Developing the leaders of tomorrow in Abbey, part of the Santander Group

Abstract

PurposeThis paper aims to focus on the development of senior leaders within Abbey, part of the Santander Group. A strong leadership pipeline is essential to feed the succession plans into the executive roles; it is a critical strategic goal to ensure the continued health and strength of the bank. The paper aims to examine the introduction of a development and mobility process designed to achieve this goal and maximise the internal talent at the senior leader level (the “Band D” population).Design/methodology/approachThe paper describes the six stages of the Band D development and mobility process. It covers how each stage is implemented within the organisation, from one‐to‐one interaction with line managers, through to the provision of targeted development opportunities. It explores the critical vehicle of the development and mobility committee; in which Band D leaders are individually “presented” by a sponsoring director. The potential outputs of the committee include on‐job and formal development opportunities and functional or geographic role moves across the bank. The paper also examines the critical next steps.FindingsThe paper highlights the qualitative successes of key elements of the new process. It also shows how the process is tracked through key performance indicators to measure the link between the investment and the delivery of tangible business benefits.Originality/valueThe paper gives a practical insight into a structured process for developing talent.