Santander’s new branch at Brunel University was officially opened yesterday by the bank’s Deputy CEO and Head of Retail and Business Banking, Javier San Felix and University Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Julia Buckingham.
Professor Buckingham and Mr San Felix were joined by Susan Allen, the bank’s Head of Retail Distribution and the University Relationship Branch Manager Seema Sahota, to cut a ribbon to welcome University staff, students and visitors to the campus-based branch. Brunel University has strong links with Santander after signing a three-year partnership agreement in November 2014, committing almost £250,000 in funding.
The bank’s support primarily focuses on promoting international exchanges through scholarships and travel grants, encouraging student entrepreneurial activities including Made in Brunel, a student-led initiative showcasing student designers, and supporting employability through internships and work placements with local SMEs.
In addition to the branch opening, Mr San Felix and Ms Allen attended an informal networking event with University staff and student recipients. Since 2014, the internship scheme has placed a total of 41 students and graduates into local businesses, helping final year students gain valuable work experience and access into the world of work. Santander recently pledged support for an additional 36 places for the academic year 2016/17.
Professor Julia Buckingham, Vice-Chancellor and President at Brunel University said: “I was delighted to welcome Javier, Susan and their colleagues to the official opening of our new Santander branch, which is already proving to be a great asset to the campus for our students, staff and visitors. Our partnership is a brilliant example of how two very different institutions can work together and we run some excellent joint programmes that not only help our students but also support our local community.”
Javier San Felix, Deputy CEO and Head of Retail and Business Banking said: “Santander is committed to supporting higher education as well as local communities across the UK. We’re delighted to open this new branch which helps us meet our goals of providing an excellent level of service whilst increasing and deepening the relationships with our customers. It’s also been great to meet students and staff from the University, and see first-hand the real impact of our joint programmes, in particular the internship scheme which is helping to improve the employability of young people whilst helping local businesses access young talent.”
The new branch offers a range of state of the art customer services which include access to digital banking with free wifi for customers to use their own mobile devices as well as special customer tablets, three digital ATMs, and two private interview rooms.
- ENDS-
The information contained in our press releases is intended solely for journalists and should not be used by consumers to make financial decisions.
Notes to Editors
- The branch is located at Unit 4 Hamilton Centre, Brunel University London, Kingston Lane, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB8 3PH, and is open from 10am – 6pm Monday – Friday and 10am- 5pm Wednesday. Some of the ATMs are accessible seven days a week.
About Us
Santander Universities
Santander, through Santander Universities, tops the list of Fortune 500 in investment in education (Source: Varkey Report/UNESCO). The Bank has established partnerships with over 1,200 universities in 20 countries, of which 81 are in the UK. Through these agreements Santander promotes entrepreneurship, employability and internationalisation. For further information please visit: www.santander.co.uk/universities
Santander UK is a financial services provider in the UK that offers a wide range of personal and commercial financial products and services. It has brought real competition to the UK, through its innovative products for retail customers and relationship banking model for UK SMEs. At 31 December 2016, the bank serves around 14 million active customers with c20,000 employees and operates through 841 branches (which includes 60 university branches) and 67 regional Corporate Business Centres. Santander UK is subject to the full supervision of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) in the UK. Santander UK plc customers are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) in the UK.
Banco Santander (SAN SM, STD US, BNC LN) is a leading retail and commercial bank, headquartered in Spain, with a meaningful market share in 10 core countries in Europe and the Americas. It is among the world’s top banks by market capitalization. The bank’s purpose is to help people and businesses prosper, in a way that is simple, personal and fair. Founded in 1857, Santander had EUR 1.52 trillion in managed funds, 125 million customers, 12,200 branches and 188,000 employees at the close of 2016. Santander made attributable profit of EUR 6,204 million in 2016, an increase of 4% compared to the previous year.
Media Enquiries
Sarah Webster Tel: 020 7756 5533 Mobile: 07568 112 529
Sarah.webster@santander.co.uk
The press office operates from 8.00am to 6.00pm. Outside of these hours please call 0800 5877708.