Iberia Teams 2017 – GC Powerlist
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Iberia Teams 2017

  • Industries

  • Powerlist

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3M España

| 3M España

Described as a ‘deeply rooted in the commercial and business structure of the company’, the Iberian legal team of multinational conglomerate 3M is praised by nominators for its work as...

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Abertis

| Abertis

A member of the IBEX 35 index, Abertis Infraestructuras is a Barcelona-headquartered market leader in the Spanish infrastructure sector, commanding a 2016 revenue figure of €4.94bn and has approximately 17,000...

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ACCIONA Concesiones

| ACCIONA Concesiones

Formed in 1997, Madrid-based Spanish conglomerate ACCIONA is a major conglomerate group that is involved in a range of business activities in the infrastructure and renewable energy industries globally. As...

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Acciona Windpower – NORDEX

| Acciona Windpower - NORDEX

Energy and utilities

The 2016 merger between Nordex and Acciona Windpower saw the creation of a group that combines decades of experience in designing, constructing and operating wind turbines and delivering more than...

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Aena

| Aena

Aena is the world’s largest airport manager by passenger numbers, processing over 240 million passengers a year through its network of 46 airports in Spain and 15 airports in other...

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Airbus

| Airbus

Airbus is the leader in Spain’s aerospace and defence sector, with its annual sales of approximately €5bn accounting for 64% of the total revenue in the industry within the country....

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Amadeus IT Group

| Amadeus IT Group

Madrid-headquartered Amadeus IT Group began in 1987 as an agreement between four major European airlines – Air France, Lufthansa, Iberia, and SAS – to create an unbiased global distribution system...

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Amazon Spain

| Amazon Spain

Spain is a key market segment for Amazon’s global e-commerce operation. Indeed, it has been highly successful in the country on the back of its attractive proposition for customers, summed...

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ANA Aeroportos de Portugal

| ANA Aeroportos de Portugal

Transport and infrastructure

Drawing on the expertise of a 16-strong team that includes lawyers, recent graduates and very experienced non-legal professionals, the legal and corporate affairs team at ANA Aeroportos de Portugal offers...

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Andrade Gutierrez

| Andrade Gutierrez

Based in Lisbon, the legal team of Andrade Gutierrez is comprised of experienced legal professionals including three senior legal managers, each of whom have over 15 years’ experience, in addition...

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Azora

| Azora

Madrid-based real estate-focused investment firm Azora was founded in 2003 and launched its first fund in 2004. It has since raised over €2bn across its funds and invested in assets...

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Banco Sabadell

| Banco Sabadell

Financials

Banco Sabadell’s knowledgeable and experienced legal team has developed dramatically in recent years, in line with the Catalan financial institution’s recent expansion. Seen as one of the strongest teams within...

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Banco Santander

| Banco Santander

Financials

The most significant banking institution in Spain, Banco Santander is serviced by numerous different internal legal teams working on a variety of specialities reporting to new group general counsel Oscar...

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Bankinter

| Bankinter

Financials

One of the most high-profile recent transactions in the Iberian banking sector was the purchase of the Portuguese retail branch of Barclays by Madrid-headquartered Bankinter, in a deal that was...

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BBVA

| BBVA

The Spain-based central legal team of BBVA (Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria) has an outstanding reputation globally. It has helped to oversee the bank’s international expansion and entrenched a strong commitment...

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Bergé y Cía

| Bergé y Cía

One of Spain’s most historic corporate groups, Bergé y Cía is a Spanish company comprised of diversified operations across 10 countries. Divided into legal, tax and corporate secretarial areas, the...

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Caixa Geral de Depósitos

| Caixa Geral de Depósitos

A wholly state-owned enterprise, Caixa Geral de Depósitos (CGD) is one of the largest banks in Portugal, with its multinational services servicing total assets of around €93bn. CGD’s legal team...

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CaixaBank – M&A

| CaixaBank - M&A

Financials

Barcelona-headquartered CaixaBank has the most extensive network of branches in Spain, and offers a full range of banking services and insurance activities to its approximately 13 million customers. With a...

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Campofrío

| Campofrío

Multinational food production company Campofrío is headquartered in Madrid and can be highlighted as one of Spain’s biggest recent success stories, having seen a huge recent expansion defying the less...

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Canon España

| Canon España

Critical to both the legal and strategic affairs of Canon España, the legal team at the company is led by Begoña Barberá, who in addition to her legal role is...

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Carrefour Spain

| Carrefour Spain

With a key presence on the board of the company, Juan Riego Vila is the general counsel of the Spanish subsidiary of French retail giant Carrefour. In this role Riego...

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Celeo

| Celeo

Comprised of nine employees, the legal team of Celeo, a Madrid-based developer and operator of energy transmissions assets, provides legal advice across several areas of the law and helps oversee...

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CEPSA

| CEPSA

Compañía Española de Petróleo, known as CEPSA, is a Spanish multinational oil and gas company. It operates in several European countries as well as in Algeria, Canada, Colombia, Morocco, Brazil,...

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Chemo Group

| Chemo Group

Chemo is a multinational pharmaceutical company with almost four decades of experience and commitment in safeguarding and improving people’s health and well-being. As a comprehensive health sciences group, Chemo operates...

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Cintra

| Cintra

Cintra is a wholly-owned subsidiary of services and infrastructure operator Ferrovial but is, in its own right, one of the largest private developers of transport infrastructure in the world. Although...

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Citibank Portugal

| Citibank Portugal

Financials

With a remit that extends to all of the country transactions and regulatory implementation for Citibank in Portugal, the legal team of the company is led by Isabel Charraz in...

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Cobre las Cruces

| Cobre las Cruces

Owned by the Canadian metals and mining company First Quantum Minerals, Cobre las Cruces is a major hydrometallurgical Spanish mining complex that produces over 72,000 tons of copper, equivalent to...

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Codere

| Codere

With around a 30% share of the Spanish retail betting market, Codere is a leading player in the country’s gaming sector. In addition to its European operations in Spain and...

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Corticeira Amorim

| Corticeira Amorim

Handling ‘complex and sophisticated work’, the legal team of historic Portuguese cork products company Corticeira Amorim is well-known in the market for its diligence; the team’s work has been called...

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CTT Correios de Portugal

| CTT Correios de Portugal

Consumer products

Portugal’s national postal network operator CTT Correios de Portugal was founded in 1520 and is known as one of the most trusted brands in the country. It listed on Euronext...

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Danone Iberia

| Danone Iberia

Founded in Barcelona almost 100 years ago, Danone has grown into a leading global food company that is now headquartered in France and built on four business lines: Fresh Dairy...

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EDP – Energias de Portugal

| EDP - Energias de Portugal

Energy and utilities

With revenues of over €15bn, EDP is one of the largest providers of electricity in Europe and one of the most substantial businesses in Portugal. The EDP legal team was...

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Eiffage Infraestructuras

| Eiffage Infraestructuras

A multinational company that has activities across the construction sector including public works, manufacturing materials and the installation of asphalt agglomerates, Eiffage Infraestructuras has successfully increased its turnover on a...

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El Corte Inglés

| El Corte Inglés

Based in Madrid, El Corte Inglés is the biggest department store group in Europe and ranks fourth worldwide. Among the most well-organised and entrepreneurial legal teams in Spain, the lawyers...

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Endesa

| Endesa

Featuring some of the brightest in-house professionals in Iberia, Endesa’s legal team provides full support to all nuclear power plants operated by the company in Spain and Portugal. The team...

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Euskaltel

| Euskaltel

Following the $1.3bn acquisition of R Cable (R Cable y Telecomunicaciones Galicia) by Euskaltel in 2015, the respective legal departments of the companies were integrated into a single legal team...

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Farmaindustria

| Farmaindustria

As the national trade association of the Spanish pharmaceutical industry, Farmaindustria includes most of the R&D-focused pharmaceutical companies established in the country, representing nearly all Spanish prescription medicine sales. The...

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Fluidra

| Fluidra

With an ever-growing urban population across the globe, sustainable water use has become an increasingly important issue. Barcelona-based multinational Fluidra has been devoted to developing applications for this purpose for...

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Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas

| Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas

Barcelona-based Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas (FCC) is a leading Spanish construction company, with 100 years of experience in the execution of civil work in the commercial and residential space....

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Fondo de Garantía de Depósitos de Entidades de Crédito (FGD)

| Fondo de Garantía de Depósitos de Entidades de Crédito (FGD)

The Spanish Deposit Guarantee Scheme (Fondo de Garantía de Depósitos de Entidades de Crédito), known as FGD, was set up with the aim of guaranteeing deposits and securities held by...

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Ford España

| Ford España

Javier Vives, legal affairs director at Ford España, describes the ethos of his team as, people ‘working together to deliver competitive advantage through world class legal services to enable Ford...

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Galp Energia

| Galp Energia

Energy and utilities

In addition to providing excellent business support to one of Portugal’s largest companies, Galp Energia’s legal department is also working to ‘change the way in-house lawyers are seen in Portugal’,...

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Gamesa

| Gamesa

Gamesa Corporación Tecnológica is a Spanish manufacturer of wind turbines and other renewable energy equipment and a leading constructor of wind farms. Based in Madrid, the Spanish wind-farm developer’s legal...

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Gas Natural Fenosa

| Gas Natural Fenosa

Headquartered in its distinctive Barcelona-based skyscraper, Gas Natural Fenosa presides over a huge multi-national natural gas operation, amounting to a market capitalisation of $20.6bn as of May 2016. Its legal...

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Gestamp Automoción

| Gestamp Automoción

Operating 95 production sites and 12 R&D centres and employing 32,000 people in 20 countries, Gestamp Automoción is recognised as one of the leaders in the European automotive components industry....

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Gestmin

| Gestmin

A holding company backed by one of the most prominent and richest families in Portugal, Gestmin operates in diverse areas, with notable investments in the energy, industrials and bulk cereal...

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Google

| Google

Information technology

Led by Maria Gonzalez Ordoñez, who is legal director for the disparate jurisdictions of Portugal, the UK, Ireland, Israel and Sub-Saharan Africa, Google’s team in Spain manages a diverse workload...

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Grupo ACCIONA

| Grupo ACCIONA

Energy and utilities

Grupo ACCIONA is a conglomerate with various business units dedicated largely towards renewable energy infrastructure. ACCIONA operates in a number of key areas, including water, energy, infrastructure, construction and others;...

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Grupo Catalana Occidente

| Grupo Catalana Occidente

Grupo Catalana Occidente is a leading company in the Spanish insurance and reinsurance sectors, offering health, home, life and motor insurance to millions of customers in dozens of countries and...

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Grupo Ferrovial

| Grupo Ferrovial

Industrials and real estate

Advising Grupo Ferrovial, a Spanish construction and public works group with a strong international profile, is a legal team led by Ignacio de Felipe Fernández. The team is a key...

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Grupo José de Mello Saúde

| Grupo José de Mello Saúde

Having carried out its activity within the Portuguese healthcare industry for over 70 years, Grupo José de Mello Saúde operates a network of private healthcare services and two public hospitals...

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Grupo Logista

| Grupo Logista

Compañía de Distribución Integral Logista Holdings (Grupo Logista) is a major distributor of products in Spain, France, Italy, Portugal and Poland. Owned by British tobacco company Imperial Brands, it provides...

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Grupo Mahou-San Miguel

| Grupo Mahou-San Miguel

Although its roots go back to the late nineteenth century, Spanish brewer Grupo Mahou-San Miguel – producer of the best-selling beer in the Spanish market – has existed in its...

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Grupo Osborne

| Grupo Osborne

Founded in 1772, Grupo Osborne is a family-owned Spanish company is the second oldest business still active in Spain and is considered to be one the oldest businesses globally. The...

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Grupo Planeta

| Grupo Planeta

Supporting the activities of the Barcelona-based media group with operations across Spain, Portugal, France and Latin America, Grupo Planeta’s legal team of nine lawyers has impressed with its professionalism and...

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Grupo PRISA

| Grupo PRISA

Spanish media conglomerate Grupo Prisa, owner of El País, the largest circulation daily newspaper in Spain, is the leading distributor of educational and entertainment media products in Iberia. It is...

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Grupo ProCME

| Grupo ProCME

Central to development of Portugal-based project management company Grupo ProCME, the legal team is known to be a versatile team of legal and managerial professionals. Comprised of three lawyers and...

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Grupo Pullmantur

| Grupo Pullmantur

Madrid-headquartered Grupo Pullmantur is Spain’s largest cruise operator and has additional business lines in air travel and bus tours. The legal department, led by general counsel and company secretary Javier...

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Grupo San José

| Grupo San José

Grupo San José is a prestigious company listed on the Madrid stock market, and which operates worldwide. Its main business lines are: Construction (its core business); Energy and Environment; Concessions...

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Grupo Trofa Saúde

| Grupo Trofa Saúde

Grupo Trofa Saúde is the fourth-largest healthcare group in Portugal, providing critical services to its extensive consumer base across the country. A varied and growing workload occupies the Grupo Trofa...

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Grupo Urbaser

| Grupo Urbaser

‘We are lawyers devoted to the business, helping to create, generate, strengthen and protect the company,’ says Santiago Sainz de Baranda y Casado, head of the corporate legal unit at...

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Grupo Visabeira

| Grupo Visabeira

Portugal-based conglomerate Grupo Visabeira is active in a number of sectors, from telecommunications to construction and from tourism to real estate. It has established a presence in a number of...

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Hispasat

| Hispasat

Global satellite operator Hispasat broadcasts over 1,000 television channels daily while providing wireless communication services to tens of millions of people. As the leading satellite operator serving Spanish speaking countries,...

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Huawei Technologies

| Huawei Technologies

Information technology

Huawei’s has a mammoth technology operation worldwide on the back of the huge demand for its telecommunication products, and the Iberian Peninsula is no exception. Based in Spain, Alejandro Fernández...

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Iberdrola

| Iberdrola

An electrical utilities company with a multi-national presence, Iberdrola’s vast operations netted them over €29bn in revenue for 2016, and they are therefore one of the largest and most important...

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Iberia

| Iberia

An important pillar in the history of aviation in Spain, Líneas Aéreas de España, simply known as Iberia, was formed in 1927 and has been the flag carrier airline of...

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IKEA Centres España & Portugal

| IKEA Centres España & Portugal

Consumer products

Multinational furniture retailer IKEA has operations in almost 400 countries across the world, generating a revenue of approximately €35bn. Providing support to a network of this breadth requires the counsel...

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Imagina (Mediapro)

| Imagina (Mediapro)

Spain’s largest sports broadcasting and media rights group Imagina – commonly referred to as Mediapro, the name of one of its subsidiaries – provides technical services to the film, television...

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Inditex

| Inditex

The story of Inditex’s rise to the very top of the global clothing market is one of rapid growth punctuated by a string of major acquisitions and other business. The...

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Indra Sistemas

| Indra Sistemas

An excellent example of a legal team making a tangible, positive impact to their company’s business plans, the Portugal and African Lusophone countries legal team at Indra Sistemas undertook ‘wide-reaching...

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Japan Tobacco International Iberia

| Japan Tobacco International Iberia

Headquartered in Geneva, the international division of Japan Tobacco, JTI (Japan Tobacco International) is a world leader in the manufacturing, marketing and sale of tobacco products, owning well-known brands such...

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Jerónimo Martins

| Jerónimo Martins

One of the largest corporate groups throughout the Iberian Peninsula, Jerónimo Martins boasts almost 100,000 employees and revenue numbering in the billions of euros. Primarily operating in grocery/food distribution, Jerónimo...

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L’Oréal España

| L'Oréal España

Spain is a key market for L’Oréal, and one that posted strong figures in 2016, with growth accelerating in the country. Javier López Zafra, general counsel, secretary of the board...

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Luz Saúde

| Luz Saúde

Luz Saúde is one of Portugal’s largest healthcare companies; running a total of 20 different units including hospitals, private clinics and senior residences throughout Portugal, for which the legal team...

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MANGO

| MANGO

MANGO is a designer, manufacturer and retailer of clothing, which was founded in Barcelona and opened its first store in 1984. As of late 2016, it has five stores in...

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MAPFRE Global Risks

| MAPFRE Global Risks

A subsidiary of MAPFRE Group, the largest Spanish-domiciled insurance company and the largest non-life insurance company in Latin America, MAPFRE Global Risks is an international insurance company providing risk protection,...

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MAXAM

| MAXAM

Founded by Alfred Nobel in 1872, MAXAM has grown into a global entity with a presence in more than 45 countries. In the last 20 years, it has developed into...

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Meliá Hotels International

| Meliá Hotels International

Established in 1968, the Spanish hotel chain Meliá Hotels International is the 17th largest worldwide and currently operates 374 hotels in 40 countries under several well recognised brands. Juan Ignacio...

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Mercedes-Benz España

| Mercedes-Benz España

Run by highly-competent general counsel Ana Prado Blanco, Mercedes-Benz’s five-person Spanish legal team is part of Daimler’s global legal department comprised of circa 200 lawyers. A lawyer who values creativity,...

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Merck Sharp & DoHme

| Merck Sharp & DoHme

Healthcare

Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD) is a global healthcare company with presence in 66 countries worldwide, employing more than 50,000 people. It is a key player in Iberia as well,...

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Microsoft Ibérica

| Microsoft Ibérica

Microsoft is known globally for developing cutting-edge hardware and software technologies for both consumers and businesses. The vast global legal team is often at the epicentre of debates on new...

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Millennium bcp

| Millennium bcp

Millennium bcp is Portugal’s largest listed bank and the international branch brand of Banco Comercial Português. It has, like most of the financial services market in Iberia, suffered difficult times...

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Natra

| Natra

Natra is a bean-to-bar confectioner involved in all phases of the chocolate production cycle, selling chocolate and cocoa-derivative products to industry and retail customers. The legal team is led by...

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Nautalia Viajes

| Nautalia Viajes

Hotels, restaurants and leisure

Nautalia Viajes is one of the fastest growing companies in the tourism industry and with 2015 revenues of almost €280m and more than 200 offices throughout Spain it is becoming...

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Novabase

| Novabase

Portuguese information technology (IT) solutions multinational Novabase provides services to a range of sectors, and operates a venture capital division that helps to identify and develop high-growth potential information and...

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Novartis Farma

| Novartis Farma

The legal team overseeing Novartis’ Portuguese operations plays a key role in the global drug maker’s local operations and has become increasingly vital in a changing market. The small team...

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Novo Banco

| Novo Banco

Financials

Highly-regarded Patrícia Fonseca is head of the legal department at Novo Banco, which was created in 2014 as a transition bank by the Bank of Portugal to rescue assets and...

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Obrascón Huarte Lain (OHL)

| Obrascón Huarte Lain (OHL)

Obrascón Huarte Lain (OHL) is an IBEX 35 Spanish multinational construction and civil engineering company with approximate annual revenues of €3.6bn. In a challenging time for the Spanish economy, especially...

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Parques Reunidos

| Parques Reunidos

Entertainment group Parques Reunidos is among the most widely attended global leisure chains. It operates and manages over 60 theme parks, water parks, zoos and marine parks around the world,...

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PepsiCo Iberia

| PepsiCo Iberia

Food, beverages and tobacco

Headquartered in Barcelona, the legal team that supports PepsiCo’s Western European operations has made a valuable contribution to the company’s significant growth and development in recent years. Led by John...

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Portugal Telecom

| Portugal Telecom

Portugal Telecom (PT) occupies a position at the top of the telecoms landscape in Portugal, operating the largest landline network in the country via their wholly-owned subsidiary MEO. PT has...

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PUIG

| PUIG

PUIG is a Spanish multinational fashion and fragrance group which has been operated by the Puig family since it was founded in 1914. The company owns, operates and licenses some...

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Red Eléctrica de España

| Red Eléctrica de España

Red Eléctrica de España is responsible for the management of Spain’s national high-voltage transmission grid and oversees the maintenance and development of the national electricity network. Although part-state owned, the...

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REN (Redes Energéticas Nacionais)

| REN (Redes Energéticas Nacionais)

Energy and utilities

Redes Energéticas Nacionais (REN) owns two of Portugal’s main energy infrastructure networks – the National Electricity Transmission Grid (RNT) and the National Natural Gas Transportation Grid (RNTGN) – and is...

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Repsol

| Repsol

One of the major global players in the energy sector, Repsol boasts over $44bn in sales as of May 2016. Its legal team occupies a senior position within the company,...

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Sacyr

| Sacyr

In a challenging market, the 60-strong legal department at Spanish construction company Sacyr has had to evolve as quickly in order to adapt to the different tests of the sector....

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Sanitas

| Sanitas

Sanitas is a major health supplier, being the head of UK-based Bupa’s European and Latin American services, which overall accounts for €2.9bn in revenue and over 29,000 employees. Alongside this,...

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Secil

| Secil

A part of the Portuguese industrial group Cemap and named on the Portuguese Stock Index 20 (PSI-20), Secil is a construction materials company mainly involved in the production of cement...

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Secuoya Grupo de Comunicación

| Secuoya Grupo de Comunicación

Sports and media

Leading Spanish audio-visual company Secuoya Grupo de Comunicación produces TV channel content for its clients and has experienced rapid growth in the last few years. Carlos López Martín de Blas...

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SENER Grupo de Ingeniería

| SENER Grupo de Ingeniería

Representing one of Spain’s leading engineering and technologies organisations, SENER’s legal team of 13 professionals aim to control all legal and operational risk across the group’s diverse industrial holdings. Led...

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SGS

| SGS

Swiss multinational SGS is the world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company with more than 90,000 employees and over 2,000 offices and laboratories worldwide. The SGS legal team in...

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SIEMENS

| SIEMENS

Made up of 14 members from four different nationalities, the Spanish legal department at Siemens is an ‘international team embedded within, and trusted by, the business’, according to general counsel...

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Sociedade Interbancária de Serviços

| Sociedade Interbancária de Serviços

Made up of 14 members from four different nationalities, the Spanish legal department at Siemens is an ‘international team embedded within, and trusted by, the business’, according to general counsel...

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Sonae – Employment

| Sonae - Employment

Consumer products

As a leading retail group operating a wide portfolio of companies, Sonae has the largest private workforce in Portugal. The group creates value across several geographic areas through its main...

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Suez España

| Suez España

Eschewing the traditional structure of a centralised legal team providing counsel from company headquarters, the Spanish legal team of global environmental services group Suez is known to be ‘embedded’ in...

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TAP Portugal

| TAP Portugal

Portuguese flag carrier airline TAP has been through some challenging times in recent years but looks to have turned a corner under new ownership. In 2015, Atlantic Gateway, a consortium...

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Técnicas Reunidas

| Técnicas Reunidas

Técnicas Reunidas is an IBEX 35 company with revenues of over €4bn. It provides engineering, procurement and construction services and has particular expertise in the oil and gas sector. Nominators...

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Tecnocom

| Tecnocom

Tecnocom’s IT consultancy services are highly prized, and they count as clients 23 of the IBEX 35 and 60 of the top 100 companies in Spain, with other endeavours abroad...

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Telefónica

| Telefónica

As one of the largest telephone operators and mobile network providers in the world, and one of the largest companies in Spain, Telefónica faces a wide range of legal issues....

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Thales Portugal

| Thales Portugal

French aerospace, defence, security and ground transportation systems company Thales Group has been present in Portugal since 1990, where it has developed a strong presence in passenger transport. It is...

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The EFACEC Group

| The EFACEC Group

Portuguese company EFACEC is active in the fields of power production, energy and transportation systems and electric mobility devices. Though the company has a large global footprint and employs thousands...

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The Navigator Company

| The Navigator Company

The Navigator Company, previously known as Portucel Soporcel, is Europe’s largest producer of uncoated, wood-free paper, an enterprise that nets it roughly €1.5bn a year in revenue. Traded on the...

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ULMA Construction

| ULMA Construction

ULMA Construction has over 50 years of experience providing equipment for clients in the construction industry. The company’s in-house legal function, consisting of five team members and led by director...

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Unicer

| Unicer

Unicer has been producing one of Portugal’s favourite beers since the late nineteenth century. It has since branched out into other alcoholic beverages and soft drinks, but beer remains a...

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Vestas Mediterranean

| Vestas Mediterranean

Headquartered in Denmark, Vestas is a major wind turbine production and support company, which achieved a revenue of over €8.4bn in 2015. It is a global company, and while regional...

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VidaCaixa

| VidaCaixa

Financials

VidaCaixa is the leading insurance company in Spain. A subsidiary of CaixaBank, one of the largest banking groups operating in the Spanish market, it provides insurance services to corporate clients...

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Viscofan Group

| Viscofan Group

Founded in 1975, Viscofan produces equipment for the meat production industry, and now sells its goods in over 120 countries. Chief legal officer Elena Ciordia has a wealth of experience...

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Vodafone Portugal

| Vodafone Portugal

Telecommunication services

Vodafone, one of the three major mobile phone network providers in Portugal, had strong growth in 2016, recently confirming 2.2% year-on-year service revenue improvements for Q3 2016 totaling €227m. The...

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Vueling Airlines

| Vueling Airlines

Vueling’s niche under the International Airlines Group (IAG) umbrella is to provide low-cost high-volume flights on lucrative routes with a no-frills service, in the same mould as their competitors Ryanair...

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Zurich Portugal

| Zurich Portugal

Financials

The legal team at the Portuguese division of multinational insurance group Zurich is headed by general counsel and chief compliance officer Nuno Moraes Bastos, and is made up of four...

Despite their cultural and economic commonalities, the Iberian nations of Spain and Portugal have undergone something of a divergence in their economic and business environments recently. Spain has seen its export figures hit historical highs in 2016, whilst Portugal is undergoing huge structural reforms aimed at improving a traditionally low-skilled labour force and a stifling business environment to encourage growth.

Of course, both nations were significantly affected by the global financial crisis, and their governments were equally tested by the difficult questions that arose concerning how to respond. However, shoots of recovery in the Iberian economy have been seen in recent years and the region remains home to many large international companies, particularly in the fields of mining, financial services, and industrial conglomerates.

As a result, corporate legal teams across the region are being called to respond to challenges and opportunities by providing their business with advice that goes beyond the traditional “yes or no” approach of the lawyer. The teams highlighted in this publication have been recognised for providing precisely this type of business advice, building strong relationships across the business, taking a lead on strategically important projects and helping their businesses respond to a changing environment.

These are legal teams that have not only made a difference by controlling costs, but by helping their businesses act with confidence. They have proved that well-equipped and high achieving teams of in-house lawyers can be the ultimate business enablers and enhancers.

The Legal 500 GC Powerlist: Iberia Teams has been compiled to help celebrate these achievements, highlighting the premier general counsel and in-house lawyers that nominators drew our attention to for a variety of reasons. In profiling the teams that have provided outstanding and innovative support across a range of areas, we are confident that the Iberian in-house legal community is among the strongest globally.

I would like to express my personal thanks to Andersen Tax & Legal, Iterlegis and PLMJ, our sponsor firms for this publication. A special mention must also be made for the in-house lawyers that took the time to speak to us throughout the process, and for the research team that worked on this GC Powerlist publication.

David Burgess
Publishing Director

Andersen Tax & Legal

Andersen Tax & Legal logo

It was just one year ago when we applauded and joined the initiative of The Legal 500 to recognise the first time work of Iberian general counsel.

We are now reinforcing our commitment with the initiative as we remain convinced that this is a well-deserved recognition of the work of in-house lawyers and has strengthened our relationships with clients and friends.

Last year we talked about the challenging times for in-house lawyers, and today the case is that these challenges are growing in complexity. Increasingly intricate business environments and regulations are forcing general counsel to undertake mounting responsibilities and the recommendation is to share some of them with independent law firms.

For independent law firms the challenges are similar and we do not hesitate in enlarging our capabilities and services to punctually respond to our clients’ growing requirements, even if this results in substantially changing our structure and alliances.

With this objective in mind we have become Andersen Tax & Legal, a truly international tax and law firm with a professional team sufficiently qualified to provide full support to clients nearly everywhere in the world.

Andersen Tax & Legal has been operating in Spain since this year and is relying on a local team with a 30-year track record of successful
legal operations with offices in Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia.

Andersen Tax & Legal in Spain is a member firm of Andersen Global, the international association of firms composed of tax and legal professionals worldwide. Andersen Global was established in 2014 and is comprised of over 2,000 professionals in more than 62 locations
around the world. Every one of the professionals that are part of Andersen Global share the core value of ensuring the delivery of best-in-class service in a seamless and consistent manner everywhere.

In order to be consistent with our recent past we agreed to sponsor the GC Powerlist: Iberia Teams 2017, and now we are very pleased to congratulate all the teams of general counsels and in-house lawyers that were included in this list.

Iterlegis

Iterlegis logo

It is excellent news that the prestigious The Legal 500 directory has launched this initiative to grant recognition and reward to corporate legal departments in our country, and as such we have welcomed it.

The legal teams recognised by the GC Powerlist: Iberia Teams have been designed by companies as guardians of their core business, and allies for the implementation of strategy at all levels. For this reason, we welcome with enthusiasm these awards that bring visibility and relevance to professionals that have safeguarded not only legal compliance and the business of their companies, but also the Spanish economic recovery.

The in-house position has developed throughout the last decade, adapting to the new challenges and demands of a more regulated environment and more competitive industries. Thus, a good in-house legal counsel has learned about the business, has watched how his non-legal peers work, and has learned to help everyone. Companies cannot afford to lose a single opportunity to grow, expand, sell, obtain profit, pay dividend, and create jobs; this means that legal departments are being required, more than ever, to align with business objectives.

The world has changed over the past few years,
and especially the business environment in our country, with corporate lawyers having been able
to successfully adapt. This change of scenario has posed an interesting challenge that provides corporate lawyers with significant opportunities to contribute not only legal expertise to the business, but also the possibility of influencing corporate decisions, and to display a quality interaction with external entities at the highest level. A completely new way of doing business.

Iterlegis in recent years has been a witness to the changes mentioned above, and I can assure you that we have contributed to it by supplying first class legal talent to legal departments.

In our nominations we have proposed teams of lawyers (some of which we have helped to give birth to) with job descriptions in which leadership, team management and results-orientation share the same level of importance as technical skills. In close dialogue with corporate managers we have created and helped enlarge legal departments that have been able to define and execute legal, tax and market strategies, in many cases with smaller budgets than they would have liked, and under unstable political and regulatory conditions. We can categorically state that at present, companies are extremely demanding in hiring internal lawyers, so without a doubt, this GC Powerlist directory is a list of excellence, and it contributes enormously in communicating it to the Spanish business and legal communities. Congratulations to all.

PLMJ

PLMJ logo

It is a pleasure for PLMJ to partner with The Legal 500 and help recognise the hard work of in-house legal teams in Portugal and Spain and the invaluable role they play in helping companies to navigate troubled waters and achieve greater success. For the last 50 years, we have worked in close cooperation with in-house lawyers and witnessed first-hand how much their roles and responsibilities have changed.

In-house lawyers now have greater responsibility and play an increasingly strategic role in their organisations. This, combined with the ever greater globalisation of companies, means in-house lawyers have to deal with a growing number of challenges. There has been a visible shift in their role, from a reactive to a much more proactive one: no longer only called on to come to the rescue when problems arise, in-house lawyers are now asked to play an active role in decision-making processes. And all the while, they still have to provide the traditional day-to-day legal assistance and face the added challenge of working in jurisdictions they might not be very familiar with.

Against a tough economic background, another important challenge is the need to achieve greater levels of efficiency and to use the best available technology. As teams are expected to do more with less, there is added pressure to maximise value. There is also greater scrutiny in deciding which work should be done in-house and which should be done externally. Unsurprisingly, all those challenges also bring golden opportunities for innovation, leadership and decision-making at the highest level.

As the largest Portuguese law firm, PLMJ takes great pride in its business-focus and its firm commitment to working as an extension of our clients’ in-house teams. We understand the challenges faced by the in-house teams and have constantly adapted our services to respond to their needs. Over the last 50 years, we have extended our practice areas, industry expertise, geographic coverage and adopted the latest technology to make sure we are always ahead of the game.

On our part, all that remains is to say that it is an honour and great pleasure to work closely with so many brilliant professionals. We would like to congratulate not only all the teams recognised here, but also those not mentioned this time, for all their hard work and for meeting all the challenges head on.

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.