Jennifer Granado Aranzana

Jennifer is a Managing Associate in Linklaters' Belgian Employment and Incentives practice, admitted to the Brussels Bar in 2016.

She is passionate about helping companies navigate their critical employment and incentive matters, including advisory, contentious, and transactional issues. Jennifer has developed particular expertise in ESG, focusing on workers' and human rights, diversity, pay transparency, social reporting (CSRD, GRI), and HR aspects of the green transition, as well as in compensation and benefits (including remuneration in the financial sector, executive pay and pensions). She is also experienced in leading investigations involving individuals and managing complex employment litigations.

Jennifer has a deep understanding and passion for assisting multinationals in navigating the increasingly complex global employment and incentives landscape. Her international exposure is enhanced by her work exposure in the US (California) and a 7-month secondment in London, enabling her to understand key cultural and legal differences and find the best solutions for multinationals. Multilingual, she can work in Dutch, French, English, and is fluent in Spanish, uniquely positioning her to communicate effectively with companies' global stakeholders.

Holding a Master's degree from VUB, an LL.M. from UC Berkeley in the US, and a Postgraduate in Pensions from KUL, Jennifer brings a well-rounded academic background to her practice. However, she always puts business at the heart of her advice. Her role as Vice-President of the Human Capital and Talent Committee at AmCham Belgium allows her to stay attuned to the concerns of businesses.

Additionally, Jennifer contributes to the academic field as an affiliated member of the Education Board for the Social Law Faculty and as an academic researcher at VUB. She was awarded her LL.M. from the University of California, Berkeley, in 2020 as a Fulbright scholar, BAEF, and Rotary fellow.

She has written a book and regularly publishes legal doctrine and speaks at seminars.

Work highlights

• Advising BEL20 listed companies on complex incentives and executive remuneration queries, including setting up, documenting and implementing incentive plans in Belgium and globally
• Advising several companies in regulated sectors (e.g. banking and energy sector) on sensitive matters such as termination of C-level executives, change of status from employee to self-employed, HR implications of the New Companies Code, benefits and restructurings
• Representing an automotive company on multiple litigations involving 196 blue collar workers who claimed white-collar status in court and assisting in subsequent settlement negotiations
• Advising Elia System Operator on all employment aspects related to its internal reorganisation project aimed at isolating and ring-fencing the Belgian regulated activities of Elia from its non-regulated activities

• Banks, stockbroking firms and insurance companies: advising on remuneration structuring and termination of MRTs.

• Brookfield: setting up management incentive plans for Brookfield.

• Chevron (and several other corporates and financial institutions): advising on implementation of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, with a focus on the social standards.

• Several banks and corporates: advising with implementation of the EU Pay Transparency Directive.

• Several banks and corporates: guiding through reorganisations and collective dismissals.

Jennifer joined the Employment & Incentive Practice at Linklaters in 2016. She has been promoted to Managing Associate in May 2023.

She has been affiliated to the VUB as a member of the Education Board for the Social Law Faculty and as a voluntary academic researcher as from 2017.

• Jennifer has completed a 7-months secondment in the London Employment & Incentives team
• Jennifer has a deep commitment to DE&I and has been instrumental in putting together a partnership between European Women on Boards and Women on Board

Jennifer holds an LL.M from the University of California, Berkeley and a Master of Laws from the VUB.

She works on a daily basis in Dutch, French and English, as well as occasionally in Spanish.

• “Informatie- en raadplegingsverplichtingen van werknemers en overlegorganen bij vennootschapstransacties (Deel I)”, in Oriëntatie 2018/6, Wolters Kluwer, pp.154 - 165, co-author.
• “Law & Practice. Employment Q&A”, Chambers Employment Guide, October 1, 2018 (co-author).
• “Informatie- en raadplegingsverplichtingen van werknemers en overlegorganen bij vennootschapstransacties (Deel II)”, in Oriëntatie 2019/1, Wolters Kluwer, pp.2 - 16, co-author.

• Réflexions sur la rémunération variable et l'indemnité de départ des dirigeants de sociétés cotées, note sous Trib. ent. Bruxelles (Fr.), 20 janvier 2022, A/19/01489, RDC/TBH 22 déc. 2023.

• Considerations on the variable remuneration and severance pay of executives of listed companies, RDC/TBH décembre 2023, p. 1121 e.s.

• Saturday night fever? Le sens usuel du samedi en tant que "jour ouvrable" en droit du travail par rapport à la définition du "nouveau" Code civil, Orientations, 15 déc. 2022, Nummer 11, p. 19, 2022.

• Nood aan een class action in het Belgisch sociaal recht? (Is there a need for class actions in Belgian labour law?), Intersentia, 1 oct. 2021.

• Liber Amicorum Wilfried Rauws (eds. K. Nevens, K. Salomez, E. Timbermont, G. Van Limberghen), p. 777.

• Book: Praktische gids over de informatie- en raadpleging van werknemers bij vennootschapstransacties en herstructureringen (180p.), Wolters Kluwer, 2 mai 2021.