The CEO of Ontier, Bernardo Gutiérrez de la Roza, was interviewed by the most widely distributed economic and business information newspaper in Spain, Expansión, in which he analyses the economic situation and, in particular, the reality of insolvency and bankruptcy in Spain.
The CEO of Ontier warns of the growth of 'zombie' companies and considers that the Executive's efforts should be focused on providing direct incentives to facilitate the restructuring of the business fabric, questioning the bankruptcy moratoriums which, in his opinion, 'harm the industrial fabric and legal security' and warns that this type of action has a clear consequence: the proliferation of zombie companies without assets to liquidate and thus face the debts with the different creditors when the time comes.
For this reason, Bernardo Gutiérrez de la Roza insists that 'insolvency law must be adapted to reality to make it more flexible and more favourable to restructuring so that an insolvency procedure is not an ordeal'. Not surprisingly, he believes that companies in all industries are in a process of adaptation that forces them to make certain investments for which not all of them have sufficient financial muscle at this stage of the pandemic. For this reason, he insists that 'companies are financially exhausted and need more direct aid.'
Regarding the situation of the legal industry, Ontier’s CEO recalls that at the end of 2015, its corporate headquarters were moved to London in a move that supported the global law firm strategy. Almost six years later, and with a Brexit in between, Bernardo Gutiérrez de la Roza considers that it is still the ideal place for the firm’s model. Even he himself has just moved to the British capital, where, after taking over the functions of Ignacio Ojanguren following his departure as International President, he will promote the international plan, now celebrating the opening of a new office in Turin, the third office in Italy.
At the end of 2019, Ontier presented Renacer2020 to its partners, an ambitious strategic plan that had to be halted in the first months of the pandemic. 'As in any business model, it is important to make adjustments so that the project continues to grow strongly,' Bernardo Gutiérrez de la Roza told Expansión, announcing an 11% increase in its global turnover last year, to $48 million (just over €40 million), and a 10% increase in its workforce. Ontier's goal now is to provide more flexibility to its model with changes ranging from the remuneration programme to the way its international offices are managed and also advances the firm's interest in expanding its presence in Latin America with its arrival in Argentina.
The full interview is available here.
