Another executive who spent time in a leadership position at J.P. Morgan Chase now is holding an even higher post at Santander Consumer USA Holdings.

Not long after the finance company elevated Jason Kulus to be SCUSA’s chief executive officer, Santander appointed Blythe Masters as non-executive chairman of the board of directors.

Masters, who now is CEO of Digital Asset Holdings, succeeds Stephen Ferriss, who served as interim chairman since July 3 and remains on the Board.

Prior to leading Digital Asset Holdings, Masters held senior executive roles at J.P. Morgan Chase. She served as the head of its global commodities business from 2007 to 2014, as the head of corporate and investment bank regulatory affairs from 2012 to 2014, and as chief financial officer of J.P. Morgan's investment bank from 2004 to 2007.

Timothy Ryan, chairman of the board of directors of Santander Holdings USA, SCUSA's parent company, said, “Ms. Masters’ global financial experience and leadership in U.S. banking aligns well with our broad development strategy and objectives for Santander's business in the U.S.”

SCUSA also highlighted Masters also has broad experience leading industry associations and non-profit boards. Masters is the former chair of both the Global Financial Markets Association (GFMA) and the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association, and she currently serves on the boards of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and the Global Fund for Women.

“I am honored to join the SCUSA Board and am pleased to serve as chairman,” Masters said. “SCUSA has an impressive history of growth and entrepreneurship that will serve it well as it builds foundations for the future.

“I look forward to partnering with my new colleagues and shareholders, and working alongside SCUSA CEO Jason Kulas and his team, as we continue to focus on increasing shareholder value,” she went on to say.

Like Masters, Kulas spent significant time within J.P. Morgan Chase’s organization before becoming associated with SCUSA. Kulas joined SCUSA after serving as managing director in investment banking for JPMorgan Securities where he was employed from 1995 to 2007.

“Blythe Masters' deep understanding of the financial markets and emerging bank technologies, coupled with her regulatory expertise, make her the right choice to lead the SCUSA board,” said Kulas, who became CEO earlier this month.

“She has a long track record as an innovator, which fits SCUSA's entrepreneurial culture and our focus on using data and scalable technology to originate and service attractive consumer assets,” he added.

Joining Masters on the SCUSA board are these new directors, including:

— Jose Garcia Cantera
— Victor Hill
— Monica Lopez-Monis Gallego
— Javier Maldonado
— Robert McCarthy
— William Rainer

The additions bring the total number of SCUSA board members from 12 to 13, six of whom are independent directors. The independent directors include Ferriss, Masters and McCarthy, along with William Rainer, Wolfgang Schoellkopf and Heidi Ueberroth.

“I wish to thank Gonzalo de Las Heras, Roman Blanco, Alberto Sanchez, Javier San Felix, Tagar Olson, Matthew Kabaker, John Corston and William Hendry for their dedication and service to SCUSA,” Ferriss said.

“Their contributions were invaluable for the business as it transitioned from a privately held entity through its first year as a publicly traded company,” Ferriss went on to say.