Cani Fernández

Cani Fernández is the president of the National Commission for Markets and Competition. She Graduated in Law with merit from the University of Zaragoza in 1986 and has obtained a Special Degree in European Law for the Free University of Brussels in 1987, with Great Distinction. In 1986 she was awarded with the NATO Fellowship Program. Between 1987 and February 2020, she worked as a lawyer in private practice specialized in EU and Competition Law. She also taught those topics at prestigious Spanish and foreign universities such as Toulouse School of Economics, McGeorge University of the Pacific, Carlos III University, Autonomous University of Barcelona and Barcelona Graduate School of Economics, among others. From 1993 to 1997 she was référendaire at the Court of Justice of the European Union. She was the first woman to be appointed as a co-chair of the Antitrust Committee of the International Bar Association (IBA). In addition, she held the position of Vice-chair of the Economics Committee of the Antitrust Section at the American Bar Association (ABA), Officer of the International Cartel Task Force of the ABA Antitrust Section, and member of the IBA LPD Council. She was also a Non Governmental Advisor (NGA) of the EU Commission and the National Commission for Markets and Competition before the International Competition Network (ICN). Among her many distinctions awarded for her professional practice stands out her recognition as one of the 30 best specialists in Competition/Antitrust worldwide in the Best of the Best category of the Expert Guides year after year ; her recognition as one of the "100 Women in Antitrust Worldwide" by Global Competition Review (GCR). In 2018 and 2019 Chambers named her "Star Individual" in her specialty in Spain. She is the first woman to obtain the “Outstanding Contribution to the Legal Profession” award by Chambers. In 2020 she was appointed President of the Spanish National Commission for Markets and Competition. Since January 2021 she is member of the OECD Competition Committee Bureau. Additionally, she is the author of numerous publications in the area of Competition and EU Law, and a regular speaker on these matters. She has practiced and lectured EU and Competition Law since 1989. She was legal secretary (référendaire) at the Court of Justice of the European Union. The first woman appointed as Co-Chair of the IBA Antitrust Committee, she also held the position of Vice-chair of the Economics Committee of the ABA Antitrust Section, Officer of the International Cartel Task Force of the ABA Antitrust Section, and member of the IBA LPD Council. She was also an NGA of the EU Commission and the CNMC before the ICN. Recognized year after year as one of the 30 best specialists in Competition/Antitrust worldwide in the Best of the Best category of the Expert Guides. GCR recognized her as one of the "100 Women in Antitrust Worldwide". In 2018 and 2019 Chambers named her "Star Individual" in her specialty in Spain. She is the first woman awarded with the “Outstanding Contribution to the Legal Profession” by Chambers.