Juanmari Molina’s Journey from Investment Banking to Sustainable Real Estate Leadership in Mexico

Published On : 08/23/2024

Combining his extensive experience in investment banking and private equity with a strong commitment to sustainability, Juanmari Molina is at the forefront of eco-friendly real estate development in Mexico’s Riviera Maya. Molina is the chief executive officer of the Mexico Eco Park Fund I, which is offering investment opportunities in a project to build the Xieltun Eco-Park near the town of Tulum on the Yucatan Peninsula.

“Five years ago, I fell in love with Tulum, with the energy,” Molina says. “I was presented with an opportunity to buy a piece of land. Something like intuition told me, ‘This is a very good move. You should do it.’ I’ve been in this region for five years now.”

When financial expert Janos Gregus from Ontario, Canada, invited Juanmari to join an investment project in Tulum, he trusted his instincts and accepted the offer. With Gregus and Jose Alfredo Molina, Juanmari now leads the Mexico Eco Park Fund I.

“I’ve seen how the market has evolved,” Molina explains. “There’s a lot of potential being brought to the table with the Mexican government’s infrastructure initiatives and with global banks expanding into the Riviera Maya.”

Although he’s only 33 years old, Juanmari Molina brings more financial expertise than his age would suggest. When he was 12, Mexico was experiencing unsettled times, so his family moved to Miami and studied at Florida International University.

“It’s a very good school, but it’s not on the radar of the big investment banks,” Juanmari says. “To get an internship in New York, I had to fly from Miami and knock on the door of a small boutique just for a chance to be interviewed. They gave me that chance and gave me a position based in Colombia, with the promise to go back to New York if I completed the internship.”

That was the beginning of Molina’s investment banking career. He moved from a small boutique investment bank to a medium-sized one, then fulfilled his dream when Credit Suisse hired him.

“While at Credit Suisse, I was recruited by Lone Star Funds, a global investment firm. They were opening an office in Miami to deploy capital in Latin America. I was the youngest employee at that office,” Molina says. “I loved my job, but ever since I was little, even before starting high school, I wanted to follow my father’s steps to be an entrepreneur and work for myself.”

When Juanmari Molina met Janos Gregus and Jose Alfredo Molina (known as Freddie), he felt drawn to them. They all felt a common denominator, being Latin American immigrants in the United States.

“Even though we met less than a year ago, I think this is like my mother says, that it’s not a coincidence. Something is testing me, right?” Juanmari says. We were supposed to be in the same place. I think this is a powerful partnership, and even though there’s an age gap, we complement each other.”

Juanmari Molina is the CEO, Jose Alfredo Molina is the chief financial officer and head of investor relations, and Gregus is the chief investment officer and chief compliance officer. All three are of different ages and have different skill sets.

The Xieltun Eco-Park plans call for a sustainable amusement park anchored by a gigantic statue of  Ixchel, the Mayan goddess of the moon and feminine empowerment. The park is projected to boost Mexican tourism with its distinctive sights and accommodations and focus on the cultural Mayan heritage of the Yucatan Peninsula. Inside the Ixchel statue, which is about the size of the Statue of Liberty in New York City, there will be observatories, restaurants, and a butterfly sanctuary.

As the Mexico Eco Park Fund I settles in, the three founding partners remain committed to the project and its two future phases.

“We have skin in the game. We always will grow the team,” Juanmari Molina says. “We’ll hire personnel, and we’ll have others to analyze the investments and conduct the diligence, but the three of us will spearhead the fund’s efforts.”

Jessica Weisman-Pitts

Jesse Pitts has been with the Global Banking & Finance Review since 2016, serving in various capacities, including Graphic Designer, Content Publisher, and Editorial Assistant. As the sole graphic designer for the company, Jesse plays a crucial role in shaping the visual identity of Global Banking & Finance Review. Additionally, Jesse manages the publishing of content across multiple platforms, including Global Banking & Finance Review, Asset Digest, Biz Dispatch, Blockchain Tribune, Business Express, Brands Journal, Companies Digest, Economy Standard, Entrepreneur Tribune, Finance Digest, Fintech Herald, Global Islamic Finance Magazine, International Releases, Online World News, Luxury Adviser, Palmbay Herald, Startup Observer, Technology Dispatch, Trading Herald, and Wealth Tribune.