Banco Santander Names Hector Grisi as CEO

The Board of Banco Santander announced today that it has nominated Héctor Blas Grisi Checa, the current Chief Executive Officer at Santander Mexico and the Head of North America, as the next Group Chief Executive Officer of Banco Santander. In addition, he will also be positioned as a Group Director.

The appointment, which is subject to customary approvals, will take effect on 1 January 2023. In his new role, Grisi will report directly to the Board. Grisi will succeed José Antonio Álvarez who has been an integral part of Banco Santander since 2002. He was appointed Chief Financial Officer in 2004 and then Chief Executive Officer in January 2015.

“The Nominations Committee has worked intensively to identify and assess a broad range of internal and external candidates for the CEO role, with the support of external advisors. Héctor Grisi is a seasoned expert who knows our business and is the right person to lead the bank with Ana. He brings a relentless focus on the customer, proven leadership in driving transformation and greater connectivity across the group, and a strong track record of delivering growth and profitability,” Bruce Carnegie Brown, the Lead Independent Director and Chair of the Board Nomination Committee, said.

Grisi’s Professional Career

Grisi, who joined Santander in 2015 as Chief Executive Officer of Santander Mexico, has more than 35 years of experience in the corporate sector. In his career, Grisi worked at Credit Suisse for approximately 18 years.

“I would firstly like to thank José Antonio for what he has done for the bank throughout his career, and the support he has provided me since the first day I joined," Grisi said.

"I am honored to succeed him as CEO of Banco Santander and be offered the opportunity to build on what he, Ana, and the team have achieved. I firmly believe that Santander’s scale, diversification and customer focus create opportunities for growth that are difficult for others to replicate,” he added.