Luis Tellez Kuenzler
Luis Tellez Kuenzler
Luis Téllez holds a BA (Suma cum Laude) in Economics from the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de Mexico (ITAM), and a Ph.D. in Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Starting in 2015 he was named Head for Mexico, of the New York based investment firm KKR, as well as Chairman of the NTT consulting firm Everis in Mexico, a position he held from 2015 to 2020. After leaving Everis he became Special Advisor of NTT Data Services in Mexico, a company from the same NTT Global Group.
He currently is a Director of Chubb Ltd, one of the largest Insurance companies in the world, where he is a member of the Audit Committee. He also serves, as Director of Cultiva (Mexico´s sole PEPSI bottling company) and of GAP (Grupo Aereoportuario del Pacífico), both listed at the MES. He is a board member of McLarty Associates, the international strategy firm founded by President´s Clinton Chief of Staff, and of the non-listed company MABE. He has been twice Director of Sempra Energy; the California based Energy Company from 2004 to 2006 and from 2010 to 2015.
From May 2009 to December 2014 he served as Chairman of the Board and CEO of the Mexican Stock Exchange (MSE). During his tenure, he presided over the largest number of IPO’s in the history of the MSE. He was responsible for listing the first Mexican REIT, and of designing an instrument so that the Mexican Pension Funds (AFORES) could invest in alternatives. Through this instrument more than 4 billion USD were raised from the AFORES to invest in infrastructure, real estate and private equity. During this time revenues at the MSE grew at 10 CAGR and the operating margin by 830 bp. In 2013, financing through the MSE reached a record 7% of GDP. Téllez also presided over a full upgrading of the technological capabilities of the exchange putting it among the best in class in throughput and low latency.
Téllez opened the office of the Carlyle Group in Mexico, and was its co-head from 2003 to 2006. From 2001 to 2003, he was Executive Vice President (CEO) of Desc, one of Mexico’s most important industrial and real estate companies of the country, where he led the financial restructuring of the then heavily indebted conglomerate. During the 2001-2006 he was a member of the board of FEMSA, Grupo México, BBVA-Bancomer, Cultiba and Global Industries. He has been a member of the Advisory Board of the Mexican subsidiaries of Daimler Chrysler, Siemens and General Electric.
He is a special advisor to Refintinv Mexico and also special advisor in financial and corporate governance issues, of Estrella Blanca, Mexican second largest passenger transportation company and Calidra, Latin America’s largest lime company. Mr Téllez also established one of the first electricity supplier companies “Kualion” for the Mexican electricity market.
In the past 20 years Téllez served as Secretary of Communications and Transportation (2006-2009), Secretary of Energy (1997-2000) and Chief of Staff of President Ernesto Zedillo (1994-1997). Téllez was also Deputy Secretary of Agriculture and Head Economist at the Treasury.
As a public official, he was a key player in policy decisions to improve the structure of the Mexican economy in macroeconomic, financial, energy and agricultural issues such as: putting in place the most ambitious program to expand Mexican transportation infrastructure based on public and private financing. Participating in structuring and negotiating the financial package that allowed Mexico to solve the financial crisis of 1995; being part of the team that implemented the bailout program of the Mexican banking system in 1995-1997. Leading the expansion of power generation and transmission infrastructure during the late nineties; leading the negotiations with Saudi Arabia and the rest of the OPEC countries that prevented the collapse of oil prices in the late 90´s; heading the expansion of oil and natural gas production in Mexico and leading the team that established the fully Funded Pension System.
Téllez drafted the constitutional changes and implementing legislation, which ended the agrarian reform and gave full property rights to communal lands. He was also responsible for negotiating the agricultural sector in NAFTA.
Téllez is also member of several non-profit organizations amongst others the Mexican Council of Foreign Affairs, the Trilateral Commission and the Woodrow Wilson Institute in Washington, where he became Co-Chairman of the WW Mexican-Institute since July 2019. He has been married for 37 years and is the proud father of two daughters.
