Ana Botín
Ana Patricia Botín | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ana Patricia Botín-Sanz de Sautuola O'Shea October 4, 1960 Santander, Spain |
| Occupation(s) | Banker, executive chairman |
| Years active | 1981–present |
| Known for | Executive chairman of Santander Group since 2014 |
Ana Patricia Botín-Sanz de Sautuola O'Shea (born 4 October 1960) is a prominent Spanish banker who has held the position of executive chairman at Santander Group since 2014. Representing the fourth generation of the Botín family to lead the institution, she previously served as CEO of Santander UK from December 2010 until her appointment as chairwoman.
Botín is widely acknowledged as a significant figure in international banking. In 2013, Woman's Hour on BBC Radio 4 ranked her as the third most influential woman in the United Kingdom. She has frequently appeared on Forbes lists of the world's most powerful women, securing the 8th spot in 2017, 2019, and 2020, and ranking 18th in 2023. Additionally, in 2023, Fortune placed her 19th among its 100 Most Powerful Women.
Early life
Born on 4 October 1960 in Santander, Spain, Botín is the daughter of Emilio Botín-Sanz, who formerly served as executive chairman of Spain's Grupo Santander, and Paloma O'Shea, the 1st Marchioness of O'Shea. Her education includes attendance at St Mary's School Ascot followed by economics studies at Bryn Mawr College.
Career
Between 1981 and 1988, Botín was employed at JP Morgan in the United States before returning to Spain to join Santander Group. She was instrumental in Santander's acquisition of a controlling 51% share in Banco Osorno y La Union—Chile’s largest bank—in 1997 for $495 million. In 2002, she assumed the role of executive chairman at Spanish bank Banesto. In November 2010, she took over as chief executive officer of Santander UK from António Horta Osório.
Botín joined the board of the Coca-Cola Company in 2013.
Her appointment as chair of the Santander Group came in September 2014, marking her as the fourth generation within her family to lead the bank. Since then, she has focused on internationalizing the board, advancing technological integration, and reinforcing leadership teams across the United States and Latin America.
In February 2025, Santander disclosed that Botín’s total remuneration for 2024 amounted to €13.77 million—a rise of 13%—comprising €7.94 million in cash salary, €3.96 million in equity awards, €1.34 million attributed to pension contributions, and €0.54 million in additional benefits.
Other activities
In 2015, UK Prime Minister David Cameron invited Botín to join his business advisory council. She was appointed by International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva in 2020 to participate in an external advisory panel tackling policy issues. Early in 2021, she was named by the G20 to serve on the High Level Independent Panel focused on financing global pandemic preparedness; this panel is co-chaired by Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, and Lawrence Summers.
Additional roles held by Botín include:
- Member of The Business Council
- Trustee member of Mayor's Fund for London (since 2012)
- Steering Committee member of the Bilderberg Group
- Board of Trustees member at Elcano Royal Institute for International and Strategic Studies
- Trustee at Fundación Albéniz
- Founder and President of Fundación Conocimiento y Desarrollo (Fundación CYD)
- Trustee member at Fundación Mujeres por África
- Chair-Elect at the Institute of International Finance (IIF)
- Trustee on the Board of National Museum and Research Center of Altamira
Recognition
Initially appearing on the list in 2005, Botín was acknowledged by Forbes as the eighth most influential woman worldwide during the years 2018, 2019, and 2020.
- 2015 – Appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in recognition of her contributions to the United Kingdom's financial industry
- 2015 – Recipient of the FIRST Award for Responsible Capitalism
Personal life
In 1983, Botín wed banker Guillermo Morenés y Mariátegui, who is the son of the 9th Marquess of Borghetto. Together, they have three sons.
The family’s properties include a substantial estate located in Ciudad Real, a six-bedroom residence in London's Belgravia district, and a home situated in Gstaad, a Swiss ski destination.
Botín, a two-time national junior golf champion, was introduced to golf by her late brother-in-law Seve Ballesteros, a former world number one. In 2018, she earned the distinction of becoming only the fourth woman to join Augusta National Golf Club. Additionally, she is related to Olympic gold medalist Diego Botín as his aunt and is niece to Jaime Botín.
See also
External links
- Pages with script errors
- Articles with short description
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- Spanish chairpersons of corporations
- Living people
- People from Santander, Spain
- Businesspeople from Cantabria
- Bryn Mawr College alumni
- Spanish bankers
- Women corporate directors
- Honorary Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire
- Spanish expatriates in the United States
- Directors of Coca-Cola
- People educated at St Mary's School, Ascot
- Women bankers
- 20th-century Spanish businesswomen
- 20th-century Spanish businesspeople
- 21st-century Spanish businesswomen
- 21st-century Spanish businesspeople
- Members of the Board of Directors of the Banco Santander
- 1960 births