Headline: Botín’s coup clears the decks Source: Euromoney Date: October 2001
Banco Santander was clearly the stronger of the two brands and this imbalance was accentuated at the board level, where Emilio Botín, owner of 3% of Santander Central Hispano, had a majority of votes. BCH’s influence on the board was weak despite the presence of the coolly dynamic BCH chief executive Angel Corcóstegui, who was installed as CEO and vice-chairman at Santander Central Hispano at Botín’s request. Corcóstegui, a well-regarded banker, was at Banco Vizcaya at the time of its merger with Banco Bilbao in 1988. |