SANTIAGO, Chile, July 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- (NYSE: BSAC; SSE: Bsantander). Andrés Trautmann Buc was officially welcomed as the new CEO and Country Head of Banco Santander Chile ("Santander Chile" or the "Company"), an appointment previously announced last February, in the presence of Héctor Grisi, CEO of Banco Santander. Trautmann thus replaces Román Blanco, who is leaving the Chilean subsidiary after a successful tenure with the bank.
At the meeting, which was attended via streaming by all employees across the country, Grisi thanked Román Blanco for his work over the years, highlighting the strong position of the Chilean subsidiary in terms of results and market share. "The Group is proud to have a bank like Santander Chile: number one in loans, with practically one in three SMEs in the country as a client, and an ROE of 25.9% in a highly competitive environment. We must be Best in Class in each of the markets in which we operate, and to achieve this, it is essential to combine our local presence with the strength of our global scale. That is our greatest strength; we have exceptional teams and a solid culture. Developing it to its full potential is the great challenge we face." Thus, the executive addressed the bank's employees, asking them to "give Andrés the same support they gave Román, because having a team that supports him is essential."
For his part, Trautmann stated, "I am deeply proud to represent Santander Chile in this new position, a leading bank in the local industry that has made significant contributions to the Group's global objectives. I know I have a first-class team with whom we will continue to dedicate ourselves strongly to supporting the progress of people and companies with innovative products and services that make their daily lives easier and boost the development of their businesses."
In his first appearance as CEO and country head, Trautmann emphasized that "Santander is present in key markets in Europe and the Americas. One of our key goals is precisely to leverage this global capacity and, through our experience and market knowledge, contribute to the growth of Chilean companies that are the driving force of our economy. We also want our more than 4.3 million customers to have a similar service experience in the different geographical areas where the Group operates, so that they feel part of an international entity. This is what they can experience today through the Work/Café branch network deployed in more than nine countries."
For his part, Román Blanco stated that "over these three years, we have made great progress in a context where digital banking is advancing rapidly. In this context, we strengthened the growth of Getnet, also adding new features, and Santander Consumer Finance, in addition to the launch of digital accounts and new ways of serving our customers, such as the Work/Café Expresso model." The executive concluded by thanking "everyone who has been part of this journey over these three years and who has made it possible to accomplish all these achievements. Chile is a country of multiple opportunities and great growth potential. I am convinced that Santander is in the best hands, because through Andrés's leadership, his business vision, and his ability to work as a team, they will be able to face the new challenges of this industry and achieve the goals we have set for ourselves."
Local Perspective with International Experience
Trautmann, who holds a degree in Business Administration from the University of Chile, has a distinguished career at Santander, having joined the Group in 2007. He began his career as Head of Institutional and Corporate Sales at Santander Chile, then, between 2010 and 2012, he was in charge of Structured Products Sales in London for Santander UK. From 2013 to 2018, he was responsible for Andean Region Sales for Goldman Sachs in New York. That year, he assumed the position of Head of Markets for Santander's local subsidiary until 2021, when he was appointed Executive Vice President of CIB at Santander Chile, a global division that supports corporate and institutional clients with high-value-added services, products, and solutions.
From his initial position at Markets, he has led significant achievements such as tripling the growth of the Sales and Trading business and then, from CIB, the Investment Banking area, also driving the expansion of CIB products in large companies, leveraging the global capabilities of the Santander Group. Recently, the executive has also added the Corporate and Institutional Banking and Santander Consumer Finance businesses to his responsibilities, which has given him a comprehensive view of the bank's management.
As of March 31, 2025, the bank had total assets of Ch$67,059,423 million (US$70,284 million), total gross loans (including those owed by banks) at amortized cost of Ch$41,098,666 million (US$43,075 million), total deposits of Ch$30,607,715 million (US$32,080 million), and bank owners' equity of Ch$4,400,233 million (US$4,612 million). The BIS capital ratio was 16.9%, with a core capital ratio of 10.7%. As of March 31, 2025, Santander Chile employed 8,712 people and had 237 branches throughout Chile. Banco Santander Chile is one of the companies with the highest risk ratings in Latin America, with an A2 rating from Moody's, A- from Standard & Poor's, A+ from the Japan Credit Rating Agency, AA- from HR Ratings, and A from KBRA. All of our ratings have a stable outlook as of the date of this report.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Investor Relations
Banco Santander Chile
Bandera 140, Floor 20
Santiago, Chile
(562) 26483583
Email: irelations@santander.cl
Website: www.santander.cl
