Santander Nabs RBS Loans Expert

Marcia Vorona, who until November was in charge of LatAm loan syndications at RBS-ABN AMRO, has resurfaced at Santander. The Brazilian banker has been named executive director in the Spanish bank’s LatAm structured finance group, and will report to Marcelo Castro, head of that group. She will be responsible for origination and structuring, but may also be involved in distribution and syndication. William Donovan, executive director in charge of LatAm syndications remains at his post, and the two are expected to work closely on deals going forward. In moving to Santander, Vorona rejoins several Brazil-based colleagues from her ABN AMRO days, since Santander acquired Banco Real in Brazil. As such, the move is a natural fit for Vorona, who started her banking career at Real in Rio. Santander appears poised for continued strength in LatAm loans, as it navigates the financial crisis with a relatively healthy and sizable balance sheet. A growing DCM platform has helped it parlay balance sheet plays into bond mandates for Petrobras and Pemex this year.