Team size: 18

What are the most significant cases or transactions you and your team have been involved in?

We have been involved in several litigations that covered commercial, corporate, and antitrust areas, resulting in €25m won by the company last year. In 2021, we made 1200 contracts with an economic impact of more than €100m. We manage five different legal entities managing stakeholders, partnerships, shareholder meetings, holding, and mergers at a corporate level. Between 2020 and 2021, we made more than 20.000 reviews or validation from a food law IP point of view – the figure includes more than 1.000 formal validation with Spanish self-regulation bodies (auto control) and confirmation and approval with the Spanish administration.

Even in the best-case scenario, Covid is likely to have far-reaching ramifications. How are you safeguarding the long-term health of the business?

We safeguard the business’ long-term health by relying on three main points – ensuring the efficient governance, clear communication, and guideline to the team is crucial to ensure the company’s wellbeing. We digitalised the organisation’s procedures and instant communication tools to ease the process. Securing the supply chain is essential to carry out business in a trusted environment that respects protocols to guarantee the correct functioning of the supply chain. Advocacy exercise allows fluid and effective relations and communication with administrations and authorities to anticipate and mitigate potential risks impacting business continuity (such as lockdowns or travel restrictions).

As we enter the next decade, what skills will a corporate legal team need to succeed in the modern in-house industry?

In-house lawyers must be knowledgeable about their company and the overall context to fix clear objectives and promote their business in a competitive market. It is crucial to focus energy and resources on expanding the business and taking advantage of new opportunities aimed at the growth of the organisation. General counsel must be forward-thinking and do continuous advocacy exercises to foresee any threat that may affect the business. The legal department not only is obliged to defend the rights of the company reactively, but it must promote and protect its interests from an early stage.