internal corporate regulatory compliance, drafting and reviewing loan documents, corporate structuring, and assisting outside counsel in transactional work, including conventional mortgage loans, mezzanine financing, loan assumptions, loan structuring, and real estate acquisitions.
Nisha is a graduate of Rutgers University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in History in 2007. She earned a Juris Doctorate from the University Of Miami School Of Law in 2010. While at the University of Miami School of Law, Nisha served as a member of the Student Bar Association, the Admissions Committee and the Orientation Committee.
Nisha is a member of the Florida Bar.
Zamira Zapata Valdés is the Vice President and General Counsel for Diageo’s Central America, Caribbean, Free-trade zone and Border business, and in addition to overseeing corporate security and brand protection, she leads the company’s compliance team in this region. She also plays a relevant role on the CCA Executive Committee and the Executive Committee for the Zacapa business.
Prior to this role, she was the VP and General Counsel for Diageo’s Mexico branch. During her assignment in Mexico she led the legal team, and was a key member of the Executive Committee and Secretary of the Board of Directors of the Mexican companies.
Before joining Diageo she was the Legal Corporate Director in Genomma Lab, a leading Mexican public company in the pharmaceutical and personal care products segment, with an increasing international presence in the U.S.A. and Latin-America. Zamira has also worked for Mexico’s federal government. Later she served as Head of the Unit for Promotion of Trade and Investment at the Ministry of Economy.
Ms. Richardson brings over 25 years of life sciences and agriculture experience to Anuvia. She has served as General Counsel for Qualitest, Jubilant Life Sciences and Schwarz BioSciences. Ms. Richardson brings a strong science and operations background that allows her to provide results driven legal advice. Ms. Richardson has previously served as President of the Alabama Chapter of The Association of Corporate Counsel and Chair of the ACC Health Law Committee.
Kim Gerber is General Counsel of the Supply Chain Division of Ryder System, Inc., a Fortune 500 transportation and logistics company. Ryder employs more than 36,000 people, manages a fleet of more than 250,000 commercial vehicles, and operates more than 50 million square feet of warehouse space. As general counsel of the business unit, Kim oversees all legal functions and works closely with company leadership. She leads cross-functional deal teams in strategic acquisitions, drafts and negotiates customer contracts and vendor agreements, engages outside counsel, and participates in dispute resolution. She is also responsible for numerous regulatory matters, including compliance with food safety laws, government contracting regulations, and various cross-border matters in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
Prior to going in-house in 2012, Kim worked as a corporate and securities associate at Debevoise & Plimpton in New York and at Stearns Weaver Miller in Miami. Kim is a summa cum laude graduate of Duke University and obtained her J.D. from NYU Law. She is active in her community and volunteers with a number of organizations including Big Brothers Big Sisters of Miami and United Way of Miami-Date.
Katherine M. Paisley is General Counsel & VP of Compliance for Exacta Systems, the leading producer of historic horse race wagers and terminals across the United States. Katherine graduated magna cum laude from Boston University with a degree in English, which prepared her for both nothing and everything. While at the University of Kentucky College of Law, Katherine participated in mock trial events, winning her regional tournament, and participating in the American College of Trial Lawyers’ national competition in Austin, TX. Katherine segued her advocacy skills into five years of criminal trial practice, first as a felony prosecutor and then as a criminal defense attorney. During that time, Katherine tried thirteen cases with a record of 11-1-1, and earned a reversal of a client’s conviction with a unanimous ruling by the Kentucky Supreme Court. Subsequent to trial work, Katherine was appointed by Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear as Deputy General Counsel for the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, during which much of her work focused on the legality of historic horse racing. Through that work, Katherine became a leading expert in the niche market of historic horse racing and now serves as counsel for the leading company in the field.
Provides legal advice on all corporate matters, regulations, internal policies, risk management and minimization, business initiatives, new projects, investment agreements, joint ventures, financing and monitor judicial and extrajudicial litigation for USA, Mexico, Central America, South America and the Caribbean (except for Cuba).
