Banco Santander, S.A. announced that its board of directors approved its first dividend against 2019 earnings of €0.10 per share, which will be entirely paid in cash from 1 November 2019. The amount is equal to the interim dividend paid one year ago between August (€0.065) and November (€0.035). As disclosed in 2018, starting this year, Santander shareholders will receive two annual dividend payments instead of four. The last day to trade shares with a right to receive this dividend will be 29 October 2019 and the ex-dividend date will be 30 October 2019.

In addition, following the appointments committee's full support to the proposal, the board has approved the appointment of Ms. Marjolein van Hellemondt-Gerdingh as Group Chief Compliance Officer of Santander Group, which will take effect once the required regulatory authorisations have been obtained. She joins from DLL International B.V., Eindhoven (a subsidiary of the Rabobank Group) where she has been responsible for Compliance since January 2018. Ms. Hellemondt-Gerdingh, who will report to the Chief Risk Officer, Keiran Foad, replaces Monica Lopez-Monis, who was recently appointed Global Chief Regulatory Affairs Officer. The appointments committee of the company has proposed that Pamela Walkden will join the board as an independent director. Ms Walkden, a British banker, will join after having served in a number of senior management positions predominantly at Standard Chartered Bank over a period of nearly 30 years including as Chief Risk Officer, Group Treasurer and Head of Internal Audit. She served as an independent member of the UK Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) Regulatory Reform Panel and as a member of the European Banking Authority Stakeholder Group. Ms. Walkden will replace Mr. Carlos Fernandez, who has served as an independent non-executive director since 2015. Her appointment will take effect once the related authorisations have been received and will be submitted for ratification at the next General Shareholders' Meeting of Banco Santander.