Spanish banker Abbey’s new boss

Abbey National yesterday welcomed the appointment of a Spanish banker at its helm as Santander Central Hispano (SCH) outlined its plans for the banking giant.

Spain’s largest bank said its finance director Francisco Gomez-Roldan would take over from Luqman Arnold as Abbey’s chief executive next month.

It also confirmed Lord Burns would remain chairman, working with Mr Gomez-Roldan to lead Abbey into a new era of Spanish control.