About Us
Sharp process. Resonating results.
We don’t have magic formulas.
But we have clear processes.
That’s the way to reach results that truly
resonate and have a lasting impact.
We are a global business transformation consulting firm that reframes complex challenges with creativity, not with more complexity.
For us, collaboration fosters success. Where synergy is nurtured, solutions are born through genuine understanding, open communication and a shared commitment to create lasting impact.
Our multidisciplinary team brings a broad perspective to problem-solving, guiding our projects in an environment where our client’s participation is not just encouraged, but celebrated.
Working with Ekko means you can rest assured that you will have the right support from the right specialist with all hands on deck. What is best for one client might not be what is best for others. Finding what is best for you is our goal.
In the end, good business is a journey, an ongoing commitment to make the world better than we found it. It is an invitation to all those who dare to dream, to step into the realm of possibility and foster great stories with their actions.
- Good business
creates great stories - Ekko Partners
Our Purpose
We are a business transformation consulting firm.
With global operations and a unique approach to different types of challenges, we redefine the ways for businesses to prosper and generate a positive impact in our community.
Our Values
Integrity
We are honest, trustworthy and consistent with our principles and values. We are authentic, always true to our word and accountable for our actions.
Authenticity
We put our real, genuine, and true selves into all that we do to serve our clients, helping them to do the same.
Excellence
We strive each and every day to deliver outstanding, high-quality, and delightful service for our clients.
Commitment
We are resilient and serve our clients with consistency. We put our skin in the game.
Courage
We say the hard truth. We thrive on difference. We think outside the box. We foster real innovation and creativity.
Belonging
We embrace the richness of what makes each person, and their ideas, unique, and we ensure that everyone has a space to make her or his voice heard.
Care
We care for ourselves, our teams, our clients, our families and our community. We make our business decisions with them in mind.
Our
Team
![](https://ekkopartners.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/ivan.jpg)
Ivan Apsan
Ivan is specialized in handling complex negotiations with multiple stakeholders. Ivan was Legal and Institutional Affairs Director for Paranapanema, VP Legal and Corporate Affairs for BHP and General Counsel for Bracell. He was also Chairman for Renova Foundation. Ivan has masters in Environmental Law from UCL and was trained in negotiation at Harvard.
Paranapanema 2014-2017
- Ibovespa Novo Mercado governance implementation
- BRL600 million Arbitration against Santander – winning strategy implementation
- 2016/17 Debt Restructure
BHP 2017-2022
Samarco
- Dam failure insurance negotiation
- Debt restructure negotiation
- Operations Restart
Renova Foundation
- Governance Agreement with Public Authorities to conduct overall remediation and compensation
- Individual Indemnification Payment Judicial System – Innovative procedure to allow payments to those impacted by the Dam Failure
- Negotation and implementation of the Community Resettlement processes related to the Fundão Dam Failure
Bracell 2022-2023
- Litigation regarding rural land purchase by foreigners
- OL Tissue M&A
Ivan Apsan is a lawyer by training specializing in handling complex situations and negotiating solutions in projects with multiple stakeholders, be it in crisis or growth environments. Throughout his career, he has tackled challenges including operations restarts, insurance settlements, debt restructures, judicial reorganisations, complex arbitration and litigation cases, as well as all disruptions, negotiations and complex solutions deriving from a major environmental accident.
He has a Law degree from Universidade Federal da Bahia, with specialization in Economic and Competition Law from FGV, a Master’s degree in Environmental Law from the University College London(UCL) and is trained in Negotiation and Leadership by Harvard Law School.
Ivan was Legal and Institutional Director for Paranapanema (2014- 2017), VP Legal and Corporate Affairs for BHP (2017-2022) and General Counsel for Bracell (2022-2023). He was also a Board Member and Chairman for Renova Foundation (2018-2021).
Ivan is fluent in Portuguese, English, and Spanish, having lived in various cities such as Salvador, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, London, Charleston-US, and Santiago-Chile. Ivan has 2 kids, Alice and João, who are his main passion and to whom he dedicates most of his time outside of work.
![](https://ekkopartners.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Nilson.jpg)
Nilson Exel
Nilson is an accomplished finance professional who spearheaded many transformational projects, consistently exhibiting excellence in execution. Nilson’s background spans Ultrapar, UBS, Paranapanema, Raízen, and JHSF, where he was the CFO. His business acumen and hands-on approach underscore Nilson’s ability to drive change within complex landscapes. He speaks Portuguese, English, and Spanish.
Ultrapar 2006-2012
- Acquisition of Ipiranga
- Acquisition of Texaco’s fuel distribution assets in Brazil
- Acquisition of União Terminais
- Acquisition of Repsol’s LPG assets in Brazil
Paranapanema 2014-2015
- Debt restructure negotiation
- Hedge and Hedge Accounting Policies implementation
Raízen 2016-2020
- Greenfield investment to build a biogas plant
- Greenfield investment to build two electricity plants powered by biomass
- Acquisition of Tonon’s sugarcane mills under Recuperação Judicial’s rules
- Acquisition of Furlan’s sugarcane assets
- Acquisition of WX Energy, an energy trading company
- Acquisition of Biosev
JHSF 2020-2023
- Leadership of R$ 1billion-expansion plan, from designing capital structure to investment execution
Nilson Exel is an experienced finance professional, with a history of roles as CFO in major companies. His unrelenting pursuit of excellence, steadfast commitment to integrity, and persistent approach towards solving problems add greater depth and significance to doing business.
His areas of expertise encompass a wide spectrum, spanning financial planning, controllership, treasury management, investor relations, and mergers and acquisitions. Over the course of his two-decade-long career, Nilson has been involved in over 40 M&A transactions, successfully concluding more than a dozen deals. His professional journey has traversed diverse industries, including fuels distribution, metals and mining, agribusiness, renewable energy, and real estate. This journey has been further characterized by his adeptness at navigating varied ownership structures, showcasing his remarkable adaptability and versatility.
Nilson’s journey includes serving as the Corporate Planning Manager for Ultrapar (2006-2012), Director of UBS Investment Bank in Brazil (2012-2014), Interim-CFO for Paranapanema (2014-2015), Head of Finance for Raízen Renewables (2016-2020), and CFO of JHSF (2020-2023).
Nilson holds a degree in Business Administration from the University of São Paulo and a PMD from IESE Business School in Barcelona. He is fluent in Portuguese, English, and Spanish.
![](https://ekkopartners.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Khoury.jpg)
Khoury Ashooh
Khoury is a leadership advisor, team interventionist, and executive coach who accompanies clients in moments of personal and organizational transformation and change. Over his 17-year career at Heidrick & Struggles, Antofagasta Minerals, and Andina Advisory, he has served clients with candor, empathy, and cultural fluency. He speaks English, Spanish, and conversational Portuguese, and has worked in 15 countries.
Selected Leadership Consulting and Advisory Clients
- BHP, 2 years country leadership team effectiveness intervention and leadership development program (Brazil)
- BHP, 4 years developmental leadership assessment program (Colombia, Chile, South Africa, Mozambique, Australia, Singapore, USA)
- HIF Global, first executive team leadership effectiveness workshop (Chile)
- PEMEX, 2 years leadership assessment, executive coaching, and cultural transformation project for the CEO and top team during the transition from state monopoly to productive state-owned enterprise (Mexico)
- Minera Escondida, 2 years leadership team intervention and advisory in context of organizational redesign (Chile)
Selected Executive Coaching Clients
- Country Head, global mining company, Brazil
- General Counsel, iron ore mining company, Chile
- Asset President, copper mining company, Chile
- Board Secretary, copper mining company, Chile
- Chief of Staff to the CEO, industrial conglomerate, Chile
- COO, integrated oil and gas company, Argentina
- CHRO, integrated oil and gas company, Mexico
- CFO, financial services company, Mexico
- CEO, financial services company, Panama
- Global President of Engineering, global logistics company, USA
Khoury Ashooh is a professional with extensive experience in advising boards, leadership teams, and executives around the world. Hailing from New Hampshire, USA, he brings over a 15 years of talent and team development experience across multiple organizational levels of some of the world’s most complex companies.
His passion for Latin America was ignited when he moved to Mexico during university to learn Spanish and gain a different perspective on USA-Mexico relations. Khoury lived in Santiago, Chile, for three years and is currently dual-based between Chile and the USA. He was the Organizational Effectiveness Manager at Antofagasta Minerals, a FTSE 100 company and the largest private Chilean mining group, and he served as a consultant and coach at both Heidrick & Struggles and The Miles Group, working with several globally renowned companies.
Khoury is a certified executive coach (ICF) with accreditations in business Spanish, Hogan Assessments, the Team Dynamics Profile, and the Global Leadership Profile. He holds a degree in Latin language from Davidson College (university), is fluent in Spanish, and is studying Portuguese. His global perspective, cultural understanding, experience, empathy, and candor make him an exceptional and unique leadership development professional and top-team interventionist.
Paranapanema 2014-2017
- Ibovespa Novo Mercado governance implementation
- BRL600 million Arbitration against Santander – winning strategy implementation
- 2016/17 Debt Restructure
BHP 2017-2022
Samarco
- Dam failure insurance negotiation
- Debt restructure negotiation
- Operations Restart
Renova Foundation
- Governance Agreement with Public Authorities to conduct overall remediation and compensation
- Individual Indemnification Payment Judicial System – Innovative procedure to allow payments to those impacted by the Dam Failure
- Negotation and implementation of the Community Resettlement processes related to the Fundão Dam Failure
Bracell 2022-2023
- Litigation regarding rural land purchase by foreigners
- OL Tissue M&A
Ultrapar 2006-2012
- Acquisition of Ipiranga
- Acquisition of Texaco’s fuel distribution assets in Brazil
- Acquisition of União Terminais
- Acquisition of Repsol’s LPG assets in Brazil
Paranapanema 2014-2015
- Debt restructure negotiation
- Hedge and Hedge Accounting Policies implementation
Raízen 2016-2020
- Greenfield investment to build a biogas plant
- Greenfield investment to build two electricity plants powered by biomass
- Acquisition of Tonon’s sugarcane mills under Recuperação Judicial’s rules
- Acquisition of Furlan’s sugarcane assets
- Acquisition of WX Energy, an energy trading company
- Acquisition of Biosev
JHSF 2020-2023
- Leadership of R$ 1billion-expansion plan, from designing capital structure to investment execution
Selected Leadership Consulting and Advisory Clients
- BHP, 2 years country leadership team effectiveness intervention and leadership development program (Brazil)
- BHP, 4 years developmental leadership assessment program (Colombia, Chile, South Africa, Mozambique, Australia, Singapore, USA)
- HIF Global, first executive team leadership effectiveness workshop (Chile)
- PEMEX, 2 years leadership assessment, executive coaching, and cultural transformation project for the CEO and top team during the transition from state monopoly to productive state-owned enterprise (Mexico)
- Minera Escondida, 2 years leadership team intervention and advisory in context of organizational redesign (Chile)
Selected Executive Coaching Clients
- Country Head, global mining company, Brazil
- General Counsel, iron ore mining company, Chile
- Asset President, copper mining company, Chile
- Board Secretary, copper mining company, Chile
- Chief of Staff to the CEO, industrial conglomerate, Chile
- COO, integrated oil and gas company, Argentina
- CHRO, integrated oil and gas company, Mexico
- CFO, financial services company, Mexico
- CEO, financial services company, Panama
- Global President of Engineering, global logistics company, USA
Ivan Apsan is a lawyer by training specializing in handling complex situations and negotiating solutions in projects with multiple stakeholders, be it in crisis or growth environments. Throughout his career, he has tackled challenges including operations restarts, insurance settlements, debt restructures, judicial reorganisations, complex arbitration and litigation cases, as well as all disruptions, negotiations and complex solutions deriving from a major environmental accident.
He has a Law degree from Universidade Federal da Bahia, with specialization in Economic and Competition Law from FGV, a Master’s degree in Environmental Law from the University College London(UCL) and is trained in Negotiation and Leadership by Harvard Law School.
Ivan was Legal and Institutional Director for Paranapanema (2014- 2017), VP Legal and Corporate Affairs for BHP (2017-2022) and General Counsel for Bracell (2022-2023). He was also a Board Member and Chairman for Renova Foundation (2018-2021).
Ivan is fluent in Portuguese, English, and Spanish, having lived in various cities such as Salvador, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, London, Charleston-US, and Santiago-Chile. Ivan has 2 kids, Alice and João, who are his main passion and to whom he dedicates most of his time outside of work.
Nilson Exel is an experienced finance professional, with a history of roles as CFO in major companies. His unrelenting pursuit of excellence, steadfast commitment to integrity, and persistent approach towards solving problems add greater depth and significance to doing business.
His areas of expertise encompass a wide spectrum, spanning financial planning, controllership, treasury management, investor relations, and mergers and acquisitions. Over the course of his two-decade-long career, Nilson has been involved in over 40 M&A transactions, successfully concluding more than a dozen deals. His professional journey has traversed diverse industries, including fuels distribution, metals and mining, agribusiness, renewable energy, and real estate. This journey has been further characterized by his adeptness at navigating varied ownership structures, showcasing his remarkable adaptability and versatility.
Nilson’s journey includes serving as the Corporate Planning Manager for Ultrapar (2006-2012), Director of UBS Investment Bank in Brazil (2012-2014), Interim-CFO for Paranapanema (2014-2015), Head of Finance for Raízen Renewables (2016-2020), and CFO of JHSF (2020-2023).
Nilson holds a degree in Business Administration from the University of São Paulo and a PMD from IESE Business School in Barcelona. He is fluent in Portuguese, English, and Spanish.
Khoury Ashooh is a professional with extensive experience in advising boards, leadership teams, and executives around the world. Hailing from New Hampshire, USA, he brings over a 15 years of talent and team development experience across multiple organizational levels of some of the world’s most complex companies.
His passion for Latin America was ignited when he moved to Mexico during university to learn Spanish and gain a different perspective on USA-Mexico relations. Khoury lived in Santiago, Chile, for three years and is currently dual-based between Chile and the USA. He was the Organizational Effectiveness Manager at Antofagasta Minerals, a FTSE 100 company and the largest private Chilean mining group, and he served as a consultant and coach at both Heidrick & Struggles and The Miles Group, working with several globally renowned companies.
Khoury is a certified executive coach (ICF) with accreditations in business Spanish, Hogan Assessments, the Team Dynamics Profile, and the Global Leadership Profile. He holds a degree in Latin language from Davidson College (university), is fluent in Spanish, and is studying Portuguese. His global perspective, cultural understanding, experience, empathy, and candor make him an exceptional and unique leadership development professional and top-team interventionist.
![](https://ekkopartners.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/pic4-scaled-e1718134636166.jpg)
Luis Azevedo
Luis is a team builder and an investor at The Yield Lab Latam, a VC fund dedicated to the agri-food tech space. During his corporate career, he served in general management roles at both Novus International, Inc., a Mitsui & Co. subsidiary, and Agrifirm, a Dutch cooperative with more than 10,000 employees. He graduated in veterinary medicine from the Universidade Federal do Paraná with an EMBA from Washington University in St. Louis. Luis mentors agtechs and is a frequent participant in the Harvard Agribusiness Seminar.
![](https://ekkopartners.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/WhatsApp-Image-2023-12-07-at-11.17.13-3-e1702494820264.jpeg)
Frederico Rocha
Frederico is a CFO with a solid background in Corporate Finance, Treasury, Controlling, and Derivatives. Experienced in fundraising, banking relationships, and restructuring. An expert in commodity and currency hedging. Graduated in Business Administration from FGV-SP and with a master’s degree in Finance and Economics from INSPER. His career spans notable companies such as Minerva Foods, Paranapanema, Cheminova, W7 Energia, and Coimex Trading.
![](https://ekkopartners.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/WhatsApp-Image-2023-12-07-at-11.17.13-e1702494946657.jpeg)
Laís Sampaio
Laís is a naval engineer graduated by the Polytechnic School of the University of São Paulo. Laís has extensive experience in Investment banking and Equity Research. Before joining the Ekko Partners team, she worked on the Research team at UBS, covering Basic Materials companies in Americas. In Investment Banking, she worked at Safra and Bradesco BBI, acting directly in M&A and capital market transactions totaling more than R$1 billion.
![](https://ekkopartners.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/WhatsApp-Image-2023-12-14-at-11.37.02-e1718132711525.jpeg)
Kátia Fernandes
Kátia holds a degree in Letters and a post-graduate degree in English-Portuguese translation from Universidade do Grande ABC. She also earned an MBA in School Management from the University of São Paulo. With over 11 years of experience, Kátia previously served as an executive assistant to the president at Paranapanema.