About

‘Santiago Martinez leads the legal team of Iberdrola, a reference company in the energy field and the world’s leader in renewable energy, which has made sweeping changes in the last 15 years, clearly staying one step ahead of the energy transition to face the challenges of climate change and the need for a clean, reliable and smart business model. Iberdrola´s legal team has had the merit to adapt from a local energy company´s legal department into the professional legal team of a global corporation. Its legal counsel is in charge of five jurisdictions at a global level, with legal directors in each of these countries and has strictly and successfully applied the “Think Global, Act Local” principle in its strategy. Indeed, Iberdrola’s legal team has played a critical role in protecting the company and enabling it to grow. In addition, the role of its lawyers have become wider and more complex. At a time of rapid technological advances and geo-political and increased regulatory uncertainty, Iberdrola’s legal team is often the fulcrum for advice on strategy, dealing with government and steering a sound and ethical course. Its involvement in cybersecurity issues or the regulation and potential of smart grid are just two examples. It has also had successful participation during the last decade of a good number of M&A processes that have involved very relevant international players. Overall Iberdrola’s legal department has shown to be a creator of economic value and is recognised as a source of competitive advantage, becoming an indispensable guide for the chief executive and the board in navigating challenging times.’