Clairfield International opens office in Santiago, Chile

Clairfield International, an international network of affiliated corporate finance firms, has opened an office in Santiago, Chile. The new hub marks the firm’s 35th office globally.

With 30+ offices in 20 countries, Clairfield International is one of the globe’s largest corporate finance advisors with a focus on middle-market transactions. In 2015, Clairfield closed over 135 transactions valued at more than $5.5 billion, with Thomson Reuters ranking the firm 21st in its annual list of the globe’s most important mid-market M&A consultants.

Last week the network revealed that it has expanded into Chile. The new hub marks its fifth office in South America, complementing the existing operations in Sao Paulo, Curitiba and Fortaleza (Brazil) and Mexico City (Mexico). The office will be run through a collaboration with Antarctica Advisors (operating locally as Clairfield/Antarctica), and serve clients mainly in the food and agribusiness industry, with a focus on crossborder transactions.

According to Clairfield, Miami-based Antarctica has a long track record of deal origination and successful execution in the region, with in particular its seafood-industry M&A practice “unique to the regional investment banking industry”. Clients the M&A boutique over the years has served include Camanchaca, AquaChile, Congelados Pacifico, Cooke Aquaculture, Nippon Suissan, and Robinson Crusoe.

The Chile office will be headed by Fernando Araya, an investment banking veteran with over 20 years of experience. Araya previously served as general manager of Rabobank in Chile. During his tenure at the Dutch bank from 1996 to 2011, Araya led the bank’s local corporate finance/M&A team. Prior to joining Antarctica, he established a local firm providing independent advisory to multinational food companies in South America. His past professional experience also includes senior-level positions at JP Morgan Chase.

“The opening of our new office in Santiago significantly strengthens and expands our firm’s capabilities in South America where many of the most important food companies maintain a presence. We are extremely pleased that Fernando has agreed to bring his expertise to our clients”, comments Ignacio Kleiman, a managing partner at Antarctica.