Our second annual Young Leaders programme will cultivate our people’s talent through networking, new challenges and lessons on a changing world and skills for “leading” the future for 9 months in a smart city.

On the back of the success of the first-ever Young Leaders programme, a new class of 189 Grupo Santander employees, selected according to current market demands, has arrived to broaden our horizons globally. 

On 19 October, we held a hybrid welcoming ceremony (in person and online) for participants, where we learned about the many neighbourhoods in the programme’s smart city. Each one has a theme so the Young Leaders professionals can have the broadest experience possible.

Our executive chairman, Ana Botín, made an online appearance at the event. “Times of crisis are also times of opportunity. We welcome you to this programme. All of you have shown a power to inspire others. To be successful in this initiative, you must be innovators and creators and think outside the box. Your success depends on you and you alone. We believe companies should be judged on how they prepare the next generation to succeed them, and we want to give you the best we can offer so you will carry on our legacy”, she said.

The personal and career development programme sets out to support the Group's strategy; to boost exposure to the bank's senior management; to take participants to new heights and outside their comfort zone; and to promote leadership according to the latest strategy trends.

It selects participants based on their ability to lead alone and with others, in addition to their sense of empathy, creativity and technical skills. It also fosters teamwork thanks to the many points of view and backgrounds participants contribute to come up with new solutions.