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Last update: 26/06/2024
Our corporate centre, the Santander Group City in Boadilla del Monte, Madrid, opened its doors 20 years ago. The first employees arrived in 2004. Since then, this innovative campus, which blends architecture with nature and boasts over 1,200 olive trees, has moved with the times to remain a cutting-edge and unique place of work. Here we tell you about some of its peculiarities.
The Santander Group City (SGC), also known as Ciudad Financiera, houses the bank’s central services and is one of the world’s biggest corporate centres. Spread over 250 hectares, it has vast, modern office space for over 6,000 people, surrounded by nature.
But Santander’s constantly transforming corporate centre represents much more than a leading global bank’s headquarters. Built for its people, it was designed by architectural firm Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo & Associates. Today it’s home to a talented group of motivated, diverse, global and multidisciplinary individuals, not to mention its impressive architecture, nature, landscaped areas, art, sustainability and progression.
63,000 people, including temporary and permanent employees, contractors, interns and vendor employees, have worked at the SGC since it opened. At present, some 7,000 people work, collaborate, learn and innovate there, while keeping the customer at the centre of everything they do.
Under constant transformation, the SGC has come to attract the best talent with the same principles as those we have developed to fulfil our purpose and aim. It’s where innovation, nature and well-being collide:
The planet
· Energy efficiency: We keep an eye on energy consumption to make sure we’re not wasting it unnecessarily. The SGC also has the biggest solar facility out of any office complex, with 10,747 solar panels — that’s a 4.5 MWp facility that produces 6.5 million kWh per year.
· Sustainable mobility: We continue to increase the number of electric vehicle charging points at our buildings. The SGC currently has 850.
· ISO 14001 certification: It certifies that the SGC meets all legal standards to minimize the impact of its operations on the environment.
· Spanish Association for Standardization and Certification (AENOR) “Zero waste” certificate: It verifies that at least 90% of the waste we produce at the SGC is reintroduced into the value chain. In 2019, we became the first bank to be awarded this certificate — which requires an external audit — and have had it renewed every year since.
· The environment: The SGC is known for its green space. It has 43.5 hectares of landscaped areas with over 10,000 trees and 300,000 shrubs; a 70-plus-hectare woodland (“El Bosque”), with 14,000 trees and 60,000 shrubs; and a 64-hectare golf course.
There are 1,200 olive trees, 400 of which are over 500 years old and 13 of which are millenary olive trees. What’s more, there are 77 “barbeya” olive trees and 257 from Calabria (163 in El Bosque and 94 elsewhere in the SGC), which measure an imposing 13 metres high.
Society
· Collaborative space: The El Solaruco building at the SGC was a designated vaccination centre during the Coivd pandemic and provided shelter to refugees from Ukraine.
· Artistic heritage: The SGC has an exhibition centre with 194 pieces belonging to the Banco Santander Collection and other temporary displays. It also has sculptures in outside areas by eight international artists that include Richard Serra, Kimmo Schoroderus, Richard Deacon, Dan Graham, Cristina Iglesias and Juan Muñoz.
Our employees
· Facilities: The SGC has a nursery for 500 children, a medical centre, a sports centre where employees can play a variety of individual and team sports, a golf course, and a swimming pool.
· Catering: There are 10 restaurants that serve some 6,500 meals per day. We use locally produced fruit and vegetables.
· Other services: These include internal bus routes, a bank branch, and a training centre.
The employees describe the transformation in the Santander Group City
Today, we discover the SGC’s history, some anecdotes and key milestones, and how we’ve been adapting to change over the years, told by the people who arrived 20 years ago and other more recent arrivals. They all agree that we’ve experienced some wonderful moments and created unforgettable memories along the way.
