In April 2017, Siemens Wind Power and Gamesa merged to become a world-leading wind power provider with an enormous global presence. Taking a ‘leading role’ in the €6.2bn valued deal, as he describes it, Juan Antonio García Fuente has a number of career highlights that culminated in his appointment to the role of general counsel and director of legal services for the business. His work on the aforementioned deal – one of the biggest of the year in Iberia in 2017 – facilitated ‘unconditional clearance from the European competition authorities in Phase I, allowing to close the merger on time’.

The deal itself was complex and required flexibility and expertise, however the follow-up work the merger required was of equal importance. García Fuente speaks about post-merger integration processes, claiming his new role of deputy general secretary, vice secretary of the board and secretary of the audit committee ‘allowed [him] to have a holistic and privileged view of this complex exercise’. He continues: ‘It requires tolerance, [an] open mind and generosity to embrace a new vision for the organisation rather than focus on your personal and functional area needs.

Navigating the integration while keeping “business as usual” for customers is the biggest challenge. On top of integration tasks (including consolidating policies, templates, systems, processes, and staff), the legal department must continue to provide the day-to-day services and transaction processing that keep the company running. Fortunately, Siemens Gamesa is excellent and this is enabling me to enjoy one of the most demanding business processes I have ever [experienced]’.