In a sunlit boardroom overlooking Madrid’s cityscape, Clara Cerdán Molina carries herself with the calm resolve of someone who has weathered storms and built bridges across industries and continents. As Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary at Solarig Global Services, one of the world’s premier renewable energy companies that develops, finances, builds and operates infrastructures for the energy transition, Cerdán is redefining what it means to be a lawyer in the age of climate urgency and corporate accountability. With over two decades of experience in international business law, energy regulation, and corporate governance, she is not just navigating change—she is leading it.

“As corporate lawyers, we are the ‘Jiminy Cricket’ of the business,” Cerdán says. “We define the ethical boundaries while also finding the creative solutions that allow businesses to move forward.”

Building a Legal Career on Global Foundations

Her story begins not in a courtroom, but in a classroom. Cerdán pursued dual degrees in Law and Business Administration at Universidad Complutense de Madrid and the European Business School, attending campuses in Madrid, London, and Paris. Her academic accolades include the Extraordinary Award, an early indicator of the excellence she would bring to every stage of her career.

Early internships at Lloyds TSB Bank in private banking, Grant Thornton in audit and consulting, and legal firms like Davies Arnold Cooper and Garrigues gave her a panoramic view of the professional landscape. But it was at Garrigues where her love for law crystallized.

Cerdán launched her legal career in civil and commercial procedural law, immersing herself in the rigors of high-stakes litigation. Her first significant turning point came when she transitioned to a corporate role at Sacyr Vallehermoso, where she headed the International Legal Department. From Libya to the United States, from the EU to Australia, she coordinated legal frameworks across five continents—including playing a pivotal role in the legal operations of the Panama Canal expansion. “That project taught me how global and local contexts intertwine,” she recalls. “Legal work is never isolated; it’s a thread in the fabric of society and economic development.”

Cerdán’s tenure at Grupo FerroAtlántica, later Ferroglobe after its merger with an American company and Nasdaq listing, marked another leap forward. She was no longer just navigating international law—she was building the legal architecture of a multinational, publicly traded entity. Mergers, compliance frameworks, governance protocols, and leadership development all fell within her remit. “Transforming a family business into a global, listed company was incredibly enriching,” she says. “It demanded both strategic vision and humanistic leadership.”

Solarig: Where Law Meets Sustainability

Today, at Solarig Global Services, Cerdán finds herself at the nexus of law, sustainability, and innovation. The company operates in more than 12 countries and is vertically integrated across the renewable energy value chain. What distinguishes Solarig isn’t just its global reach, but its ability to combine local expertise with a centralized legal and compliance strategy. And Cerdán is the architect of that strategy.

One of her proudest achievements is the development of a global compliance framework tailored to the unique regulatory demands of each market in which Solarig operates. “When scaling globally, risk management must be both localized and standardized. We created a system that ensures compliance without stifling growth.”

Her day-to-day responsibilities include managing a team of over twenty lawyers, overseeing regulatory compliance, and serving as a key advisor to the board. She works closely with leaders like Cecilia Carballo, Chief of Sustainability & Communications, and Jaime Sureda, Corporate General Director, to embed corporate governance and ESG principles into the company’s DNA.

“Only sustainable growth is truly lasting,” she asserts. “My role is to make sure that legal integrity is part of that sustainability.”

Champion for Women in Law

What perhaps distinguishes Cerdán most is her commitment to mentorship and gender equality in the legal profession. As co-founder and vice-president of Women in a Legal World (WLW), she has helped mentor over 3,000 women in law, expanding the organization’s footprint internationally. “It started as an informal gathering of women who wanted change,” she says. “Now it’s a platform for real transformation.” WLW provides education, visibility, and leadership development for women in the legal sector, often partnering with top firms and academic institutions. It’s part of Cerdán’s broader philosophy: that success is not just about personal achievement but about lifting others as you climb.

She brings the same ethos to her role as a professor of Compliance and Corporate Social Responsibility at universities including ICADE, Carlos III, and the Politecnica de Madrid. “Teaching keeps me grounded and reminds me that law is a living, evolving discipline,” she says.

Leading with Vision and Values

Her leadership style is defined by clarity, adaptability, and resilience—values she says are non-negotiable in today’s legal landscape. In an industry often resistant to change, Cerdán is a vocal advocate for embracing technology, particularly artificial intelligence, as a tool for improving legal efficiency and value creation.