More About Our Team
Track record and experience
Skip Bean
Work History:
Skip is internationally recognized as an expert in the debt recovery and restructuring. He has been an invited speaker at annual meetings of the Berne Union (the International Union of Credit & Export Insurers) in Hamburg, Warsaw, and Rome, at an international meeting of the “Special Operations Seminar” of Development Finance Institutions in Marrakech, and in export credit agency and other debt recovery forums in Beijing, Tokyo and New York.Mr. Bean was CEO of an international debt recovery company, GRG, from 2005 – 2017. While in this role, he oversaw management of over $1.4 billion of problem trade, equipment, and development loans in emerging markets. During his tenure as CEO, the company went from a single foundation client to representing 13 international finance institutions and export credit agencies in North America, Europe, and Asia.Mr. Bean’s experience is wide-ranging, having started out practicing in law in large U.S. firms before becoming a founding partner in 1994 of Fensterheim & Bean, P.C., a boutique law firm based in Washington D.C. which handles complex civil litigation cases. He had previously served as director of Real Estate for the Oversight Board of the Resolution Trust Corporation, in which capacity he was responsible for advising cabinet-level Federal Government officials on policies concerning the management and disposition of over $100 billion of distressed real estate assets acquired by a government agency from insolvent savings and loan institutions.
Education: Mr. Bean holds a BA degree (with honors) from the University of Chicago College, an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and a JD from the University of Chicago Law School.
Languages: English (native); German (good); French (basic)
Beatriz Leon
Work history:
Prior to the formation of La Cima, Beatriz spent twelve years at an international debt recovery company, GRG. She rose from her initial position as Asset Recovery Manager to become director of the Latin American Portfolio, where she directed her six-person division in the workout, litigation and bankruptcy of approximately $800 million of commercial claims. An important part of his work was to create and maintain a network of lawyers, investigators, and business contacts throughout LATAM. In 2013, she became Chief Operating Officer, a position she held for five years, where she helped oversee the general operation of the company, while continuing to oversee special projects in LATAM.Beatriz executed the recapitalization of a number of debtor companies as a pathway to recovering on debt, including the Ecuadorian food processing company Confoco, S.A., a charter airline company in the Dominican Republic, an electrical parts manufacturing company in Colombia, a limestone quarrying company in Colombia, and a mining company in Mexico. She was invited to a meeting of the International Union of Credit & Investment Insurers (the “Berne Union”) in Warsaw to discuss the creative strategies which she helped formulate and implement. Previously, Beatriz served as a Policy Manager for the Legal Department of Teleglobe Communications Corporation. In that capacity she directed and oversaw 30 LATAM law firms to ensure compliance by Teleglobe and affiliates with local commercial, tax, labor and other laws and regulations, as well as corporate and commercial transaction involving LATAM. Prior to relocating to the United States, Beatriz was elected Mayor of Usaquén, a municipality within the city of Bogota containing a population of roughly half a million people. Before that she had worked for the Colombian Controller’s Office and the Attorney General’s Office.
Education: University of Autonoma (Colombia); MA, University of Javeriana (Colombia); LLM, International Business Law, American University, Washington College of Law.
Languages: Spanish (native); English (fluent); Portuguese (intermediate)
Roel Messie
Work history:
CIO and director of the IDH Innovative Finance team, he played an instrumental role in the launch and development of the Farmfit Fund, a blended finance fund aimed at improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers. He helped design fund structure, investment strategy and governance. He engaged with both public and private investors.From 2001 – 2017, Roel was an official at FMO (the Dutch development finance institution) where he occupied varied and progressively more senior positions. He concluded his career at FMO as director of FMO Public Investment, where he oversaw Government-funded investment funds, as well as government supported projects in emerging markets using public funds of The Netherlands and the European Union.Roel served for six years as director of Special Operations for FMO, where he lead a team handling distressed and stressed investments in emerging markets which FMO had funded. He oversaw the workout and recovery of a number of projects and served as a member of the Advisory Committees of, two multi-billion dollar Special Situation/Distressed Debt Funds (ADM Capital Maculus III and V). Prior to heading FMO’s Special Operations Group, Roel was a Senior Investment Officer who oversaw FMO private equity investments in LATAM. In that capacity, he worked with private investment funds and also oversaw direct FMO investments in specific LATAM projects.
Education: Leiden University, MA (law)
Languages: Dutch (native), English (native fluency), French (intermediate), German (good), and Spanish (intermediate)
Aury Bautista
Self-assured, multitalented and highly capable professional with over 18 years of progressive experience, paired with an international educational foundation.
Litigation / Commercial Law | Latin America Litigation Manager | Credit Risk Management Consultant.
Focus Creditor Protection | Asset Recovery | Mediation | Global Commercial Debt Collection | Supervision.
International Law | Legal Research | Asset Search | Document Review | Training & Development
Property & Complaint Search | Communication | Spanish Bilingual|