Banco Santander Chile Management: Chilean Bank Taken Into New Territory by Vibrant Leaders

Claudio Melandri is the president of the Board of Directors of Santander Chile, and Santander Group’s country head for Chile.

He began his career in Banco Concepción and in 1990 joined the group, where he has held various roles, including regional manager of the branch network, manager for Human Resources, and manager of the Commercial Bank.

Melandri was also executive vice-president of Banco Santander in Venezuela for three years, in charge of the creation of the commercial area in that country. He was CEO of Banco Santander Chile from January 2010 to March 2018, until he assumed the mantle of president of the Board of Directors.

Claudio Melandri has a history with Santander going back more than 30 years. He became a leader within the Chilean financial industry and pioneered a series of transformations which enabled Santander to transform its banking methods. One of the most recent projects which embodies the bank’s new method of client interaction is Workcafés, a new format launched in 2016 which combines top financial advisory services, a co-working space and a coffee shop.

This 100 percent Chilean innovation has been successfully exported to other countries where Santander Group operates, including Spain, Brazil and Portugal, with plans to include the United Kingdom.

Chile has 43 Workcafés and is expecting to finish the year with 60 branches using the format, evidence of the success and positive reception of the Workcafés. This new model implicitly shows the characteristic Melandri methodology: every project must carry the stamp of excellence in its execution.

In terms of corporate governance, the board — presided by Melandri — is the bank’s most senior body, and represents the interests of all stakeholders. Each director contributes to the progress of the institution, according to his or her area of specialty. They are part of a number of committees kept abreast of the details of company management.

Santander Chile has a solid administration team, with Miguel Mata as CEO. Mata has been with the bank since 2002. Under his charge are 12 divisions that make up the bank’s administration, including commercial banking, middle market, Santander corporate and investment banking.

The solid management of the Santander Chile team has earned it several accolades, including Best Bank in Chile and Best Managed Bank in Chile.

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