[INTERVIEW] ADD Batres: a bridge between Europe and Latin America
Joint interview with Maria Batres, Managing Director of ADD Batres, and Antoine Djikpa, Partner – President of the ADD Group
The profession of probate genealogist is evolving at great speed. Families are becoming more dispersed, assets are crossing borders, and estates are increasingly transnational. In this context, the ability to operate with the same level of reliability, speed, and legal security regardless of the territory involved is no longer a competitive advantage: it is a condition of credibility.
It is precisely within this reality that the integration of Batres Genealogy Services into the ADD Group takes place. A natural and long-considered partnership, which today results in a change of name, ADD Batres, and the strengthening of a leading player in South America, without compromising what defines its identity.
A natural partnership, at the right time
For Antoine Djikpa, Partner – President of the ADD Group, this partnership reflects a deep-rooted trend:
“Assets, like families, are becoming increasingly international. Our ambition is to be a truly global platform for probate genealogy, capable of providing comprehensive, reliable, and fast solutions everywhere.”
Latin America occupies a central place in migration paths linking Europe to this region of the world —Spain, Italy, France, Germany. Buenos Aires stands out as a strategic hub. And within this ecosystem, Batres has established itself over nearly three decades as an undisputed reference in South America. From Maria Batres’s perspective, the choice of the ADD Group was equally clear:
“Natural, because it was based on a relationship of trust built over many years. Timely, because Batres had reached a level of maturity where taking the next step required more structure and resources, without losing our identity.”
28 years of experience and recognized legitimacy across South America
Founded by José Luis Batres, the son of Spanish immigrants eager to reconstruct his own family history, Batres Genealogy Services was born from a deeply human initiative. Very early on, this personal quest revealed a broader need: that of families seeking to understand, document, and secure their heritage.
Over 28 years, Batres has weathered economic cycles, refined its methods, structured its processes, and built expertise recognized across South America.
“These are not just 28 years of existence, but 28 years of applied learning and an ability to operate in 10 countries,” emphasizes Maria Batres.
This experience now translates into a deep understanding of local contexts, proven methodological rigor, and long-standing relationships of trust with clients.
Total continuity, enhanced capabilities
The change of name from Batres Genealogy Services to ADD Batres is not an erasure. It is a signal.
“The core message is simple: continuity and growth,” insists Maria Batres.
The teams remain the same. The methods, culture, and personalized approach to cases remain intact. Local roots, on-the-ground decision-making capacity, and operational independence are fully preserved. What changes are the resources.
For Antoine Djikpa, the philosophy is clear:
“Batres remains Batres, and simply becomes stronger by becoming ADD Batres.”
Immediate and tangible benefits
Integration into the ADD Group gives ADD Batres access to structuring digital tools: secure case management, full traceability of research, seamless information sharing, and enhanced reporting.
These contributions are deliberately discreet from the client’s perspective, but decisive in terms of efficiency.
“They allow us to work more fluidly, shorten timelines, and devote more time to what matters most: the quality and depth of research,” explains Maria Batres.
The alliance works both ways. ADD Batres relies on the ADD Group’s European network to strengthen research in Europe, while ADD teams immediately benefit from Batres’s documentary and historical expertise in Latin America.
The result: better-coordinated cross-border cases, faster processing, and greater legal robustness.
A clear international trajectory
For the ADD Group, the integration of Batres fits into a clear trajectory: building a structured international platform capable of absorbing the growing complexity of globalized estates without compromising professional standards.
For Maria Batres, this affiliation opens up a new field of possibilities: “It allows us to envision the future on a different scale, with structured, sustainable growth and increased specialization.”
No headlong rush, no dilution, just controlled and deliberate scaling.
A human alliance above all
Behind the strategy lies a long-standing relationship of trust. Mutual understanding nurtured by years of collaboration and a shared foundation of values: excellence, freedom, courage, and authenticity.
“We share the same vision of growth: ambitious, but never at the expense of identity or teams,” sums up Antoine Djikpa.
A bridge to all shores
Asked to summarize this alliance, Antoine Djikpa and Maria Batres converge on the same image: that of a bridge.
A bridge between the two shores of the Atlantic. A gateway between history and the future. Between patiently built local expertise and a structured international ambition. A bridge that allows progress, without ever renouncing what makes the profession strong.