CEO of Industrias Alimenticias Noel S.A. from
1997 to 2005
Chairman of Coca-Cola’s Retail Council for Latin
AmericaCarlos Mario Giraldo Moreno is pro-
minent figure in the food and retail
industries in Latin America. At Exito,
a Colombian retail leader, he served
as Chief Operating Officer from 2008
to 2013. As CEO Giraldo Moreno
has accompanied the group in its in-
ternational expansion. Under his lea-
dership, Exito acquired the 50% of
Grupo Pão de Açúcar in Brazil and
100% of Libertad in Argentina for
a total deal value of $1.826 billion.
Thanks to this transaction Grupo Éxi-
to, which also operates in Colombia
under the upscale Carulla and dis-
count Surtimax brands, has reached
over 280 million people in the largest
economies of the continent. Conside-
red to be first ”multi-Latino” group,
they aim to become the largest retail
company in South-America.Carlos Mario Giraldo
Moreno, CEO, GRUPO
EXITONamed Fortune’s China Businessperson of the
Year in 2008
Has been awarded the French Legion of HonorRen is the mystery man behind what
The Economist describes as the “most
dynamic globaliser among China’s
state enterprises”: in 2015 ChemChi-
na acquired the Italian tire manufactu-
rer Pirelli for $7.7 bn and the German
machinery maker Krauss-Maffei for
$1 billion. In 2016, the group made
a $43 billion offer for Syngenta, the
Swiss agribusiness giant.
Yet Ren’s reputation as the “king of
mergers” started long before. In 1984,
with a loan of 10,000 yuan ($1,500),
he led seven employees to found
Bluestar, China’s first industrial clea-
ning factory. Since, his startup has
absorbed or merged with more than
100 SOEs before formally becoming
ChemChina in 2004. It’s clear that this
entrepreneur has embarked another
acquisition spree, this time overseas.Jianxin Ren ,
Chairman, CHEMCHINAHas attended business programs at De La Salle
and Harvard Universities
Was listed as one of the Heroes of Philanthropy
by Forbes Asia Magazine in 2008After the death of his father and
the subsequent loss of all his family
fortune, Gokongwei started suppor-
ting his family at the tender age of
13 by peddling items on the street.
He started his first company along
with his siblings in the import bu-
siness and soon shifted to manufac-
turing when he realized that trading
did not allow for very high margins.
Presently he is Chairman Emeritus
of JG Summit Holdings, one of the
largest conglomerates in the Philip-
pines. His company recently bought
the San Miguel Corporation’s stake
in the country’s largest power distri-
butor, MERALCO for close to $1.8
billion and owns a portfolio of com-
panies in real estate, food and be-
verage, financial services, telecoms,
aviation and petrochemicals.John Gokongwei,
Chairman, JG SUMMIT
HOLDINGSAugusto Lima is Global Legal Director of
M&A at Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world’s
largest beverage company. He’s had
experience in both in-house and as outside
legal counsel, having worked for companies
such as Sealed Air, and large law firms like
Skadden (NY) and Pinheiro Neto (Brazil)
before joining AB InBev. In addition to his
professional experience in the retail and
legal businesses, he holds an MBA from the
University of British Columbia and an LL.M
from Georgetown University.Leaders League. One of the most
important parts of M&A is the
consolidation phase. Do you have any
tips on how to get deals right?
Augusto Lima. This is interesting
because robust post-closing integration
should really be one of the main focuses
(and purposes) of an M&A deal. I think
that for deal integration to go as smoothlyas possible, it is essential to have the team
rally around a common dream as soon as
legally possible. Everyone at AB InBev,
though we have great diversity of ideas,
thinks similarly and very practically
about this: we look for companies that
we believe will be a great strategic fit,
and then start thinking about integration
planning very early on.Leaders League. What are your views
on the current Brazilian situation and
the prospects for investments?
A. L. Anyone who’s lived in Brazil for a
long period of time knows that a crisis
or similar situation is not something
new. Maybe, because Brazil had gone
through such a sustained period of
economic growth and stability before
this crisis, people may have forgotten
that we can (and have) overcome
situations like this and come out
stronger than ever. Good companies
will find a way to strengthen their
business and benefit from the crisis
through investment.IT IS ESSENTIAL TO HAVE
THE TEAM RALLY AROUND
A COMMON DREAM
AS SOON AS LEGALLY
POSSIBLE
“Good companies will find a way
to strengthen their business”
Augusto Lima
Legal Director of M&A,
ANHEUSER-BUSCH INBEV
© Syngenta