60 Santander staff from across the globe run from London to Leicester
23 September 2011
Santander staff from all over the world took part in a unique teambuilding event which brought together employees from 16 different countries to undertake a 110 mile run.
The 60 employees won competitions to take part in the event and represent more than 200,000 staff at one of the world's biggest banks. The international team raced from London to Santander's main office in the East Midlands as part of a global HR initiative to raise awareness of the company's values.
The 18-stage race, which took place between 26 and 28 September, is the third in a series of annual events after Santander held previous races in Spain and Chile as part of the 'Santander is you' global engagement programme.
The event saw employees from branches and offices in the region come out to cheer on their colleagues along the route.
The international team also had the chance to contribute to the legacy of the 2012 Olympic Games, taking place in London next summer. Part of the visit involved the team undertaking a volunteering project with pupils from Manor Junior School to plant trees in Mayesbrook Park, a 110-acre park in the east of London which is one of the Olympic legacy sites.
Simon Lloyd, HR Director at Santander UK said, "This event enables us to promote the benefits of working for Santander as well as raise awareness of our values in an active and engaging way. The run, held in a different country each year, allows staff who would generally otherwise not ever meet, to share best practices and develop closer working relationships."
"The third annual 'Santander is you Race' demonstrates once again that team work, determination and ambition are core values shared by staff in the Santander Group," said José Luis Gómez Alciturri, Senior Executive Vice President of Santander and Director of the Human Resources division.
The race, which passed nearby 37 of Santander's branches in the South, kicked off with a 10k run around London's Regents Park on day one where the official runners were joined by 28 other UK colleagues, including Charlotte Hogg, Head of Retail Distribution and Intermediaries.
The second day saw the runners, divided into six teams, covering 114k split into 11 stages, ranging from 9.29k to 11.9k. At least one runner from each of the teams had to take part in each stage of the run to ensure all teams completed the full course.
Day three involved a 50k race along the Weedon Bec to Foxton Lock part of the Grand Union Canal route, plus a further 5k race around the company's Leicester offices at Carlton Park where competitors were cheered on by their colleagues including José Luis Alciturri Group HR Director and Simon Lloyd HR Director for Santander UK, who also took part in the final run.
Santander's global HR initiative, 'Santander is you', aims to promote the benefits of working for the bank and raise awareness of the company's values.