Santander UK has announced a partnership with Silverstone, one of the most famous and iconic motorsport venues in the world, to become its Official Sustainability Partner, underlining the bank’s commitment to accelerating the green transition through supporting customers, businesses and partners.
Since its first race in 1948 Silverstone has become one of the world’s most famous motorsport venues and as well as being the home of the Formula One British Grand Prix holds a race meeting nearly every weekend of the year from February to November.
The partnership deal was effectively brokered by London-based sports marketing and partnerships agency, Sidhu & Simon. With a focus on creating powerful and meaningful partnerships, the agency is recognised for spearheading innovative activations within the sports sponsorship sector, specialising in Formula 1.
Under the new partnership, which will help develop the circuit into a smart, sustainable venue, Santander will provide Silverstone with a wide range of mobility solutions, starting with the transition to a fleet of zero or low emission vehicles supplied through Santander Consumer Finance. The new fleet will be used for on-site mobility, event operations and on-track safety and rescue requirements.
As well as being instrumental in brokering the partnership deal, Sidhu & Simon will spearhead the partnership’s activation and delivery strategy on behalf of long-standing client Santander UK, which offers a wide range of personal and commercial financial products and services.
At December 31, 2022, the bank had around 19,000 employees and serves around 14 million active customers, via a nationwide branch network, telephone, mobile and online banking.
As part of its sustainability commitment, the bank will also expand its Santander Cycles scheme to Silverstone, responding to the growing demand for alternative modes of transport. In trials taking place later this year with Santander Cycles partner Tier, the new e-bikes will be available to Silverstone employees promoting a greener mode of transport around the circuit. In the longer term, it is planned to make e-bikes available for guests and visitors.
Nav Sidhu, Co-Founder and Managing Director at Sidhu & Simon said:
“We’re very proud to facilitate this partnership between Santander and Silverstone. It underscores our agency’s commitment to driving transformative and positive change for our clients, particularly in sustainability. As we take on the activation of the new partnership, we are excited about orchestrating a strategic roadmap that will help bring Santander’s sustainability solutions to life within Silverstone’s operations.”
Dan Sherwood, Marketing Director at Santander UK said:
“Santander UK shares a proud and successful history with Silverstone dating back to the title sponsorship of the F1 British Grand Prix in 2007. We have a range of initiatives to support them to become more sustainable and we are excited to start rolling these out over the coming months with the great team at Sidhu & Simon working closely alongside us.”
Find out more about Sidhu & Simon at www.sidhuandsimon.com