Life Sciences

Sofía Said

Sofía Said manages Talengo’s senior executive search projects for the Latin American market within the FMCG & retail and healthcare sectors.

She has 10 years’ experience in the commercial, marketing and entrepreneurship areas, both in Colombia and in the United States. She began her professional career in media agencies, specifically in the design and publishing area, responsible for the creation and design of campaigns for Latin American companies located in the southern United States. She combined this experience with web content editing for large accounts such as BMW, Versace, La Riviera and Korloff Colombia. She later joined C.I. Vhera Lucci as Commercial Manager of Advertising and Marketing. In 2011, Sofia decided to make a complete change in her professional career, joining a benchmark leadership and executive search consultancy in order to specialise in positions in the sales and marketing areas.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Communication from Charleston Southern University in Charleston, South Carolina, USA.

Manuel Clavel

Manuel Clavel joined Talengo in 2003 to lead the FMCG and Retail Practice. In 2005, he was appointed Managing Director of the Barcelona Office and since 2007 has been a Partner of the company in Spain.

Manuel began his professional career at Ernst & Young as an Auditor and Consultant specialising in Distribution and Services, where he also participated in the creation of the IT Security Systems Division. He later led the opening of the Barcelona office of a well-known executive search multinational. His experience in executive search for the FMCG and Retail sectors is both national and international, with special emphasis on the European market, and specifically covering positions in Executive Committees for companies in the food, beverage, personal care, household and textile sectors.

He has a degree in Business Administration from the Universidad de Barcelona and is a member of the Círculo Ecuestre, Barcelona Global and the AESC (Association of Executive Search Consultants). Committed to social initiatives (he is the founder and trustee of Fundación Clavel), he takes part in endurance and "ultra distance" events raising money for a variety of foundations. Enthusiastic about sport and adventure, he has competed in numerous international marathons, Ironman distance triathlons and is a "finisher" of the Marathon des Sables in the Sahara desert.

Juan Diego Casas

Juan Diego Casas joined Talengo in 2019 as a Principal to lead the life sciences practice. In 2021, he is appointed Partner of the firm.

With an extensive national and international background in human resources, Juan Diego brings a multicultural, diverse and unique vision to each project. Juan Diego has been focused on the industrial, life sciences, energy and logistics sectors.

Juan Diego began his career in the field of executive search more than 15 years ago in a well-known multinational firm, where he held the position of Executive Director and member of the Spain Steering Committee. In 2014, he joined as Regional Director a world leader in human resources solutions to manage operations and multidisciplinary teams in different countries of Europe & MENA. During this professional stage, he has developed attraction, retention and talent management solutions for different companies in the life sciences, industrial and services sector. The focus on cultural transformation of organizations and technological innovation has been the common denominator in recent years.

Juan Diego holds a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineer from Universidad de Burgos, has completed several Leadership Management programs at both IESE and IMD Business School. He has lived in Spain and the United Kingdom and is fluent in Spanish and English.