About the firm
Chan García exists because the market needed an independent firm focused on one thing: converting governance and regulatory risk in Mexico into financially quantified exposure that decision-makers can act on.
Legal and compliance advisors in Mexico can identify governance gaps. Consulting firms can catalog regulatory concerns. What neither consistently delivers is a financially quantified view of what that risk actually costs — expressed in terms an investment committee can evaluate.
Chan García was founded to fill that specific gap. We built a firm around a single thesis: that governance and regulatory risk becomes actionable only when it is expressed as a financial exposure range with probability-weighted scenarios.
This independence is not a limitation of our practice — it is the foundation of our credibility. When Chan García delivers an exposure range, there is no implementation contract, transformation engagement, or remediation proposal behind it. The number is the product.
Our team is deliberately multidisciplinary — corporate lawyers, former auditors, governance specialists, and actuaries working together. That composition exists because translating legal risk into financial terms requires more than legal expertise. It requires actuarial methodology, risk modeling capability, and fluency in the frameworks that institutional decision-makers rely on.
Most firms that evaluate risk also sell the solution. That economic structure creates an inherent tension. Chan García was designed without it.
Our engagements end with a deliverable: a financially quantified exposure range, a governance risk score, a committee-ready report. We do not sell remediation, transformation, or ongoing implementation services that would compromise the objectivity of our assessment.
When we report an exposure of $3M–$5M, that number exists to inform your decision — not to create demand for our next engagement. Investment committees rely on this structural independence to defend their conclusions to LPs and boards.
Assessments are grounded in international compliance standards, OECD governance principles, and Mexico's CCE Code of Best Practices. This foundation ensures our outputs are defensible, comparable, and recognized by institutional stakeholders and regulators.
Governance risk evaluation requires access to sensitive corporate information. We operate under strict confidentiality protocols, data protection compliance, and anti-corruption standards. Discretion is embedded in how we work, not just what we promise.
Mexico's regulatory environment is jurisdiction-specific, politically sensitive, and structurally different from other Latin American markets. Generic governance frameworks designed for Brazil, Colombia, or the broader region systematically underestimate the exposure created by Mexico's specific compliance dynamics.
Chan García focuses exclusively on Mexico — its federal and state regulatory structures, its labor and environmental compliance regimes, its tax authority enforcement patterns, and its corporate governance norms. This depth allows us to identify exposure vectors that generalist firms miss and to calibrate probability estimates with country-specific precision.
For investors and operators who need accuracy in one market rather than coverage across many, that specialization is the difference between a defensible conclusion and a generic assessment.
Federal, state, and municipal regulatory layers create overlapping compliance obligations that vary by jurisdiction, sector, and corporate structure. Foreign-owned entities face additional scrutiny.
STPS compliance, IMMEX obligations, and environmental permitting each carry material financial exposure that is frequently underestimated in standard legal due diligence.
SAT enforcement patterns have shifted materially in recent years. Transfer pricing scrutiny, related-party transaction review, and compliance documentation requirements all create quantifiable exposure.
Mexican companies are transitioning from informal governance to institutional frameworks. Understanding where each company sits on that spectrum is essential for accurate risk assessment.
Every assessment follows the same five-phase methodology — designed to produce comparable, auditable outputs that institutional committees can reference and defend.
We define the assessment scope, identify applicable regulatory frameworks, and select the reference standards appropriate to the entity's sector, jurisdiction, and corporate structure in Mexico.
We review governance documents, compliance policies, organizational structures, codes of ethics, and contractual frameworks. We conduct structured interviews with directors, board members, and key function owners.
We verify the operational effectiveness of internal controls, segregation of duties, data protection measures, and compliance mechanisms through design and operational testing.
We translate all legal, governance, and compliance findings into financial terms using professional actuarial methodology. Scenario modeling produces probability-weighted exposure ranges — not narrative risk descriptions.
We deliver an executive-grade report with findings, governance risk scores, exposure heatmaps, quantified financial ranges, and prioritized action items — supported by recognized reference frameworks.
Chan García was founded by practitioners whose experience spans corporate governance, transactional advisory, regulatory risk evaluation, and senior government legal roles in Mexico.
Elizabeth Chan brings more than two decades of experience advising corporations on governance, mergers and acquisitions, strategic transactions, and corporate structuring. Her work focuses on helping companies design governance structures, manage complex transactions, and navigate the regulatory environments that affect long-term business outcomes.
Before co-founding Chan García, Elizabeth served as Director of Corporate Legal Practice at Deloitte (Galaz, Yamazaki & Ruiz Urquiza), where she worked on governance matters, joint ventures, due diligence processes, and corporate restructuring. She previously held the role of Corporate Legal Manager at Grupo PepsiCo, where she oversaw corporate restructuring, governance, contractual frameworks, and compliance-related matters.
Elizabeth also held senior government positions in Mexico's federal administration, including Director of Analysis of Legal Petitions within the Legal Counsel's Office of the President of Mexico, and Director within the Legal Affairs and Human Rights Unit of the National Security Commission. This combination of private sector transactional experience and senior government legal advisory work gives her a deep understanding of both corporate operations and regulatory frameworks in Mexico.
Pedro García Chan leads the firm's practice in corporate governance evaluation, regulatory risk assessment, and the financial quantification of legal and compliance exposure. His work centers on developing independent evaluations of governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) frameworks for companies operating in Mexico — translating potential legal exposure into measurable financial metrics that support executive decision-making and access to capital markets.
Pedro is recognized for his work related to the PRIME Certification, a corporate governance certification designed to help companies strengthen governance practices and gain access to financing. Chan García is one of only 36 authorized firms in Mexico permitted to issue PRIME Certification evaluations — a designation granted by the PRIME Certification Committee composed of BANCOMEXT, NAFIN, BMV, BIVA, and AMIB.
Through his advisory practice, Pedro helps companies transition from informal governance structures to institutional frameworks capable of supporting long-term growth, transparency, and access to capital. His methodology translates governance and compliance structures into strategic advantages that support financing readiness, investment due diligence, and institutional credibility.
One of only 36 firms in Mexico authorized to issue PRIME Certification evaluations — a corporate governance certification governed by BANCOMEXT, NAFIN, BMV, BIVA, and AMIB. This authorization enables Chan García to evaluate companies seeking governance certification for financing and capital market access.
Recognized in national rankings as a leading firm in compliance advisory in Mexico. This recognition reflects the firm's specialization in governance risk evaluation and financial exposure quantification — not general legal practice.
Member of the Board of Directors of COPARMEX Metropolitano, Mexico's primary employers' confederation. This role connects the firm directly to corporate governance policy dialogue and the broader Mexican business ecosystem.
Founding partner experience at Deloitte (Galaz, Yamazaki & Ruiz Urquiza) in corporate governance, due diligence, and corporate restructuring — combined with multinational corporate experience at PepsiCo and senior government roles in Mexico's federal administration.
Assessment methodology grounded in OECD governance principles and Mexico's CCE Code of Best Practices for Corporate Governance. This standards-based foundation ensures outputs are internationally recognized and institutionally defensible.
The team includes corporate lawyers, former auditors, governance specialists, risk management professionals, and actuaries. This composition enables the firm to bridge legal findings and financial quantification in a single engagement.
A 30-minute call with a Chan García partner is the fastest way to understand whether an independent assessment is right for your situation. No commitment. No sales process. A direct conversation about your exposure.
Request an Independent Assessment