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Awards Updated: 07 Mar 2017

BBVA Compass’ Rosilyn Houston named among most powerful women in banking

BBVA Compass Talent & Culture Executive Rosilyn Houston debuted Monday on American Banker’s 25 Women to Watch list, part of the magazine’s annual Most Powerful Women In Banking series on the industry’s top female executives.

The Women to Watch list singles out those executives who are making names for themselves as they scale the ranks. Houston's elevation to the bank's Management Committee came after 25 years in the industry, where she started as a teller and eventually became one of the most productive leaders in BBVA Compass Consumer & Commercial Banking. Her track record allows her to speak to everything the bank does with authority and insight.

“I’m beyond humbled by this recognition,” Houston said. “To be among a collection of some of the smartest and most accomplished women, in an industry where I’ve found my purpose, is fulfilling in so many ways. What I do is not a job to me. It’s my life’s passion. We’re helping people do things that matter — build a business, care for aging parents, welcome a new life — and that’s my ‘why.’”

What I do is not a job to me. It’s my life’s passion

Houston has a history of equipping her team with the knowledge and skills needed to deliver strong performances. Under her direction, BBVA Compass’ East Region, which she led from 2011 to 2014, was the top performing region for the bank in several key categories, including operating profit and efficiency ratio. It also boasted the highest customer satisfaction scores for three consecutive years. Likewise, when Houston left her position as Consumer and Commercial Banking executive for North Texas in June 2015, the area was leading all other regions in operating profit.

In announcing her appointment to the top rank in Talent & Culture, BBVA Compass Chairman and CEO Manolo Sánchez said, “Rosilyn personifies our brand: optimistic, engaging, energetic. Her teams are consistently, persistently some of our top performers. She has a gift for bringing out the best in everyone around her, and her trademark enthusiasm makes her a great fit for this role.”

Rosilyn personifies our brand: optimistic, engaging, energetic. Her teams are consistently, persistently some of our top performers

The American Banker honor comes on the heels of the news Friday that Houston is among 29 leaders named to the Women Who Shape the State list by AL.com, the website for Alabama's largest newspaper. Houston is based in Birmingham.

The first African-American on the bank’s Management Committee, Houston has spoken openly about the self-doubt she’s faced as she’s ascended the ranks.

“Many of my biggest challenges were self-created, and that’s the message I want to tell other women today,” she said. "Spend less time worrying about the many ways you think you’re not ready or not qualified, and spend more time doing because what you do makes a difference.”