Santander Asset Management wins Gold Standard Award

Santander Asset Management UK has been announced as the winner of the 2009 Gold Standard Award in Fund Management, in recognition of its commitment to fair practice and the principles of Treating Customers Fairly.

The Gold Standard Awards, which have been running for seven years, are designed to recognise and reward a select few within the UK financial services industry who have proven a commitment to their customers.

The Awards are judged by an independent panel of experts and measure the performance of financial services providers in five areas that are key to consumers and professionals when buying financial products and services - capability, service, fair value, trust and financial strength.

The win represents a huge achievement for Santander Asset Management, which formed on 1 January 2007 when it took control of the asset management companies previously owned by Abbey National. It has since performed a successful turnaround across the entire fund range and now offers a wide range of products for the UK high street as well as for a range of institutional clients.

Jeff Scott, Chief Executive of Santander Asset Management UK, said: "Santander Asset Management UK's approach has always been to embed the principles of Treating Customers Fairly within both our corporate culture and our day-to-day business operations and we are delighted that our commitment to customers has been recognised with this highly prestigious award.

"The values of capability, service, fair value and trust that the Gold Standard Awards embody are values which are integral to Santander Asset Management globally and we strive to promote them throughout every part of our business at all times, to enable us to best meet the needs of our customers. And our financial strength as part of Santander, one of the world's biggest banks, has provided our customers with both peace of mind and security during a period of great economic uncertainty.   

"This award is testament also to the successful turnaround of our fund range and restructuring of the business since the formation of Santander Asset Management UK in January 2007. We look forward to building on this success as we continue to grow the business and expand our distribution moving forward."