Marta Casas became general counsel of Abertis in 2001 following a decade-long career in private practice at PwC. Upon joining the Spanish infrastructure giant, Casas instantly had to transition from acting as a lawyer “by the book” to acting a business counsel.

‘I soon understood that what Abertis demanded from me was understanding the business strategy of the company and enhancing it legally rather than providing simply good technical advice,’ she states. Another challenge for Casas was to learn how to serve a single client, as opposed to having ‘as many bosses as clients’, which required obtaining a deep knowledge of each corner of the organisation. ‘I had to learn a lot about my “single client” and I still have to. Dealing with the different operations of the subsidiaries is a good test for this’. In charge of a global team comprised of over 117 professionals based in 15 locations, Casas has transformed the legal department through implementing a culture of teamwork by combining the unique capabilities of each her colleagues. ‘The professionals within the Abertis legal team worldwide are talented individuals, demanding with themselves and truly enhance with our corporate values,’ she says.

‘Still there is room to get better and we do not rest on complacency, but we feel proud of how we have all been able to build a sound team working environment that reflects on the service that we provide for the different departments of the company. It is rewarding, I must admit’.