Onur Genç this week visited three of BBVA’s units in South America, in his capacity as BBVA Group CEO. His first stop was Bogotá, where he held a series of meetings with the teams of  BBVA in Colombia, which is led by Country Manager, Óscar Cabrera. The CEO stressed the franchise’s continued market share growth, with a 2 percent increase in seven years, to 10.25 percent. “A bank is only as good as its people. Congratulations on your achievements,” he said.

BBVA CEO Onur Genç continues his tour across the Group’s operating countries. After his visit to Spain and Mexico, last week he found himself in Turkey. During his visit to Garanti Bank, Genç was able to witness  firsthand the digital transformation progress that has been made by one of the bank’s leading digitization franchises, led by Fuat Erbil.

Carlos Torres Vila presented BBVA’s 2018 earnings in his first press conference as chairman of the bank. He stressed that the “positive results” were sustained by recurring revenues, cost containment efforts and the strength of the Group’s diversified business model. During the presentation, he also addressed the news published in some media outlets regarding services provided by Grupo Cenyt. The chairman made appeals not to “prejudge” the alleged news and to let the BBVA investigation “do its job”, which will be conducted with “rigor, diligence, and thoroughness” in order to shed light on the facts. In addition, he made assurances that “BBVA has been, is, and will continue to be an honest bank”

BBVA CEO Onur Genç, is still embarked on his tour across the different geographies in which the BBVA Group operates. After Spain, his next stop was Mexico, where he met with the BBVA Bancomer team, led by Eduardo Osuna.

Over the course of the work sessions, Onur Genç had the opportunity to learn first-hand about the business plans of BBVA’s Mexican franchise and discussed the countless milestones achieved by the bank in its transformation journey, with an ever increasing portfolio of digital products and services for private customers, corporates and public administrations. “What you have achieved as a team in Mexico is simply marvelous. In all metrics, BBVA Bancomer’s has done a wonderful job. You’re leading the way towards transformation,” he said.

Spain was the first stop in the tour BBVA’s new CEO is taking across the different markets where the Group operates.

Onur Genç met with those in charge of BBVA Spain, as well as the different multidisciplinary teams working on the development of next-generation digital products and services. “I was able to see first hand the commitment and dedication of the entire BBVA team in Spain. They are pioneers in many of the projects the Group launches,” he said.

Onur Genç represents BBVA’s global nature almost better than anyone else: a Turkish national working for a Spanish bank with global operations and aspirations. Having lived in 5 different countries, and having worked for BBVA in Turkey and the United States, Spain will become his new home next year, when he’s set to take over as BBVA Group’s CEO.

Carlos Torres Vila, CEO and future executive chairman of BBVA, and Onur Genç, who will take over as CEO and is currently head of BBVA in the U.S., will do “extraordinary things” together with the rest of the BBVA team, said Francisco González, chairman of the Group, speaking at an IESE event in New York.

Onur Genç has just been named the next CEO of the BBVA Group. He is excited, beyond happy and somewhat surprised. As the announcement is made public we meet him for a quick chat.

The Board of Directors of BBVA approved the succession plan for the company’s chief executive officer (CEO). Onur Genç, who is currently the CEO of BBVA Compass and U.S. country manager for BBVA, will replace Carlos Torres Vila as Group CEO. The succession is expected to take place on Dec. 31, 2018.

Onur Genç was named CEO of BBVA Compass and U.S. country manager for BBVA Group in January 2017. He also is responsible for BBVA operations in New York and the BBVA Bancomer Houston Agency.

BBVA Compass President and CEO Onur Genç has been on the job for just six months, but already, he sees a wealth of opportunity for BBVA in the U.S.

Although BBVA opened its first U.S. branch in New York City in 1988, it wasn’t until 2004, with the acquisition of a small Southern California bank, Valley Bank, that it rolled out its first retail banking operations in the U.S. Over the next two years, the acquisition of three more banks – Laredo National Bank, Texas State Bank and State National Bank – allowed BBVA to become a leading bank in Texas. By then, it was clear that BBVA was targeting the U.S. market as a pivotal element in its strategy to become a relevant global player. A reality that crystalized 10 years ago, with BBVA’s acquisition of Compass Bank in 2007.

Onur Genç’s appointment as BBVA Compass CEO and country manager marks the beginning of a new chapter for the BBVA Group’s franchise in the U.S. Genç is ready to take on the challenge of leading the digitization push, at a time when the prospects of rising interest rates could have a profound impact on the future of the industry. BBVA CEO Carlos Torres Vila, in Houston visiting the team at BBVA Compass, joined Genç for this interview. BBVA’s CEO underscored the bank’s commitment to the U.S. market, a region that accounted for 11 percent of the Group’s net attributable profit in 2016.

BBVA Compass today named Garanti Bank’s Onur Genç as its next CEO and announced that Manolo Sánchez will become its non-executive chairman, strengthening the management structure of the BBVA Group’s U.S. franchise.