Cristián Florence Kauer is a lawyer with a professional career spanning more than three decades in the legal, financial, and corporate fields, primarily within the Chilean banking sector. Born in 1965, he obtained his Law Degree (Licenciado en Ciencias Jurídicas y Sociales) from Universidad Gabriela Mistral, where he also completed a master’s in economics and management for Lawyers (LL.M.), strengthening his comprehensive perspective in both legal and financial matters.

His professional career began in 1989 at the National Labor Directorate and the law firm José Luis López y Cía. Ltda., where he provided legal counsel in civil, commercial, and litigation matters. From 1991 to 1997, he served as in-house counsel at Banco O’Higgins, where he was responsible for the legal structuring of major road and airport infrastructure projects.

In 1997, he joined Banco Santiago as Head of the Corporate Legal Department, a role he held until 2002. During this period, he advised on the first banking securitisation of transferable mortgage loans in Chile (1998) and played a key role in corporate restructurings, in addition to chairing bondholder meetings in complex capital market transactions.

His incorporation into Banco Santander in 2002 marked the beginning of a stage of consolidation. Initially, he advised the Treasury and its subsidiaries and later served as Head of Markets Legal (2004–2012). In this role, he spearheaded the development of legal frameworks for financial derivatives, supported the implementation of high-value payment systems, and participated in groundbreaking securitisation issuances in Chile. He also led multiple merger and reorganisation processes of Santander subsidiaries.

Since 2012, he has served as General Counsel (Corporate Legal Director) of Grupo Santander in Chile, overseeing legal advisory services, physical security, and corporate governance. Among his most significant achievements are the legal implementation of Santander’s innovative Work Café model and the creation of the proprietary acquiring network Getnet, both milestones that transformed the country’s financial services ecosystem.

Alongside his professional practice, he has had a distinguished academic career at Universidad Gabriela Mistral, where he was a full professor of Civil Law for more than 25 years and lectured in postgraduate programs. He has also pursued executive education at renowned institutions, including Georgetown University and Universidad de Los Andes.

In the corporate sphere, he has served on the boards of companies linked to Grupo Santander and Zurich Santander, in addition to holding a directorship at Administrador Financiero de Transantiago S.A.