Scion of a banking dynasty, Ana Botín, head of Santander UK, is one of the most powerful people in British finance. Born in Spain and educated in America at Bryn Mawr College and Harvard, she started as a trainee with JP Morgan. In 1988 she joined Santander’s merchant bank. Although the 50-year-old kept a seat on the board, in 1999 she left to establish a venture capital fund in Madrid. In 2002 she returned to the fold, taking the helm at Banesto (88% owned by Santander and one of Spain’s best known medium-sized banks). Last year Botin became chief executive of Santander UK, well known for having taken over Abbey National, Alliance & Leicester and Bradford & Bingley, and she is readying a £20 billion flotation.

She is the daughter of Spanish billionaire Emilio Botín who is the Executive Chairman of Spain's Grupo Santander and Paloma O'Shea, 1st Marquise of O'Shea, from whom she is expected to succeed in her title.

She is a frontrunner to take over the entire banking dynasty when her father, Emilio, 76, who is reportedly the ninth richest person in Spain, worth £1 billion, steps aside. A mother of three, she speaks five languages, is an excellent golfer, and has said: “I started at the bottom. Nobody has given me anything." A key task for Botin — her full name is Ana Patricia Botin-Sanz de Sautuola y O’Shea — is to stem the flow of complaints directed at Santander’s customer service. Her stake is worth £70m but salaries, a pension pot of more than £21m and a central London home add to her wealth. Her net worth is currently at $800 million.

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