LLYC

Spain, Portugal, Belgium

Spanish giant LLYC was the first firm from the continent to tap into private equity to satisfy its global ambitions, and as a result has built itself into a powerhouse with operations across the Spanish and Portuguese-speaking markets of the world—about half of its revenue comes from the Americas, with offices in eight Latin American countries as well as the US— while also expanding beyond its corporate and financial roots to develop full-service capabilities (consumer and healthcare work is now as impressive as corporate and public affairs) and strengthened its digital marketing, influence, creativity, data and analytics and deep learning offerings.

In Europe, LLYC has offices in Spain (Madrid, Valencia, and Barcelona), Portugal (Lisbon), and in Brussels, where it helps companies from the Spanish speaking world with their outreach to the EU. Its extensive footprint enables LLYC todeliver global expertise and local insights to clients, providing integrated marketing and corporate affairs consultancy, Its professional partnership model, established in 2007, continues to attract and retain top-tier talent, offering high performing professionals the opportunity to become equity partners with full participation rights. The leadership team now includes 23 partners, ensuring long-term strategic vision and business continuity. It also gained recognition for creative work like Rainbot, which addresses the rise in anti-LGBTIQ+ hate speech on social media, and used generative AI to transform these messages into poems celebrating diversity. 

In 2024, LLYC achieved record-breaking financial results, closing the year with €93.1 million in operational revenue, a 19% increase from the previous year and more than double its 2020 revenue numbers. The firm’s client portfolio includes leading global and regional companies incluidng Apple, Microsoft, Coca-Cola, HSBC, Santander, Johnson & Johnson, Siemens, Volkswagen, Inditex, Airbnb, Airbus, AstraZeneca, GSK, Diageo, Bacardí, Bimbo, Repsol, AB InBev, and more. The firm was ranked number three in the Spanish market in terms of the volume of M&A deals it advised on last year (number 11 in all of Europe) and number one in terms of the value of deals, according to Mergermarket.

Alejandro Romero was promoted to the global CEO role in November of 2022, with Luisa Garcia as global CEO of corporate affairs and Rafa Antón as chief creative officer. The European operations are led by regional CEO Luis Miguel Pena, while new additions included Gemma Gutiérrez as head of marketing solutions in Europe (from Ogilvy); Carlos Parry, a veteran of client and government roles, as head of healthcare in Europe; and Ángel Álvarez Alberdi to lead public affairs in Europe. LLYC was ranked by Forbes magazines for the third consecutive year as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work for in Spain and the company is known for its work-life integration model, offering remote, in-office, and hybrid options.—PH