Antonio Garza serves as Counsel in the Mexico City office of White & Case LLP, one of the world’s leading global law firms with 39 offices in 26 countries. Additionally, Ambassador Garza is Chairman of Vianovo Ventures, a management consultancy with a focus on cross-border business development.
Drawing on decades of high profile, political, legal, and business experience, Garza serves as a strategic counselor to CEOs, investors, and entrepreneurs. He is acknowledged as one of the top experts on U.S.-Mexico relations and on the business and political environments of both nations and currently advises a number of companies and investors active in Mexico’s energy sector.Ambassador Garza is uniquely positioned to assist corporate and other interests navigating the complex economic, cultural, and political environments in both the United States and Mexico.
Ambassador Garza, a National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) Governance and Board Leadership Fellow, currently serves as a director to Kansas City Southern (NYSE: KSU) and Chairman of its subsidiary Kansas City Southern de Mexico (KCSM), a rail-based transportation company and MoneyGram (NYSE: MGI), a global money transfer company. Mr. Garza also serves as an independent director to Grupo ODH, a privately held Luxemburg-domiciled holding company, focused on the ultra-deep water drilling industry in Mexico. Mr. Garza formerly served on the boards of Basic Energy (NYSE: BAS), BBVA Compass and the U.S. holding companies of BBVA (NYSE: BBVA).
Mr. Garza is a member of the Board of Trustees of Southern Methodist University, the Development Board of the University of Texas at Austin and currently serves as chairman of the Texas Exes, the alumni association of The University of Texas at Austin. Additionally, the Ambassador is a director of the Americas Society/Council of the Americas and member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Garza is a past recipient of the “Aguila Azteca” or Aztec Eagle, the Mexican government’s highest honor bestowed upon a foreign national.
From 2002 to 2009, Garza was the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico. Prior to that time, Mr. Garza served as chairman of the Texas Railroad Commission, first elected to statewide office in 1998. During that same period, Mr. Garza was appointed Vice Chairman of the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, which represents the governors of 30 members and 8 associate states in the development of comprehensive energy and conservation policies. Mr. Garza is a past partner at Bracewell & Patterson (now Bracewell) and served as Secretary of State of the State of Texas and Senior Policy Advisor to the Governor of the State of Texas from 1994 to 1997, and as Cameron County Judge from 1988 to 1994.
Garza holds a BBA from The University of Texas at Austin and a Doctor of Jurisprudence from Southern Methodist University School of Law and has been honored as a distinguished alumnus at both institutions. He is a member of the State Bar of Texas, the District of Columbia Bar and is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court. Garza is married to Dr. Liz Atkinson Garza.
