Administrative and Support Services
Construction
Consumer Services
Entertainment Providers
Financial Services
Holding Companies
Manufacturing
Oil, Gas, and Mining
Professional Services
Real Estate and Equipment Rental Services
Retail
Technology, Information and Media
Transportation, Logistics, Supply Chain and Storage
Utilities
Wholesale
Active

Manuel

Rewards made easy!

About Me

I provide strategic human resources advisory services focused on aligning people management with business strategy and long-term value creation. I work with organizations of different sizes, including small companies and family-owned businesses, on the design of fixed and variable compensation models, sales and management incentive schemes, and executive remuneration frameworks, always with a rigorous, pragmatic approach aligned with regulation and good governance practices. I also support companies in implementing regulatory requirements related to pay equity and pay transparency, as well as in defining organizational structures that provide solid foundations for effective human capital management. My work goes beyond technical design. I help organizations make better reward decisions by balancing competitiveness, sustainability and cost control, and by ensuring that incentives reinforce the behaviours and outcomes that truly drive business performance. Drawing on experience across a wide range of environments and transformation processes, I help organizations improve performance through people, with clear, executable solutions tailored to their specific context. In addition, I provide support in areas such as reward and organizational benchmarking, job architecture and job evaluation, the design and implementation of flexible compensation and benefits schemes, and the management, valuation and administration of incentive plans. I also help organizations strengthen internal communication around reward and people policies, and develop the leadership and management capabilities required to make these models work in practice. I also advise venture capital firms, corporate venture capital arms, asset managers and private equity funds on the definition and oversight of HR, reward and incentive frameworks within their portfolio companies. I help investors ensure that their participations “do things properly” from the outset—or at key moments of growth and transformation—by establishing sound incentive structures, reward governance and people management practices aligned with value creation, sustainable growth and investor expectations. My approach combines technical rigour with a strong business perspective, enabling investors to mitigate risk, professionalise the HR function in their portfolio companies and ensure that management teams are appropriately incentivised to execute strategy and maximise investment value.

Jurisdiction

Spain | France | Germany | Italy | Greece | Netherlands | Belgium | Finland | Sweden | Norway | Portugal | Luxembourg | Australia | Poland

Notable Employer

  • Manager at Arthur Andersen / Garrigues
  • Senior Director at Towers Perrin / Towers Watson
  • Global Head of Compensation & Benefits at Banco Santander SA
  • Managing Director at WTW

Experience

Seniority LevelExecutive
Years of Experience20+ years
Current StatusActive
ManagerNotableArthur Andersen / Garrigues
1996 - 2005

• Developed Spain’s first flexible remuneration system; participated in IPOs and executive tax planning projects. • Advised on international taxation, global mobility, rewards and corporate governance.

Senior DirectorNotableTowers Perrin / Towers Watson
2005 - 2014

Led the HR consulting business in Spain, covering executive compensation, talent management, market studies, and employee engagement. • Appointed Head of Executive Compensation business line in 2008. • Oversaw post-merger integration of Towers Perrin and Watson Wyatt’s HR consulting practices in Spain. • Designed compensation plans (cash, LTIPs, stock options, phantom shares) for M&A transactions. • Advised on corporate governance, shareholder meetings, and proxy compliance. • Implemented grading frameworks, salary structures, and employee benefits programs.

Global Head of Compensation & Benefits NotableBanco Santander SA
2015 - 2017

• Owned group‑wide Total Rewards strategy and led executive compensation governance and international mobility frameworks for the Corporate Centre in Madrid (c.2,000 employees at location). • Designed and implemented the group MRT remuneration framework and RemCo reporting processes; implemented clawback/malus and MRT-exemption governance. • Optimised variable-pay governance (bonus pools, buy-outs, regulatory reporting) and supported internal & external audits and AGM disclosures. • Led cross-functional projects to select equity administration and HR systems to improve LTIP administration and transparency. • Partnered with Finance on award accounting, accruals and policy implementation to ensure clear audit trails and compliance.

Managing DirectorNotableWTW
2017 - 2024

• Led Total Rewards strategy and delivery for Financial Services clients across Western Europe; designed and implemented salary-review and bonus-cycle processes at group level and advised RemCo on pay governance and AGM disclosures. • Owned LTIP design, benchmarking and IFRS2 valuation centralisation; created a global incentive-structure database used by client teams. • Managed a multidisciplinary team (60+), embedding data analytics and operational processes to speed annual cycles and improve governance. • Led the Financial Services portfolio across Europe (€25M+ annual revenue, 60+ professionals) and co-led the Executive Compensation practice (€15M). • Advised Boards on top executives pay strategies, proxy alignment, and regulatory compliance; designed long-term incentive plans and total rewards strategies. • Integrated ESG KPIs into top executives incentive frameworks; standardized compensation structures across regions ensuring compliance and internal alignment. • Supported M&A transactions, IPOs, and AGMs with remuneration policies, pay-for-performance analyses, and investor communication strategies.

Founder & Managing Partner UpWise Consulting
2025 - Present

Boutique consulting firm specializing in executive compensation, corporate governance, and Total Rewards strategy. • Advising Boards, Remuneration Committees, and C-suites on global reward frameworks, governance policies, and incentive structures. • Designing strategies integrating ESG metrics, pay transparency, and compliance with evolving regulatory landscapes. • Supporting corporate transactions with reward design for C-suite and key talent in M&A contexts. • Supporting AM, PE, VC & CVC in establishing adequante HR policies for portfolio companies.

Education

Degree of BusinessUniversidad Pontificia Comillas ICADE E3
1989 - 1995
Degree of LawUniversidad Pontificia Comillas ICADE E3
1989 - 1994
Diploma of Business AdministrationUniversity of of California, Berkeley
1995 - 1996

Skills

Core skills0
Languages3

Languages

English
English (British)
Spanish