Banco Santander is bringing in an American to lead its digital and innovation office in Madrid.
The Spanish banking giant announced Wednesday that it has hired Lindsey Argalas as its chief digital and innovation officer. Her appointment is pending regulatory approval. She is expected to assume the role on Sept. 1.
Argalas is currently a senior vice president at Intuit, where she also serves as chief of staff to CEO Brad Smith. She has been with Intuit for nearly a decade.
“Santander’s strength, serving 128 million customers, presents tremendous opportunity to deliver highly innovative digital experiences,” Argalas said in a press release. “I am excited to be part of this important transformation, bringing the best of technology to benefit customers’ financial lives.”
At Intuit, Argalas has been responsible for overseeing companywide initiatives, including the adoption of cloud-based technology. At Santander, she will be responsible for the bank’s digital strategy, as well as supporting innovation throughout the firm and encouraging collaboration across businesses and markets.
“The investment and progress we are making in digital is a critically important part of our strategy, allowing us to reach more customers with better, faster and more efficient services,” Ana Botín, Santander’s executive chairman, said in the press release. “I am delighted to appoint someone of Lindsey’s caliber to this important role.”
At Intuit and formerly at Boston Consulting Group, Argalas has worked in Europe, Australia, Asia and South America. She’s earned a master’s degree in business administration from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a master’s of science degree in international business diplomacy from Georgetown University. She also holds bachelor’s degrees in international affairs and Spanish from Duke University.
