Santander UK appoints former HSBC exec as the new Chief Data Officer

By Megha Bhattacharya

Santander UK today announced the appointment of Rakshit Kapoor as the Chief Data Officer and the Head of Data Transformation for Europe. He will be responsible for developing Santander’s data strategy, organisation, operating model, technology, and governance. He will also lead the creation of a data and analytics centre of excellence, bringing together multiple disciplines from across the bank into a single team. Rakshit will join Santander on 1 February 2021, reporting to Iain Plunkett, Chief Operating Officer, for his UK role, and Cristina San Jose, Global Head of New Models & Data Unit, for his European role.

As the Head of Data Transformation, Rakshit will partner with Santander’s other European Chief Data Officers to develop approaches to data and analytics across Europe.

Tony Prestedge, Santander UK Deputy CEO, said, “I am very pleased that Rakshit will be joining the team. Harnessing the power of data to improve our products and services for customers will be critical in delivering our ambition to be a digital bank with a human touch. Rakshit’s experience and expertise will be a huge asset as we develop our data strategy and put data-driven insight at the heart of our decision-making.”

Recently, Rakshit served as the Group Chief Data Officer at HSBC. He also held roles at US insurance company Travelers, where he was Global CIO for Data, Analytics, and AI/Robotic Process Automation, and at JP Morgan, where he was Managing Director, Data Management and Analytics.

Rakshit Kapoor said, “I am very excited to be joining Santander, a digital leader in the banking sector. I am really looking forward to being part of its ongoing transformation and joining such a talented international team.”