Santander hires Petri Nikkil from ING to lead Openbank as the company’s global CEO.

Banco Santander has decided to appoint Petri Nikkil as Global CEO Openbankreplacement Ezequiel Safir. Nikkil will also be responsible for Digital Consumer Bank’s non-automotive consumer business, the company announced in a statement this afternoon.

The executive, who has extensive experience in the financial sector after leading ING’s retail banking business in the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg and developing his career at Nordea and HSBC, among others, will report to Daniel Barriuso, head of retail banking, and Jos Louis. de Mora, head of Digital Consumer Bank.

Santander said Nikkil will be responsible for leading Openbank’s business in current markets and continuing to drive its international expansion. His appointment will take effect in May, after which he will join the boards of Openbank and Santander Consumer Finance.

“Petrie is an excellent addition to our team and brings deep knowledge of the financial environment as well as a broad strategic perspective in the consumer sector. Over the past seven years, Openbank has become the largest digital bank by deposits in Europe and its technology is key to the group’s transformation. Digital Consumer Bank is also a fundamental part of our strategy as it allows us to build stronger customer relationships and consolidate continued and profitable growth. We are pleased to welcome Petri and wish him great success,” said the organization’s president. Ana Botn, about the appointment of Nikkil.

Until now, the executive was the global head of retail transformation at ING. He previously headed ING’s retail banking business in Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.

Before joining ING, he developed his career in Nordea, where he was responsible for digital transformation, and at HSBC. He also has experience in the consumer goods sector after six years at Unilever, where he was responsible for the Africa, Middle East and Turkey business. A Finnish citizen, he holds Master’s degrees in Economics and Business Administration from the University of Vaasa (Finland) and Erasmus University Rotterdam.