A Conversation With Alum Francesco Noero, Principal at KPMG US and Senior Americas Counsel
In The Dispersion of Seeds, Henry David Thoreau wrote: “Though I do not believe in a plant that will spring up where no seed has been, I have great faith in a seed. Convince me that you have a seed there, and I am prepared to expect wonders.”
For Francesco Noero, that simple truth — that meaningful growth begins with something small and full of potential — has profoundly influenced both his personal journey and professional path, from his roots in Colombia to his career in New York City. “I was taught the importance of planting positive seeds and reaping what you sow. You plant good seeds, you get a good harvest.”
Since 2021, Francesco, who serves as principal and Senior Americas Counsel at KPMG, a global leader in audit, tax, and advisory services, has supervised the activities of Americas Legal and Compliance, supporting the legal and compliance functions of the Latin America member firms. His role involves working closely with independently operated member firms to promote best practices, navigate regulatory issues, deliver training, and help shape policy frameworks.
In his daily work, Francesco focuses on building consensus across diverse stakeholders, fostering alignment through influence rather than by directive authority. He credits his small team of five for skillfully navigating cross-cultural dynamics, varied legal regimes, and the range of personalities and perspectives that come with the territory. “Not only are they all incredibly competent, but the quality of their work is so strong that our footprint feels much larger than our actual size.”
He first heard about the position from Gilles Sion, a former Sidley partner who had moved to KPMG in 2008. Francesco shares that the Big Four accounting firm provided him the opportunity to shape and lead a fresh initiative from the ground up. “KPMG offered the chance to build something new with strong growth potential. It felt like a start-up, which really appealed to me. In many ways, it was the ideal role that my entire career had been leading up to.”
Francesco was born and raised in the port city of Cartagena, Colombia. He attended college in Bogotá, the country’s capital city, majoring in mechanical engineering for two semesters before making the jump to law. “I always saw a future for me as a lawyer, but I didn’t know what that entailed,” he says. “My father was an engineer, and he gave me a book that listed 100 reasons not to be a lawyer. I started mechanical engineering, but it wasn’t really my thing, so like most decisions in life, I switched to something that inspired me.”
Francesco had long aspired to live in New York. In 2004, he and his wife, whom he met at a moot court competition in Colombia and with whom he shared a deep connection to New York, moved to the city to pursue LL.M. degrees: he at Columbia, and she at NYU. After passing the bar, Francesco joined Sidley as a foreign associate in corporate finance.
While weighing law firm offers, Francesco says Sidley stood out for its strong Latin America practice, the strength of which he credits in part to now-retired partner Andrew Quale. “My former boss in Colombia, Alejandro Linares, was among the earliest foreign associates in Sidley’s New York office under Andrew Quale. Not only was Quale one of the first New York lawyers to focus on Latin America, but he spoke Spanish and had a unique connection to Colombia, which helped establish the firm’s strong reputation in the region.”
Early in his career at Sidley, Francesco focused on general corporate finance and M&A transactions for the firm’s LATAM practice. While applying for his green card, a partner suggested he transition from a foreign associate to a permanent role by exploring a new and emerging area: credit derivatives. “My colleague asked, ‘Do you know what that is?’” he recalls. “I said, ‘Yeah, of course,’ even though I had no idea. I’ve never worked so hard in my life.”
His early experience with credit derivatives proved especially valuable when the 2008 financial crisis hit, slowing deal flow at law firms worldwide. Fortunately, Bob Aicher, a partner and close colleague, encouraged Francesco to take a secondment with the firm’s client BNP Paribas, assuring him that it would be a valuable learning opportunity while the market recovered. The move paid off — he officially joined BNP in 2010 and spent nearly 10 years there covering equity derivatives and structured products, as well as serving as LATAM coordinator for CIB legal, reaching Managing Director when he left for KPMG.
Francesco credits much of his professional success to the strong foundation he gained at Sidley. He highlights the rigor of the work and the emphasis on precision, structure, and substance as key in preparing him for an in-house legal role. “There’s no substitute for the experience I had at Sidley,” he says. “If I could thrive in such a demanding environment, I knew I could handle anything that came after.”
Praising Sidley’s culture, Francesco notes that its emphasis on genuine connection and support has left a meaningful and lasting impact on him. “Some people leave their law firm experience behind,” he says. “But the lasting relationships I built speak volumes about the culture there. A group of partners and colleagues even flew down to our wedding in Cartagena because, let’s be honest, you don’t invite people you don’t like to your wedding.”
Outside of work, Francesco is a proud girl dad to three daughters, which leaves little room for much beyond work and family life these days. A devoted supporter of Los Cafeteros, the Colombian national football team, he also developed a love for tennis during the pandemic. One sport he’s firmly against, however, is pickleball. “I am not exactly a fan of pickleball,” he jokes. “I don’t care if pickleballers come and throw eggs at me. I’m never going to convert.”
Published March 2025
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