Cristina Grande

Head of Employment (Counsel)

Madrid

+34 91 364 9422 | +34 679 533 847

Cristina.Grande@ashurstperkins.com

Overview
Experience

Introduction

Cristina advises on complex employment, social security, data protection and litigation matters, including internal investigations and restructuring with deep knowledge supporting international investment funds and cross-border transactions.

Cristina Grande advises companies in all kinds of employment and social security issues that may arise on a daily basis such as hiring, modification of working conditions, reallocations, implementation of incentive plans (bonus, stock options, etc), outsourcing of business units, transfer of undertakings as well as restructuring procedures including collective dismissals procedures and post transaction integration processes. She is also highly experienced in litigation proceedings and leading negotiations with workers' representatives in collective bargaining matters.

Clients include international investment funds and their portfolio companies, with particular know-how in assisting U.S. funds, and she regularly assists corporate colleagues with employment law issues arising from cross-border transactions. She acts for clients across sectors including financial services, energy , infrastructure, real estate, retail, education and technology. She has also advised clients in relation to restrictive covenants, retention bonuses schemes, employment conditions of managers and directors, and termination of senior executives' contracts.

Cristina also advises on data protection, including data processing agreements, audits, international data transfers and special categories of data, and assists companies in managing data breaches.

Her combined employment and data protection knowledge enables her to advise on workforce management, internal investigations with high reputational risk, and multicultural approach, and whistleblowing and harassment protocols.

Cristina further assists foreign companies on setting up operations and hiring staff in Spain, and has experience in obtaining work and residence permits for non-EU employees temporarily transferred to Spain and also in drafting expatriate agreements.

Areas of focus

Professional Experience

A global company | Advising on a broad range of general employment matters, on the development of an internal grievance procedure, and on reaching a termination settlement agreement with an employee in a specially protected situation. Assistance with internal investigation procedures and with litigation and judicial claims raised by employees affected by dismissals.
ACS Infrastructure | Advising in relation to the transfer of employees from Iridium and other ACS Group companies, as well as assistance in connection with the agreement with GIP to establish a joint venture that owns and develops digital infrastructure assets in the United States and in other jurisdictions, including Spain and Australia. Assistance on drafting management and long-term incentive plans and internal policies.
Cero Generation | Advising on the employment aspects of the integration process following the spin-off of a business unit from a group company, including the implementation of employment restructuring measures.
Nimlet (MHR Fund) | Advising on its incorporation in Spain and the engagement of employees rendering services in Spain. Assisting them on day to day advice and on employment related issues.
ABE Capital | Advising in connection with the acquisition of Microcom. Our work included advising on the structuring and negotiation of employment and retention arrangements for key employees and former owners of the target company and also advising and drafting Management Incentive Plans.
A global investment bank | Advising on the employment, social security, and health and safety aspects of the acquisition of Urban Campus Group, the Spanish branch of a French company operating as a co-living and co-working real estate provider and management company. Assistance on the drafting of a manager agreement and management incentive plans.
Cognita Schools | Advising on their day-to-day employment and data protection issues, and on the employment-related aspects of the acquisition of Montessori School La Florida, the implementation of terminations, and the provision of advice on compliance-related issues (harassment protocols and non-discrimination training).
Pomellato (Dodo Spain) | Advising in relation to employment day to day advice: guidance in employees' dismissal, implementation of variable remuneration policies, working time policies.
A global asset management business | Advising on the employment and data protection aspects of the establishment of a proposed €500 million build-to-rent joint venture with Layetana, including the drafting of employment contracts.
Pernod Ricard Winemakers Spain | Advising on the employment and data protection matters concerning the potential share deal of PRW Spain and Bodegas Tarsus as part of the sale of the group of companies.