A fourth generation banker, Emilio Botin turned a small family-owned bank in northern Spain into one of the largest banks not just in the world! And he did this with little more than a strong vision and hard work.
Early Life
Emilio Botín-Sanz de Sautuola García de los Ríos was born on October 1 1934. His father was Emilio Botín Sanz de Sautuola López, a third generation banker who later became the President of Banco Santander (1950-1986), whilst his mother was Ana María García de los Ríos y Caller.
Interestingly, Emilio’s great-grandfather Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola and grandmother María Justina Sanz de Sautuola were a part of the trio (alongside Modesto Cubillas) that discovered the Altamira Cave in 1868.
Growing up, the Botin family were quite wealthy thanks to
