Santander Bank has appointed Michael Richard senior vice president and head of seafood industry banking. In this role, Richard will oversee the bank's seafood focus within the asset based lending division.  His responsibilities include execution of the bank's market expansion strategy for the seafood industry across the United States and Canada.

"Given his extensive financial background in the seafood industry, we're very pleased that Michael chose to join us," Paul Kelly, managing director of Santander's asset based lending division, said in a statement. "He brings years of hands-on experience in the seafood industry which gives him a deep understanding of how Santander's services can help companies grow their business - whether it's farming and harvesting, processing and packaging, or distribution and retail."

Santander plans to expand its regional seafood focus nationally and will draw on its global resources to do so, the bank said in a statement. The bank is sponsoring a kick-off event hosted by Richard during Seafood Expo 2014, the largest seafood trade show in the world, which takes place March 16-18 in Boston. During the trade show, Santander will host delegations from the embassies of Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Chile, Mexico and Costa Rica, bringing together representatives of more than 80 companies from those countries together with US companies interested in expanding their foreign trade in Latin America.

Prior to joining Santander, Richard served as chief financial officer and chief operations officer of Boston-based Slade Gorton & Co. where he was responsible for oversight of the firm's finance, operations, procurement, logistics and quality assurance efforts.  He has also worked at Glitnir Bank as head of business development in North America, The Hale Group as a management consultant to food and agribusiness clients and as a commodities market-maker at Free Markets.

A member of the Treasurer's Club of Boston, Richard is also active in the National Fisheries Institute, the primary trade organization for the seafood industry. He has a bachelor of science in agriculture from the University of Iowa and is a graduate of Harvard University's administration and management program.