Iberia 2016 – GC Powerlist
GC Powerlist Logo

Iberia 2016

  • Industries

  • Powerlist

Aitor Unanue

Director of legal affairs | ULMA Construction

Aitor Unanue joined ULMA Construction in 2008, following a successful 12-year tenure at the market-leading law firm Garrigues. Since assuming his role as director of legal affairs, he has had...

Alberto Ferrández Barturen

Head of legal | Celeo Concesiones e Inversiones S.L.U.

A highly experienced lawyer, Alberto Ferrández Barturen is the head of legal at Celeo Concesiones e Inversiones, a 100% owned subsidiary of Elecnor, the leading developer and operator of electricity...

Alejandro García Granda

Vice president legal and contracting - Mediterranean, LATAM and Middle East | Vestas Mediterranean

Heading a strong, cross-functional team of 20 people for Vestas, a Danish manufacturer, seller and servicer of wind turbines, Alejandro García Granda has been active in some of the most...

Alfonso Aguirre Díaz-Guardamino

Director of business legal | Sacyr Vallehermoso

Former general counsel of ACS, Servicios, Comunicaciones y Energias, Alfonso Aguirre Díaz-Guardamino is described by sources as ‘a very intelligent person’ with ‘outstanding team management skills’. During his 15-year tenure...

Alicia Muñoz Lombardía

Head of legal, corporate governance, regulatory affairs and communication | Banco Santander

Financials

A leading expert in the banking sector, Alicia Muñoz Lombardía has served the legal department of Santander Group for 20 years, having joined in 1995 to lead the legal research...

Ana Bayó Busta

Head of legal affairs and compliance | Grupo Menarini España

Ana Bayó Busta had spent 10 years working in market leading law firms, including Garrigues, Clifford Chance and Gómez-Acebo & Pombo, before deciding to move in-house. ‘At Clifford Chance where...

Ana Buitrago

Legal director and associate general counsel | Amazon Spain

‘An extraordinary professional’, Ana Buitrago has impressed private practice lawyers and in-house colleagues throughout her 15 year in-house career. With previous senior roles at Iberdrola Renovables and Terra Lycos, the...

Ana Isabel Montero

Iberia legal director | JTI (Japan Tobacco International)

Ana Isabel Montero prides herself on establishing a successful, fully integrated in-house legal department for the Iberian branch of JTI. She admits that setting up a legal department in an...

Ana Prado Blanco

General counsel and secretary of the board | Mercedes-Benz España

Ana Prado Blanco was appointed general counsel at Mercedes-Benz España in 2012, after having served as legal counsel in the same legal department for eight years. She admits that her...

Ana Valor

Senior legal counsel projects - EMEA | Avon

‘When I started working at Avon the legal department used to be considered as a hurdle to the rest of the company, limiting the business from putting in place new,...

Andrés Campaña Avila

Director of global legal services - energy management and commercial | Iberdrola

An award-winning corporate counsel, with expertise in public and administrative law, Iberdrola’s director of global legal services for energy management and commercial, Andrés Campaña Avila is an increasingly respected voice...

Ángela López Molina

Director of international legal affairs | Grupo San José

Grupo San José’s director of international legal affairs, Ángela López Molina has had an exciting career path. Shortly after her studies in law and business administration she started working in...

Antonio Murillo Gayo

Legal director of business and capital markets | Bankinter S.A.

Financials

With significant experience of senior positions in major public companies, Antonio Murillo Gayo is a leading regulatory expert and a respected voice in his industry. He started his in-house career...

Antonio Neto Alves

General counsel and company secretary | Portucel Soporcel Group

As general counsel, Antonio Neto Alves has been pivotal in Portucel’s growth. He started his career in a small law firm in Portugal, where he specialised in M&A after three...

Ariadna Grañena

Legal and tax director – Iberia | Reckitt Benckiser (RB)

Ariadna Grañena leads the Iberian legal and tax department of Reckitt Benckiser (RB), a multinational consumer goods company. She joined the company in 2007 as tax manager, following a successful...

Begoña Barbera-Martin

Corporate counsel and manager – legal and intellectual property | Canon España

During her decade-long tenure at Canon España, Begoña Barbera-Martin has created a strong and trusted legal department that is always available and ready to contribute to the company’s growth. ‘In...

Blanca Rivilla Calle

General counsel and deputy general manager | Ahorro Corporación

An award-winning corporate counsel, Blanca RIvilla Calle is general counsel and deputy general manager of the Spanish investment bank Ahorro Corporación. She joined the company in 2000 as a junior...

Carlos Figueiredo

General counsel, company secretary, human resources and communications director | Unilever Jerónimo Martins

Carlos Figueiredo has worked at Unilever Jerónimo Martins since the onset of his career. He joined the company in 1998 as a management trainee and he has held various positions...

Carlos Iribarren

General counsel | Infarco-Cinfa Group

Infarco is the parent company of a pharmaceutical group composed of twelve subsidiaries, including Cinfa, Spain’s leading pharmaceutical company in sales by volume through retail pharmacies. Carlos Iribarren has been...

Carlos López Martín de Blas

Legal director and secretary general | Secuoya Grupo de Comunicacion

A leading expert in the fields of media and audio-visual law, Carlos López Martín de Blas heads all legal activities of Secuoya Grupo. He started his career as a litigation...

Carlos Manuel Gastañaduy Tilve

General counsel, director and secretary to the board of directors | MAXAM

Throughout his 16-year tenure at the helm of MAXAM’s legal department, Carlos Manuel Gastañaduy Tilve has always strived to change the mentality of some business people about the importance of...

Carlos Martins Ferreira

Group general counsel and deputy general secretary | Jerónimo Martins SGPS

As group general counsel, Carlos Martins Ferreira played a pivotal role in Jerónimo Martins’ global corporate structure reorganisation that took place in 2011. During the same year, as a member...

Concha Ortuño Sierra

Corporate director of legal affairs | Grupo Cementos Portland Valderrivas

‘An expert in corporate governance and securities law, as well as compliance and EU competition law’, Concha Ortuño Sierra is a lawyer with more than 20 years of experience. For...

Consuelo Barbé Capdevila

Managing director of corporate markets and corporate governance, head of the technical office and legal, secretary of the board | Telefónica

During her time at the IBEX 35 listed Spanish multinational company, Consuelo Barbé Capdevila has been involved in some of Telefónica’s most pivotal transactions, including the ground-breaking merger of Telefónica...

Cristina Fernández Gomez

Director of legal financial | Telefónica

A leading expert in finance law, Cristina Fernández Gomez has been at the helm of the legal financial department at Telefónica since 2012. She started her career at the top-tier...

David Giner

Head of legal | Telefónica Business Solutions

With an impressive career spanning senior in-house positions and private practice, David Giner leads a cross-functional 15-strong team that provides support to a €6bn telecoms business, operating in over 40...

Elena Ciordia

Chief legal officer | Viscofan Group

Viscofan Group is an IBEX-35 company and a world leader in the manufacturing and distribution of artificial casings for the meat industry. Elena Ciordia has been at the helm of...

Elena Fernández Sánchez

Senior legal counsel | Enel Green Power

Highly experienced in the energy sector, Elena Fernández Sánchez joined Enel Green Power, the Italian renewable energy corporation with operations in over 16 countries, in 2010. She started her career...

Esteve Buldú Freixa

Deputy general counsel | Camper

Esteve Buldú Freixa joined Camper, a Spanish-owned shoe brand with a large international network of sales, in 2002 and in 2013 he was promoted to his current role as deputy...

Fernando De las Cuevas Terán

General counsel and secretary general | Abengoa Solar

A widely recognised corporate lawyer, Fernando de las Cuevas Terán heads the legal department of Abengoa Solar, the solar energy division of the Spanish multinational corporation Abengoa. He started his...

Fernando Domingo Oslé

Chief legal officer | Universidad de Navarra

During his nine year tenure as chief legal officer at Universidad de Navarra, one of the world’s top-60 universities according to a New York Times’ ranking, Fernando Domingo Oslé has...

Fernando Gómez y Gómez Calcerrada

Legal director (Southern Europe, Africa and Middle East) and secretary to the board of directors | ThyssenKrupp

A respected and high profile lawyer, Fernando Gómez y Gómez Calcerrada has been at the helm of the legal function of ThyssenKrupp Spain since 1999. He now oversees the multinational...

Fernando Ortega López de Santa María

General counsel and secretary of the board of directors | Siemens

Siemens’ general counsel and secretary of the board, Fernando Ortega López de Santa María takes pride in the development of a legal department that is fully involved and connected with...

Filipa Santos Carvalho

Head of legal and regulatory | NOS

‘Filipa is an outstanding performer concerning all the key skills a general counsel should have: ability and wisdom to act as the interface between legal department and board directors; insight...

Filipe Hasse Ferreira

Executive director of legal | Haitong Bank

Financials

‘The biggest achievement of my career is to feel, on a day-to-day basis that my colleagues from other areas of the bank, as well as board members ask for my...

Filipe Pereira Coelho

General counsel | Secil Group

Heading all legal activities of Secil, Portugal’s leading cement producer, Filipe Pereira Coelho assumed his role in 2005 and since then has revolutionised the legal department. ‘My first step was...

Flor Grinberg

Senior legal counsel | Google

Information technology

Flor Grinberg started working at Google in April 2010 as the first commercial legal counsel for Spain and Portugal. Currently, as senior legal counsel, she supports a wide range of...

Francisco Castillo

Lead counsel | Dow Chemical Ibérica and Dow AgroSciences EMEA

As Dow Chemical Ibérica’s lead counsel for EMEA, Francisco Castillo has demonstrated diligence, talent and expert knowledge of the business after almost 17 years in the company. An experienced in-house...

Francisco Pedro Balsemão

Chief operating officer for human resources, legal affairs and sustainability | Impresa

Impresa is a Portuguese media conglomerate, owner of leading media outlets, and a PSI-20 listed company. Francisco Pedro Balsemão is the chief operating officer responsible for human resources, legal affairs...

Francisco Sebastian

Head of legal and litigation affairs | ANA Aeroportos de Portugal S.A.

ANA Aeroportos de Portugal, the National Airport Authority, provides management, operation and development of airports in mainland Portugal, Azores, and Madeira autonomous regions. A well-known and highly respected corporate lawyer,...

Inés Núñez de la Parte

General counsel and secretary of the compliance committee | Ingeteam

Inés Núñez de la Parte’s outstanding legal and management skills led her to be included in the top 10 female legal executives in a list published by Mujeres y Cia...

Isabel Calero Llinares

General counsel | Mango

Mango’s general counsel Isabel Calero Llinares prides herself for instilling within the company a culture of prevention and education and corporate responsibility. She has been at the helm of Mango’s...

Isabel Charraz

Country legal counsel – consumer, corporate and investment banking | Citibank Portugal

Financials

‘Always seeking to excel and constantly pursuing training initiatives which may increase legal, business and operational knowledge to support the business in a stormy regulatory environment’, Isabel Charraz is praised...

Jaime Carro Merchán

Head of legal | Pontegadea Inversiones Group

‘Transmitting to the company a certain way of doing business based on your own expertise and the knowledge and your qualifications in law: that’s the biggest impact of an in-house...

Jaime De Miguel Muñoz

Director of legal and vice secretary of the board of directors | CESCE (Compañía Española de Crédito a la Exportación)

CECSE is the second largest group specialised in credit and surety in Spain and the fourth largest in the world. As director of legal since 2012 Jaime de Miguel Muñoz...

Javier de Silva Escrivá de Romaní

Chief legal counsel - development division | OHL Group

OHL is a Spanish-based multinational construction and civil engineering company and since 2008 it has been a constituent of the benchmark IBEX 35 stock market index. Javier de Silva Escrivá...

Javier Illescas

Head of global business legal department | Banco Santander

Financials

‘I have worked with Javier as a peer and client for over 15 years, and I can tell that his intelligence, holistic approach to complex legal issues, and versatility to...

Javier López Zafra

General counsel, external relations and public affairs, ethics manager | L'Oreal España

Since assuming his role as general counsel of L’Oréal España, Javier López Zafra has undertaken wide-reaching initiatives to align the legal function with the operational expectations of the business. To...

Javier Prados Mateos

General counsel and secretary to the board | Roadis

Described as ‘an outstanding, very business-oriented lawyer that can make the life of external counsel much easier, since his level of sophistication is equal to the best partners in the...

Javier Serrada Quiza

Legal director | Acciona Windpower

Acciona is one of the foremost Spanish conglomerates, leading in the development and management of infrastructure, renewable energy, water and services and listed on the IBEX-35 stock exchange index. Acciona...

John Rigau

Vice president and general counsel, Western Europe and government affairs, Southern Europe | PepsiCo

Food, beverages and tobacco

Throughout his high-powered in-house career at PepsiCo, vice president and general counsel for Western Europe and government affairs for Southern Europe, John Rigau has contributed significantly to the growth of...

José De Reina Amarillas

Head of retail and commercial banking and custody legal | Santander Group

With more than two decades in-house experience at Santander Group, José de Reina Amarillas has been involved in some of the bank’s most significant transactions. Since joining Santander’s in-house team...

José Luis del Valle Pérez

Director and general secretary | Grupo ACS

With an illustrious career spanning private practice, public sector and in-house, José Luis del Valle Pérez has been the director and general secretary at the IBEX 35 listed Grupo ACS...

José Manuel García-Alfonso Martitegui

General counsel and secretary of the board | Air Miles España

With 25 years of in-house experience, the highly-skilled José Manuel García-Alfonso Martitegui is the general counsel and secretary of the board of Air Miles España. He started his career as...

José Manuel Sánchez Méndez

Legal counsel manager - railways division | Globalvia

Globalvia is one of the world’s leaders in the management of infrastructure concessions, occupying one of the top positions in a number of rankings produced by infrastructure publications. José Manuel...

José Maria del Cuvillo Pemán

General director of legal services | OHL Group

General director of legal services at OHL, the IBEX-35 Spanish multinational construction and civil engineering company with approximate annual revenues of €3.5bn, José Maria del Cuvillo Pemán is a widely...

José Miguel Alcolea Cantos

Director of legal - group businesses | Iberdrola

Widely respected counsel, José Miguel Alcolea Cantos joined Iberdrola in 2004, following a successful career in public administration. He served the state legal department from 1996 until 2004, during which...

Juan Antonio García Fuente

General counsel anddirector of legal services | Gamesa

With more than 31,200 MW installed in more than 50 countries, Gamesa is a global technological leader in the wind industry and an IBEX 35 listed company. Juan Antonio García...

Juan Charro Nicolás

Director of corporate legal and M&A | Santander Group

Highly respected across the banking sector, Juan Charro Nicolás heads the corporate legal department of Santander Group. He joined Santander in 2008, following a successful career of seven years at...

Juan Manuel Sánchez Padrós

Legal director and general secretary | R Cable y Telecomunicaciones Galicia

During his 17-year tenure as legal director at R Cable, Juan Manuel Sánchez Padrós has been a key decision maker in the Spanish telecommunications company. He joined R Cable in...

Juan Manuel Vales Cortés

Legal director | MAPFRE Asistencia

MAPFRE Asistencia is a global insurance, reinsurance and services company, and a subsidiary of the IBEX-35 listed insurance company MAPFRE. As the legal director, Juan Manuel Vales Cortés has had...

Juan Riego Vila

General counsel | Carrefour Spain

Heading an award winning legal team, Carrefour’s general counsel Juan Riego Vila has had an active role in some of the most significant deals of the group. He assumed his...

Juan Saavedra Ortiz

Senior legal counsel | Inditex

Juan Saavedra Ortiz spent 10 years working in two Magic Circle firms, Linklaters and Allen & Overy, before deciding to move in-house. During that time he advised on a wide...

Julián Martínez-Simancas Sánchez

General counsel and secretary to the board | Iberdrola

The highly praised Julián Martínez-Simancas Sánchez, Iberdrola’s general counsel and secretary to the board, has impressed peers and clients alike with his involvement in the transformation process of the company...

Leandro Meneses

Legal responsible for power and nuclear division, proprietary technology and HTD | Tecnicas Reunidas

Heading all legal activities of power and nuclear divisions, proprietary and HTD at Tecnicas Reunidas, one of the 15 largest engineering companies in the world, Leandro Meneses has led a...

Lluis Vendrell Pi

Chief legal officer - corporate M&A | CaixaBank

Financials

CaixaBank’s chief legal officer Lluis Vendrell Pi believes that assuming his current role has been the biggest challenge throughout his career, as he had to become a banking expert in...

Lorena García de Izarra

General counsel, secretary of the board and compliance officer | Cobre las Cruces

As the general counsel of Cobre Las Cruces, the Spanish mining complex owned by First Quantum Minerals, Lorena García de Izarra’s defining task has been the transformation of the legal...

Luis Elías

General counsel | Grupo Planeta

Grupo Planeta is Spain’s leading family-owned publishing and media group, also operating in Portugal, France and Latin America. With an impressive career, spanning private practice and in-house roles in various...

Luis Graça Rodrigues

Regional counsel | Indra Portugal

Indra is Spain’s leading consulting and technology multinational and one of the most prominent in Europe and Latin America. Leading the legal affairs of Indra’s Portuguese branch, Luís Graça Rodrigues...

Luís Poças

Chief legal and compliance officer and corporate secretary | Groupama Seguros

Insurance specialist, Groupama Seguros’ chief legal and compliance officer prides himself on building the company’s in-house department from scratch. A veteran lawyer in Groupama, Luís Poças joined the company in...

Mar Fernández López de Ochoa

General counsel and secretary to the board | AEGON

With 17 years’ in-house experience, Mar Fernández López de Ochoa leads the Spanish branch of the multinational insurance company AEGON. Before she joined the company in 2012, Fernández López de...

Maria Belén Quintas Fernández

Senior legal manager | Tecnocom

In 2009, María Belén Quintas Fernández joined Tecnocom, a market-leading, multinational Spanish company operating in the information technology sector, with extensive experience in high-tech operations and a strong regional presence...

María Eugenia Aldama Garaizabal

Legal counsel | Azora Gestión SGIIC

An industry expert, María Eugenia Aldama Garaizabal was responsible for the legal management of GE Capital Real Estate, the real estate investment unit of the American conglomerate General Electric, in...

Maria José Viegas

Senior legal manager | ANA Aeroportos de Portugal S.A.

Widely respected across the aviation industry of Portugal, Maria José Viegas is one of the most qualified aviation lawyers in the country. She joined ANA Aeroportos de Portugal, the Airport...

Maria Luz Medrano Aranguren

Vice general counsel and chief legal officer | Telefónica

A highly respected Spanish lawyer, Maria Luz Medrano Aranguren is the vice general counsel and chief legal officer of Telefónica, the number one Spanish multinational by market capitalisation and one...

María Segimón

General counsel - Spain and Portugal | CBRE Global Investors

CBRE Global Investors is one of the world’s largest real estate investment management firms with approximately $88.4bn in assets under management globally. As the company’s general counsel for Spain and...

Marina Paradela

Commercial manager -new business | CEPSA

With 25 years of experience as a lawyer, contract specialist and negotiator in the international energy sector, Marina Paradela is a leading expert in the industry. Before joining CEPSA in...

Marta Almeida Afonso

Head of legal and company secretary | REN (Redes Energéticas Nacionais)

‘Marta Almeida Afonso has significant experience in handling innovative and complex matters in different jurisdictions, despite her young age’ one source says. ‘She succeeds in motivating the teams in stressful...

Marta Casas

General counsel, general vice-secretary and chief compliance officer | Abertis Infraestructuras

Marta Casas heads the legal department of Abertis, the IBEX-35 Spanish conglomerate. Known as a very dynamic lawyer ‘Marta has shown an outstanding capacity in reorganising and adapting the legal...

Marta Oñoro Carrascal

Global head of legal | Allfunds Bank

Financials

Heading the international expansion of Allfunds Bank from a legal perspective, Marta Oñoro Carrascal is a respected voice in a niche industry. Allfunds Bank is Europe’s biggest institutional fund platform,...

Mónica Calonje Conde

Claims and legal manager | Hiscox España

Highly experienced and business-oriented, Mónica Calonje Conde is a legal counsel with extensive experience as in-house lawyer and external lawyer. She started her career in the corporate and commercial law...

Natalia Bódalo Lozano

Head of legal - E&P | CEPSA

Known as a ‘business-oriented’ lawyer, Natalia Bódalo Lozano joined CEPSA, the Spanish multinational oil and gas company, following a successful career in international law firms, including Gleiss Lutz in Frankfurt...

Natalia Martos Díaz

Chief legal officer | Prisa Noticias

Prisa is the world’s leading Spanish and Portuguese language business group in the fields of education, information and entertainment, and with presence in 22 countries it reaches more than 60...

Nieves García Lopez

Director of legal services for SPAI (Spain, Portugal, Africa and Israel) and managing director | Accenture

Managing 33 lawyers across a number of jurisdictions, Nieves García Lopez heads all legal support across SPAI (Spain, Portugal, Africa and Israel) operations of Accenture. She joined Accenture’s legal department...

Nuno Moraes Bastos

General counsel and chief compliance officer | Zurich Insurance Portugal

Insurance

‘A great leader, a first-class lawyer and a great person’ Nuno Moraes Bastos had five principles that allowed him to have this impressive career in such a short time: ‘obtain...

Óscar Casado Oliva

Legal, public affairs and regulatory director | Tuenti

Tuenti, widely known as the “Spanish Facebook”, is a leading Spanish technology company that integrates telecommunications and social communication services with its own app to provide a multi-platform cloud experience...

Pablo Echenique Conde

Head of legal services - Abengoa Projects Warehouse | Abengoa

Abengoa is an IBEX 35 listed Spanish multinational company that creates innovative technology solutions for sustainability in the energy and environment sectors. Since joining in 2010, Pablo Echenique Conde has...

Pablo Pernía Martin

Head of legal and compliance department, secretary of the steering committee | VidaCaixa

VidaCaixa is a leading insurance company in Spain, and a subsidiary of CaixaBank, one of the largest banks operating in the Spanish market. Pablo Pernía Martin joined CaixaBank in 2012...

Paloma del Val Tolosana

General secretary and head of legal | Fundación Microfinanzas BBVA

‘It is an honour to provide corporate legal advisory services related to such a life-enhancing purpose. It enables me to feel I am doing something to help the economic, social...

Patrícia Marques Ferreira

Head of legal | Portugália Airlines

A seasoned in-house lawyer, Patrícia Marques Ferreira stands apart from her peers in her capacity to get results, with incredible speed and quality. She admits that her background in private...

Patrícia Mendes

Head of legal and compliance | Volkswagen Financial Services Portugal

When she became head of legal and compliance at the Portuguese branch of Volkswagen Bank in 2012, Patrícia Mendes’ first and defining task was the creation of the in-house legal...

Paulo Marinho

Legal manager | Ascendi Portugal

At the helm of the Ascendi’s Portuguese legal team for the last 12 years, Paulo Marinho takes credit for the creation of the company’s in-house legal department. ‘I’ve created it...

Pedro Ferraz

Legal director | Grupo Trofa Saúde

‘Before I joined the company, the top management had just dismantled the legal department. I was hired to redesign the legal department with new people from scratch’ says Pedro Ferraz....

Pedro Filipe Santos

Legal and compliance director | Aon Portugal

A highly skilled lawyer, Pedro Filipe Santos joined Aon Portugal, in 2004, with the task of establishing an in-house legal department. To grow his understanding of the company, he spent...

Pedro Vidigal Monteiro

Legal manager | Andrade Gutierrez Europa, África, Ásia

With broad private practice experience gained in Portugal and Mozambique, followed by eight years in-house in the multinational construction company Andrade Gutierrez, Pedro Vidigal Monteiro has a well-rounded background in...

Ramiro Sánchez de Lerín

General counsel and state attorney | Telefónica

A highly visible figure of the Spanish legal market, Ramiro Sánchez de Lerín serves as Telefónica’s general counsel and member of the executive committee. He began his career at Arthur...

Ramón Varela Aldazábal

Head of legal | SENER Grupo de Ingeniería S.A

During his time as head of legal at SENER, Ramón Varela Aldazábal has played a pivotal role in the company’s rapid international expansion. He created and implemented the structure of...

Ricardo Jesus

Chief legal and general secretary | Generg Group

‘Since I was a teenager, I’ve always been concerned about environmental issues, so in 2005, I decided it was time to harmonise my calling for the defence of the planet...

Rita Gaspar Simões

General manager | Barraferros

At the age of 27 Rita Gaspar Simões became the first woman to hold the position of head of legal and compliance at Banco Invest. She recalls the first days...

Roberto Ugena

Deputy director general of legal | European Central Bank

Financials

Former director of legal for the Central Bank of Spain, Roberto Ugena led many of the bank’s defining projects and transactions during his eight-year tenure. He was part of the...

Rui Andrade

Head of legal affairs | Andrade Gutierrez Europa, África, Ásia

Rui Andrade heads the legal function of Andrade Gutierrez Europa, África, Ásia (AG EAA), one of the largest construction companies in Portugal, present in more than 30 countries. He joined...

Rui De Oliveira Neves

"General counsel, head of compliance and company secretary" | Galp Energia

Rui de Oliveira Neves is general counsel, head of compliance and company secretary at Galp Energia, a Portuguese energy company with activities in oil and gas exploration, production, transport, and...

Ruth Breitenfeld

Legal manager | CEPSA Trading

A highly experienced and result-oriented lawyer, with more than 20 years’ multinational experience, Ruth Breitenfeld is the legal manager of Cepsa Trading. Cepsa is a Spanish multinational oil and gas...

Salvador Bautista Enciso

Head of legal and taxes, secretary to the board | Bergé y Cía

Bergé y Cía is one of the biggest Spanish business groups with international outreach, mainly operating in the fields of maritime and ports, car distribution, logistics, renewable energy and finance....

Santiago Sainz de Baranda

Head of corporate legal | Urbaser Group

Described by sources as ‘an outstanding lawyer with a high personal commitment and exceptional technical and people management skills’, ‘a very proactive and efficient lawyer’, ‘a problem solver’ and ‘a...

Sara Gonçalves

Head of legal | Endesa

Following five years of private practice in the market-leading firm Garrigues, Sara Gonçalves joined the Portuguese branch of Endesa, the second largest electricity supplier in Portugal, to lead the creation...

Susana Guerrero

Head of legal | Diageo Iberia

Heading all legal operations of Turkish Airlines and managing more than 30 employees, Ali Uysal has led some significant changes in the legal department during his two years in the...

Tiago Matias

Head of legal | Banco CTT

Financials

An increasingly respected voice in the Portuguese in-house market, Tiago Matias is a highly skilled lawyer, with vast experience in private practice and in-house roles. He started his career with...

Vanessa Santos

Head of legal | MetLife Portugal

‘Vanessa is a very focused and competent head of legal, she can handle virtually any issue that may occur in the insurance area’, according to one source. A recognised industry...

For 29 years, The Legal 500 has been analysing the capabilities of law firms across the world. The GC Powerlist is the latest publication from The Legal 500, turning its attention to the in-house function, and recognising those corporate counsel who are driving the legal business forward. The latest edition is the GC Powerlist: Iberia, which identifies an array of the most influential and innovative in-house counsel working in the region.

The GC Powerlist is a series of publications, highlighting the most influential in-house lawyers in business today.

We have canvassed opinions from law firm partners and in-house counsel across Iberia, to identify corporate counsel that have been instrumental in changing or forming opinions within their company or industry; developing brilliant technical solutions to complex issues; creating innovative structures to ensure that the in-house function is driving the business forward; or providing a business working model that other corporate counsel should follow. Our team of experienced researchers assessed the nominations, speaking both to general counsel and nominating lawyers to finalise each jurisdictional list. The GC Powerlist: Iberia features not just information on why that individual has made the list, but also comment from the law firms about how they feel individual corporate counsel have helped shape innovation in the legal industry.

David Burgess
Publishing Director

Olleros Abogados

Olleros Abogados logo

We welcome the initiative of The Legal 500 to recognise for the first time the work of Iberian general counsel. It is a timely and well-deserved recognition for the professionals that in recent years have been at the forefront of business activities in a difficult economic cycle, and in an often painful process of deep corporate restructuring.

We are very pleased to sponsor this initiative because we have closely cooperated with several corporate counsel through those challenging times and have witnessed their outstanding efforts to cope with increasingly complex regulatory frameworks and expanding responsibilities within their organisations.

The general counsel is becoming a key business partner in many corporations, an advisor to the senior management regarding matters that exceed their traditional tasks, as the GC is getting involved in issues relating to business strategy and risk management, and, not least, in ensuring the compliance of stricter economic, social and environmental obligations.

We as private practice lawyers are also adjusting our services in parallel to the changing roles of in-house lawyers. Besides mastering the progressively intricate legislation to be able to deliver accurate advice, we are investing to improve our knowledge of the economic and social landscape where our clients operate. As private practice lawyers, we have also been called upon to take a step ahead, to jump in the front seat beside the in-house lawyers in order to be more involved in day-to-day decisions.

This concurrent evolution certainly widens the scope for cooperation between in-house lawyers and law firms for the benefit of both. We can better understand and respond to our clients’ needs, and in-house lawyers can benefit from the insight that we have achieved from working with a wide choice of clients, in a variety of cases and in different industries for many years.

The three Spanish sponsors of this initiative, Arpa Abogados y Consultores, Fornesa Abogados and Olleros Abogados, are medium-sized and independent law firms with a good joint coverage of the Spanish legal market. We share certain values, among which, the involvement and plain accessibility of our partners to corporate counsel is a common target. Our firms have maintained a rapid and sustained growth in recent years, and we attribute our success to the capacity to adapt fast to the new requirements and, above all, to the co-operation and working partnerships that we maintain with corporate counsel.

To show our appreciation for the work of these professionals, we decided to join The Legal 500 in this first GC Powerlist: Iberia, and we wish to sincerely congratulate all those that have been included in
the list.

Morais Leitão, Galvão Teles, Soares da Silva (MLGTS)

Morais Leitão, Galvão Teles, Soares da Silva (MLGTS) logo

Morais Leitão, Galvão Teles, Soares da Silva (MLGTS) is very pleased to sponsor the GC Powerlist Iberia and partner with The Legal 500.

It is an opportunity for us to highlight the work of
in-house counsel, who have such an important role
in establishing the bridge between the company,
our clients, and the law firm.

Their work is rarely ranked, awarded or the target for interviews. We believe that they are the key ingredient behind the awards that MLGTS has received. The client experience drives each compliment that our law firm receives, and they are, of course, frequently the best referees of our work. Often, their work stays out of the limelight to enable the company and the law firm to work together effectively.

MLGTS could never achieve the results for which it is known without these ‘business angels’ or these important ‘message decoders’. Choosing the right strategies and building new solutions for clients depend entirely on in-house lawyers. They have the important role of being part of the client’s DNA – knowing the business, knowing the market, and understanding the framework of each single step that must be taken in company strategy.

The success of our firm depends on these anchors, on their capability of building a strong and trustworthy relationship, and on fulfilling the needs of clients. Without their role in working for our clients, it would be a less interesting challenge and not a lasting relationship.

MLGTS’ practice group coordinators prepare the best team for each project, allocating the best resources that the firm has according to clients’ interests, rather than gathering different experts from the main areas complementing other professionals from very specific areas. They respond with teams such as the German or French desks, or the Africa and Asia teams, that are equipped to respond to any matter.

About MLGTS

Morais Leitão, Galvão Teles, Soares da Silva & Associados is the outcome of the 2004 merger between the firms Morais Leitão, J. Galvão Teles & Associados and Miguel Galvão Teles, João Soares da Silva & Associados, both resulting from prestigious law firms founded in the 1930s and 1960s. In 2006 the law firm Osório de Castro, Verde Pinho, Vieira Peres, Lobo Xavier & Associados, founded in 1989 and based in Porto, was integrated into Morais Leitão, Galvão Teles, Soares da Silva & Associados, thereby reinforcing the firm’s leading position and its presence in the north of the country. With a team comprising more than 180 lawyers at a client’s disposal, we have three offices in Portugal, located in Lisbon, Porto and Funchal (Madeira Island). As a result of our network of associations with local firms and the creation of the MLGTS Legal Circle, since 2010 we have also operated through partnerships with law firms with offices in Angola, Macau (China) and Mozambique.

Jones Day Hong Kong Roundtable 2024

The Legal 500 was thrilled to join a selection of top Jones Day partners and a hand-picked group of 15 the most prominent GCs in Hong Kong for a freewheeling and no-holds-barred discussion on geopolitical risk management at a time of global transition. Steve Brogan, managing partner of Jones Day from 2002-2022 flew over to lend his considerable expertise to the discussion, as did Partner-in-Charge Hong Kong Joelle Lau. Joining them to give expert briefings on the topics of the day were partners Peter Wang, Dr Qiang Xue, James Fidler, Samuel Ngo and Charles Chau. The conversation moved from sanctions and counter sanctions, to the increasing pre-eminence of the Asian economy, to the philosophy of the rule of law in times of crisis.