Andrés Manuel López Obrador, often abbreviated as “AMLO“, is a Mexican presidential candidate who, by virtually all respected pollsters, will claim victory as the country’s new leader on Election Day, July 1st.
The populist candidate is generally labelled as “center-left”, but his history of populist rhetoric and spoken disdain for courts and the electoral system has some wondering if a certain “orange aroma” that has permeated the United States during the last two years is blowing southward into the second largest country in North America.
Some have even declared that his rise is “the greatest threat to Mexico since it embraced democracy and a free-market economy at the end of the 20th century.”
Given the sudden seriousness of Mexico’s political situation, the organizers of Nexus 2018 are proud to announce a special session added to our agenda on Wednesday, June 27th: “Mexico: Waves of Change are Coming, But What Does It Mean for Nearshore?” featuring two leading experts from both sides of the border.
- Sergio Legorreta, Principle Partner and Head of Mexico technology and intellectual property group, Baker and McKenzie
- Daniel Ujczo, Partner and Cross-border Practice Group Chair at Dickinson Wright
The session, moderated by Nearshore Americas Managing Director Kirk Laughlin, confronts the risks Mexico faces and the precise areas where the Nearshore market may feel pain.
“From NAFTA and TN visas to cross-border stability, investment and intellectual property protections, there is a lot on the table and Nearshore players are bracing for the unknown,” said Laughlin.

Legorreta is one of Mexico’s most highly respected legal scholars on technology trade, and been outspoken in his support of a ‘digital free trade agreement’ in North America to replace and enhance the current, 90’s-era, NAFTA agreement.
Sergio advises some of the world’s leading technology companies around regulatory rules, and often is involved in technology-based transactions, including venture capital deals, as well as complex and disruptive technology product implementations and market expansions. He is an active mentor at several start-up accelerators and incubators.

Meanwhile, Ojczo is an international trade and customs lawyer who specializes in Canada-United States and North American matters. In addition to his legal practice, he is the Practice Group Chair for International and Regional Practices at Dickinson Wright where he assists businesses on cross-border regulatory and legal issues. He is one of the few individuals that has served in both the US and Canadian governments, as well as private practice and academia. Prior to joining Dickinson Wright, he was an officer in Canada’s foreign ministry where he was responsible for coordinating government departments and Canada-US industry associations on improvements to North America’s borders and ports-of-entry.
He holds vast experience with issues such as customs and regulatory compliance, corporate structuring, merger and acquisitions, taxation, business immigration, intellectual property protection, and financial incentives.
This career path has led to him securing a seat at every NAFTA negotiations meeting. In an interview with Nearshore Americas in March, Dan revealed that the topic of immigration is low on the list at the ongoing NAFTA negotiations.
“All of the focus is on the issues that the US has put on the table, such as automotive, agriculture, government procurement, and dispute resolution. At this stage in the game, both Canada and Mexico are hesitant to even raise the topic of immigration – everybody is just fighting for their lives to keep what is already in place,” he said.
Nexus 2018
At Nexus 2018, we will bring together a diverse mix of business, sourcing, software engineering, startup and cross-border investment experts. Expect to gain a great deal of knowledge and a great new set of well-informed contacts.
Nexus Opening Night takes place on June 26 from 6pm to 8pm at the DocuSign Executive Briefing Center – 15th Floor, 221 Main St, San Francisco, CA, 94105.
The Nexus Conference itself will be held on June 27 from 08:30 to 17:00 at the NASDAQ Entrepreneurial Center, 505 Howard St, San Francisco, CA 94105.
For more details on speakers, topics, and how to register, click here.
Great Subject Matt…It would be great to keep a pulse on this subject…