Christiana Riley is the new head of Santander North America

MEXICO - Santander North America will have the first woman to lead the business in Mexico and the United States.

The bank announced that Christiana Riley will be the new regional head of North America, replacing Héctor Grisi, who left the position at the beginning of this year.

Riley, who previously worked at Deutsche Bank, will lead nearly 45,000 employees in the region that in 2022 generated 25% of the bank's global revenues.

Riley was regional head of Deutsche Bank of America, based in New York, and previously served as the bank's chief financial officer and co-head of corporate and investment banking (CIB).

Prior to joining Deutsche Bank, Riley worked at McKinsey in Frankfurt and at Greenhill & Co in New York and Frankfurt. She is a graduate of Princeton University and the London Business School.

"I am delighted that Christiana is joining Santander to lead North America. She has an excellent background and a strong track record, and I am sure she will bring a lot to the table to help the group leverage its strengths," said Ana Botín in a statement.

Tim Wennes, head of U.S., and Felipe García Ascencio, head of Mexico, will report directly to her.