Winners of Iberian Lawyer Gold Awards announced

The winners of the Iberian Lawyer Gold Awards were announced at a ceremony at the Espacio Harley in Madrid tonight.

The award ceremony gathered more than 400 guests from the legal sector to recognise the most promising in-house lawyers in the Iberian market. The awards marked the achievements of the top counsels and teams.

The event was organized by Iberian Lawyer in collaboration with Abreu Advogados and Carles Cuesta Abogados as main partners, Alvarez & Marsal, Iterlegis Legal Staffing Solutions, iManage, Lexsoft Systems as sponsors and the communication partner Edelman.

To see photos from the event, click here

The winners were as follows:

In-house Counsel of the Year

Javier Ramírez Iglesias – Hp Inc

He is a very experienced professional, having cutting-edge knowledge in IT and international litigation. He is a member of the ACC Europe Board leading the Advocacy Initiatives, to promote the profession of In-house counsel.

In-house Team of the Year

Telefónica

The team is actively involved in the design of the legal framework of its main products and services. They stand out in particular for the use of an innovative Business Intelligence tool to manage projects.

In-house Counsel of the Year – Energy & Renewables

Borja Acha Besga – Endesa

A legal manager and a highly esteemed professional with a legal career of over 27 years. He leads a team praised for the promotion of innovation and sustainability in energy sector.

In-house Team of the Year – Energy & Renewables

Cepsa

The team is a great combination of lawyers with earlier experience in international law firms, and service companies active in the energy sector. Clients appreciate their capacity to be flexible and open minded.

Innovative Leadership

Carmen Fradejas Ufano – Banco Santander

Carmen’s skills and efficiency in leading and managing the team are well-known. She stands out for her innovative approach and alignment with business areas.

In-house Counsel of the Year – Food & Beverage

Carmen Neira – PepsiCo

An outstanding lawyer specializing in competition, data protection, IP and Compliance programs. She has been recently promoted to legal director for South West Europe.

In-house Team of the Year – Food & Beverage

Campofrío Food Group

During the last year they have invested themselves in making the most of corporate venture / start-ups strategy and opportunities. The team has reviewed of all its processes to adopt a much more innovative and agile approach.

Thought Leadership

Silvia Madrid – UniCredit

An outstanding lawyer, with a brilliant career, who is well known for her leadership and management skills. In 2019 Silvia has been pointed out as one of the most inspiring woman lawyers in Iberia.

In-house Counsel of the Year – Retail & E-commerce

Ana Buitrago – Amazon

A professional that is fast, result-oriented, open minded and willing to take and implement decisions. Clients praise her for her deep business acumen and first-in-class advise on strategic matters.

In-house Team of the Year – Retail & E-commerce

Carrefour

Carrefour’s team is composed by highly qualified professionals, with a long career in the company and an important background in the main law firms of the country. A source pointed out their “deep knowledge of the company and its activities”.

In-house Counsel of the Year – Fashion & Luxury

Teresa Mínguez Díaz – Porsche Ibérica

A highly esteemed lawyer with outstanding experience that covers a wide range of corporate practices. In her career she has been involved in some of most relevant legal or compliance matters in the Iberian market. She is currently ACC Country Representative for Spain.

In-house Team of the Year – Fashion & Luxury

El Corte Inglés

The team draws on decades of combined legal experience. They are knowledgeable and experienced in the substantive areas of law, as well as in the procedural aspects in defending claims.

In-house Counsel of the Year – Banking & Finance

Patrícia Afonso Fonseca – NOVO BANCO

She is commended for her managerial qualities. She has outstanding experience in capital markets’ transactions (equity and debt), derivatives, securities and banking.

In-house Team of the Year – Banking & Finance

Citibank Europe

The team, led by Isabel Charraz, supports the organization in a very effective way. They are always able to manage expectations with a pragmatic and assertive approach.

In-house Counsel of the Year – Technology

Luís Graça Rodrigues – Indra Sistemas

He has in-depth knowledge of the market and stands out for his capacity to embrace new challenges, not only within the business structure. A source said: “Though young at age and fairly new to the position, has proven himself as very competent.”

In-house Team of the Year – Technology

Microsoft

The strength of the team is its mix of professionals well-versed in different fields of law and policy, including Commercial, Privacy & Data Protection, Intellectual Property, Cybersecurity, Accessibility and Philanthropies.

In-house Counsel of the Year – Telecommunications & Media

Tiago da Mota – FOX NETWORKS GROUP PORTUGAL

With a fast-rising professional career, Tiago has solid experience in different professional frameworks. He is extremely proactive and effective in finding new ways to frame issues during business negotiations, quickly finding a common ground and solving critical deadlocks.

In-house Team of the Year – Telecommunications & Media

Dentsu Aegis Network

The team led by Marta de la Fuente is a key business partner for the company. They are very agile, ambitious and professional.

In-house Counsel of the Year – Construction, Projects & Infrastructure

Isabel Fernandes – Grupo Visabeira SGPS

A professional with a proven track record and several years of experience, Isabel manages a complex group of companies in several different markets. A peer said: “An example to follow”.

In-house Team of the Year – Construction, Projects & Infrastructure

Sacyr

A team composed of lawyers with extensive experience in construction and infrastructure. They act as a single unit that provides legal solutions to specific problems, from both an expert and practical point of view.

In-house Counsel of the Year – Automotive & Transport

Ana Prado Blanco – Mercedes Benz España

She is the general counsel and corporate secretary of the company’s Spanish subsidiary, which comprises 12 different entities. Her legal team is notable for the capacity to cope with complex factors such as high environmental awareness, IoT, digitalisation, privacy, car-sharing platforms and regulations.

In-house Team of the Year – Automotive & Transport

FCA Group

An outstanding group of highly qualified attorneys, led by Pablo Bolinches, a lawyer with in-depth knowledge of the automotive sector. The team is praised for being ready to handle the needs of the business.

In-house Counsel of the Year – Real Estate Estate

Pilar Martín Bolea – Metrovacesa

Pilar has an in-depth knowledge of the real estate sector with a nimble response in deciding on proposed transactions derived from her experience.

In-house Team of the Year – Real Estate

Distrito Castellana Norte

The team, led by Pablo Galvache Pina, is pointed out for its availability quick response time and ability to manage very complex issues.

In-house Counsel of the Year – Consumer Goods & Manufacturing

Alexandra Reis – Philip Morris International – Tabaqueira

She not only has an outstanding ability to navigate the stringent laws and regulations affecting tobacco companies, but she is also recognized for her capacity to innovate by thinking ahead.

In-house Team of the Year – Consumer Goods & Manufacturing

Bristish American Tobacco

A tight-knit team, competent and very skilled. They succeeded in implementing a fully integrated compliance system in six months and are currently supporting the business in the definition of the legal framework for the launch of brand-new products in the Iberian market.

In-house Counsel of the Year – Insurance

Claudio Ramos Rodríguez – MAPFRE

He has been nominated by peers for his outstanding experience and his in-depth knowledge of the insurance sector. Mapfre’s team, led by Claudio, actively contributes to the success of the most relevant company’s deals.

In-house Team of the Year – Insurance

Fidelidade

They work in strict bi-lateral collaboration with business teams in order to achieve an enhanced performance and to produce a sophisticated and homogeneous product which underlies company’s growth.

In-house Counsel of the Year – Pharma, Healthcare & Life Sciences

Hugo de Almeida Pinho – Siemens Healthineers

He has excellent business know-how and a practical, straight to the point approach. In the last 12 months he was involved in very high-profile deals that were landmark Initiatives in the Portuguese healthcare landscape.

In-house Team of the Year – Pharma, Healthcare & Life Sciences

GSK

The GSK team combines technical skills with a strong business understanding. Market sources comment: “Their advice is always valuable and timely.”

In-house Counsel of the Year – Services & Consultancy

Eva Argilés – Applus+

She has been recently appointed ACC Europe treasurer. Her team has been singled out for a recent financing mentioning the innovative use of the “US Model Form”. The US private placement was extremely innovative with no precedents in Spain at the moment.

In-house Team of the Year – Services & Consultancy

Securitas Direct

They have a strong teamwork ethic with a holistic view of the business. Their agile methodology allows the team to solve any challenge in a flexible and reliable way.

Rising Star

Santiago Menéndez-Abascal – Google Spain & Portugal

He has a growing reputation and has been highlighted “for amazing work on Digital litigation, particularly in the field of Right to be Forgotten and GDPR.”