She joined Banco Santander after working at JP Morgan (New York, 1980-1988). In 1992 she was appointed senior executive vice president. Between 1992 and 1998 she led the expansion of Santander in Latin America.
From 2002 to 2010 she was executive chairman of Banesto, such entity being commended as the Best Bank in Spain by Euromoney for three consecutive years during that period. From 2010-2014 she was CEO of Santander UK, being currently as a non-executive director. During her role as CEO of Santander UK, she led the transformation of three former building societies into one of Britain’s most innovative banks. In 2019, she was appointed as a non-executive director of Santander Holdings USA, Inc. and of Santander Bank, N.A.
Since 2014 she has led a cultural, commercial and technological transformation of the Group, focused on boosting customer trust and loyalty. Under her leadership, Santander has established a clear purpose: to help people and businesses prosper in a way that is simple, personal and fair. The Group is committed to acting responsibly on behalf of its employees, customers, shareholders and the communities where it operates.
Her commitment to sustainable and inclusive growth is reflected in her philanthropic activities. She is the founder and Chair of CyD Foundation, which supports and promotes the contribution made by Spanish universities to economic and social development in the country, and Empieza por Educar Foundation, the Spanish subsidiary of the international NGO Teach for All which trains talented young graduates to be teachers. She is also chairman of Universia Holding, S.L. and of Universia España Red de Universidades, S.A., which is considered one of the largest university co-operation networks focused in Latin America, comprising over a thousand universities.