Marcelo Mello

Founding Partner of the firm. Leader of the Aviation Practice, advising on leasing, sale & purchase and financing transactions for commercial aircraft, as well as representing client in highly technical aviation contracts with all relevant OEMs and maintenance providers and delivering solutions in aviation regulatory aspects for operation in commercial aviation and defense & aerospace. Led multiple multi-billion dollars debt restructuring and workout processes in the aviation sector, including the Azul Restructuring and Recapitalization, a transaction awarded Global Restructuring Deal of the Year for 2023 by Airline Economics. Proven leadership in Aviation in Latin America with solid professional network and active participation in industry groups and committees, such as ALTA and ISTAT.

15+ years of experience advising clients in financing matters, representing financiers (e.g. banks, private equity investors, hedge funds) and borrowers of different industries
in a wide variety of contexts such as Project & Infrastructure, Acquisition Finance, Capital Markets, Special Situations, Corporate Restructurings, Commodities Trading/Structuring, Trade Finance, Complex Derivatives along with other structured financial products.

Education
Bachelor of Laws from Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo. Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University (Instituto Ling Merit Scholarship).

Related Practices
Aviation
Restructuring and Insolvency
Banking, Finance & Capital Markets
Corporate Governance & Compliance