Santander retail boss goes to Lloyds

Santander UK's head of retail banking, Alison Brittain, is to follow in the footsteps of the Spanish bank's former chief executive Antonio Horta Osorio and move to Lloyds.

Ms Brittain, currently the bank's executive director for retail distribution and intermediaries, has resigned with immediate effect, Santander said yesterday, but will remain at the firm until September to help with the transition to her successor. News of her departure comes after Mr Horta Osorio began work at Lloyds at the start of this month, replacing Eric Daniels at the helm of the state-backed bank. Santander also announced that, subject to FSA approval, it planned to appoint its head of corporate and commercial banking, Steve Pateman, as an executive director.