Demarest announces Marcelo Guaranys as new partner in Brasilia

After 23 years working in the public sector, economist and lawyer Marcelo Guaranys is joining Demarest, one of the most respected law firms in Brazil and Latin America.

Marcelo will join partner Angela Cignachi Baeta Neves at the firm’s office in Brasilia to bolster its Public Law, Regulatory Law, Infrastructure and Corporate Investigations practices (including Competition, Compliance and International Trade) at a time when Brazil seeks to improve the security and economic and financial sustainability of contracts in order to attract investment and improve the concessions policy by increasing public-private partnerships.

Marcelo holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Universidade de Brasília (UnB) and in Law from Centro Universitário de Brasília. He also holds a specialist degree in Economic and Business Law from Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV) and a master’s degree in Public Law from UnB.

He made his debut in the public sector in 2000, in the regulatory and competition areas. At the Secretariat for Economic Monitoring (SEAE) of the Ministry of Finance, he served as general coordinator of Public Services and Infrastructure and general coordinator of Transportation and Logistics, in which he worked from 2000 to 2007 on the economic analysis of mergers and acquisitions and on regulatory reform processes across all sectors of infrastructure and public services from 2000 to 2007.

Marcelo also acted as Director for Economic Regulation (2007-2010) and CEO (2011-2016) of the National Civil Aviation Agency of Brazil (ANAC), where he contributed to opening the air transportation sector, improving regulations, and implementing airport concessions in Brazil, as well as structuring the sector for major events (Rio +20 and the World Cup) and strengthening the institutional structure of the ANAC.

As Deputy Chief of Analysis and Monitoring of Government Policies (SAG) of the President’s Chief of Staff (2016-2018), Marcelo coordinated the drafting of public policies (such as the new Regulatory Agencies Law), the implementation of regulatory impact analysis, the assessment of spending and the country’s accession process to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Most recently, Marcelo served as executive secretary of the Ministry of Economy (2019-2022), became deputy minister and coordinated several departments in the process of developing economic reforms and public policies.

In addition to acting as head of delegation and a delegate himself on several international missions, mainly with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the OECD, Marcelo  chaired the Latin American Civil Aviation Commission (CLAC) from 2013 to 2015.

Bruno Aurelio, Virginia Mesquita, Tomás Paiva, Bruno Drago (Demarest’s Corporate Investigations practice) and Marina Aidar, partners of Public Law, Regulatory Law and Infrastructure practice areas, and the economist and lawyer Marcelo Guaranys (center)

“It is impossible not to associate Marcelo with the beneficial regulatory practices implemented in Brazil throughout the last few years. At a time when new technologies call for increasingly complex discussions on how various segments should be regulated, having Marcelo on the team, with his critical vision and experience in the government’s upper ranks, reinforces our potential to advise our clients on highly complex demands with outstanding excellence,” says Tomás Filipe Schoeller Paiva, a partner in Demarest’s TMT (Telecommunications, Media and Technology), Infrastructure and Project Finance areas.

Bruno Aurélio, partner in Demarest’s Public & Regulatory Law and Infrastructure practice areas, echoed his assessment: “Marcelo brings extensive and reputable experience in public management across numerous segments of the economy and regulations area. His work at ANAC in the most important concession processes, implementing the highest technical standards at the Secretariat for Economic Monitoring and the agency, as well as his transversal experience at the Ministry of Economy throughout a period marked by major concessions, all validate his position as one of the most all-rounded and qualified professionals to work on public-private partnerships in Brazil. Now, he’s joining our team to make Demarest even stronger.”

Bruno Drago, partner in Demarest’s Corporate Investigations practice, highlights that “Marcelo is highly experienced in competition advocacy & commercial defense and has in-depth knowledge of the dynamics of regulatory agencies, supervision bodies and the Executive and Legislative branches. Marcelo is a valuable addition to our Corporate Investigations practice”.

In line with the firm’s strategic planning, Paulo Rocha, Demarest’s managing partner, points out that the regulatory, infrastructure and corporate investigations sectors, all within the scope of the new partner’s work, are key to Demarest’s expansion in the legal market due to his potential to attract investment and his ability to interact with several other practice areas that contribute to business development.

 “Years of experience in public management have provided Marcelo with the expertise to advance regulatory and advocacy practices, which will allow him to break new grounds in the legal sector, bringing solutions that can creatively meet our clients’ needs and generate business opportunities in sectors with the potential to grow even more, such as aviation, logistics, transportation, among others,” says Paulo Rocha.

Marcelo has been interested in areas that combine law and economics ever since he enrolled in university. “Being capable of applying all the knowledge I’ve acquired in the public services and infrastructure sectors to advancing regulatory improvements and increasing competition, and now in the private sector, contributing to the growth of companies and of our country will be a challenging point in my career,” he says.

“Demarest will enable me to connect with different business sectors and different areas of law, which will complement my professional background and allow me to identify promising business opportunities. My goal is to assist partners in various practices with my technical knowledge, perspective, and experience in the government, analyzing regulatory and legislative changes and their impact on the business world,” adds economist and lawyer Marcelo Guaranys.