Experienced Leadership

Francisco Balduzzi is a Senior Advisor on Cross‑Border Investment Protection at the Tulane Energy Law & Policy Center and serves on the Center’s Global Research Council. He brings more than 25 years of experience as a senior legal executive in multinational companies and private practice, combining a boots‑on‑the‑ground understanding of legal issues across multiple jurisdictions with strategic, board‑level leadership. He is currently a partner at Womble Bond Dickinson, where he serves on the Firm’s Global Energy Leadership Team, co‑chairs the Mining Practice Group, and is a core member of the Latin America Practice Group. His prior roles include Head of Legal for Latin America and Asia Pacific at Barrick Mining Corporation and Group Assistant General Counsel at Wood, where he held global responsibilities.

Francisco has extensive experience advising clients on international investment and corporate transactions in the Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) sector—including oil and gas, power and renewables, and metals and mining—representing both operators and service companies. His work spans mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, new‑country entries and investments, project development, and engineering and construction contracts (EPC, EPCM, BOOMT), as well as navigating complex issues such as cross‑border currency restrictions. He has led international disputes, negotiated with foreign governments, and developed multijurisdictional strategies to address clients’ legal challenges, with experience across multiple continents and a particular focus on Latin America.

Francisco also serves as an Officer of the International Bar Association’s Mining Law Committee. His previous leadership roles include president of the Houston Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel, president of the Instituto Argentino del Petróleo & Gas in Houston, and co‑chair of the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law Alumni Club of Houston.