Panattoni hires Rafael Fernández Bautista as new Land Development Director for Spain and Portugal

Panattoni, Europe's leading logistics-industrial real estate developer, has announced the appointment of Rafael Fernández Bautista as its new Director of Land Development for Spain and Portugal. Rafael has just joined the company's office in Barcelona after a long stint in PwC and will be in charge of the urban development supervision of land acquisition processes in general and, in particular, of the transformation of developable land into finalist land. He will also support the business development team in Spain and Portugal, where Panattoni aims to position itself as a market leader in the short term.

Rafael’s career spans more than 20 years in major law firms, with a focus on providing urban planning consultancy services to clients, investors and developers, particularly in the field of land development. He held the position of Legal Advisor to the Environment Department of the Government of Catalonia from 2001 to 2003. He joined Garrigues law firm in 2004 as a senior associate and worked in the Administrative Law and Urban Planning Department for seven years, until 2012. That year he joined PwC’s office in Barcelona as Director of the Administrative Law and Urban Planning Department. He held this position at PwC until 2018, when he became a Partner of the consulting firm and Head of Administrative Law in the Barcelona office and national head of Urbanism. Rafael Fernández has also collaborated for several years as Associate Professor of Administrative Law at the University of Barcelona and has been recognized as a reference professional in planning in prestigious directories, such as Chambers.

Rafael Fernández holds a PhD in Administrative and Urban Law from the Universitat de Barcelona. He also holds a Law Degree from the Universitat de Barcelona and a Postgraduate Degree in Urban Management from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, as well as a diploma as Town Planner from the Master in Urban Planning of the Universitat Pompeu Fabra and the Public Administration School of Barcelona.

Gustavo Cardozo, Panattoni's general manager for Spain and Portugal, emphasized that "Panattoni continues to bet on professionals with great experience in the sector. The incorporation of Rafael will be key to growing our portfolio with new surfaces and we are sure that his know-how will help to accelerate the company's plans in this market".

Rafael Fernández, Panattoni's new Land Development Director for Spain and Portugal, was very grateful for "the opportunity to work in a firm like Panattoni and with the great professionals that make up its team. We are living in a time in which land acquisition is not easy in certain key areas of the Iberian Peninsula, but I am excited to be able to apply all my urban planning knowledge to achieve this in areas of great value for real estate in order to help Panattoni grow in our market".