David McClelland is Head of the Santander US Auto business, where he is responsible for leading the company’s auto growth strategy and enhancing dealer and customer experience. In addition to leading the US Auto business, he also is responsible for Santander’s auto operations in Canada and Mexico and managing all global Auto (OEM) partnerships.

David joined Santander in 2025 to lead Global Auto Partnerships. Prior to joining Santander, he was vice president, Strategy and Partnerships at Ford Motor Company. In that role, he led Corporate Strategy and Corporate Development and served as chairman of the Ford Motor Credit Company board of directors.

Previously, he was CEO of Ford Motor Credit Company, Ford’s global provider of financial products and services for dealers and customers. He also served as Ford Credit executive vice president of Marketing and Asia Pacific, overseeing global marketing and Ford Credit’s business in China and India, as well as supporting Ford sales across the Asia Pacific region.

David joined Ford Credit in 1993 and served in various marketing, branch, and sales and service operations roles in Britain. He also held global leadership positions including managing director of Ford Credit Italy, sales director of Ford Credit Britain, and managing director of Ford Credit South Africa.

David holds a bachelor’s degree in physiology from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne and a master’s degree in business management from Henley Management College, both in the United Kingdom.