Santander, through its Santander Universities Global Division, has renewed its partnership with Bath Spa University.
The partnership was signed by Sigga Sigurdardottir, Chief Customer and Innovation Officer, Santander UK, and Professor Christina Slade, Vice-Chancellor of Bath Spa University, on 19 May. Now in its third year, the bank provides funding for mobility, research, and enterprise activities. The renewal will provide funding for these areas through to 2020.
Professor Slade said: “It was a pleasure to welcome Sigga Sigurdardottir and her colleagues from Santander today. Our partnership with Santander has supported the University’s global and entrepreneurial initiatives over the last three years. The funding has enabled staff, students, and alumni to participate in a variety of exciting opportunities.”
Sigga Sigurdardottir, Chief Customer and Innovation Officer, Santander UK, said: “Santander is committed to supporting higher education as well as local communities across the UK. It’s been great to meet students and staff, and see first-hand the real impact of our joint programmes.”
The agreement will provide funding for:
In addition to the signing, Sigga Sigurdardottir gave a talk to students and staff on what it takes to become an innovator. She shared her insights on how her team at the bank bring new products to market, the importance of collaboration, and gave advice to graduates embarking on their future careers.
Through its Santander Universities Global Division, Santander has supported higher education in the UK since 2007, providing funding for scholarships, mobility awards and research grants with the aim of supporting students and academic staff. After the signing of this agreement with Bath Spa Santander is now partnering with 82 universities across the UK and has over 1,200 university partners worldwide. Since 1997 over €1 billion has been invested by Santander in universities.
During Sigga's visit to Bath Spa University's Newton Park campus she met with the campus branch team.
The branch offers a full banking service for staff and students, and administer's the University's smart card production. Sigga was presented with honorary undergraduate and postgraduate smart cards during her visit.
