About

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 and the creation of the group’s corporate structure. His initiative to bring the most advanced practices into Iberdrola, a Spanish public multinational and governance electric utility company, gave the company broad recognition when it was awarded by a prestigious publication as the European utility with best corporate governance practices. Sources point to Martínez-Simancas Sánchez’s ability to deal with the changing regulatory energy frameworks in different markets, as well as his successful management during a decade of a great number of M&A transactions involving significant international players. He has had an impressive career in the public and private sector, including the financial and industrial sectors. He started his career in 1976, when he joined the government legal service and acted in this capacity until 1991, serving in different courts across Spain. During his career in the financial sector he held legal and executive roles at numerous companies, with the highlight being his appointment as executive vice president and member of the management committee of Banco Santander Central Hispano (now Banco Santander). Martínez-Simancas Sánchez has been a professor of commercial law at the Comillas Pontifical University and of graduate programs at Instituto de Empresa. He is the author and editor of books and articles on legal and financial matters, and the editor of collective works focusing on innovation in law and corporate governance.