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Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A.

Global Banking and Financial ServicesFounded 1857
Reviewed by Swet Parvadiya
Company data updated: October 2026

Leadership History

BBVA: CEO History

6 leaders · 1999 to present

Who is the CEO of BBVA?

Onur Genç is the CEO of BBVA, in the role since 2018. The first chief executive was Pedro Luis Uriarte, from 1999.

Current CEO
Onur Genç (since 2018)
First CEO
Pedro Luis Uriarte (1999)
Leaders documented
6
Founded
1857
NameRoleFromToYears in role
Onur GencChief Executive Officer2018Present8
Carlos Torres VilaChief Executive Officer201520183
Angel CanoChief Executive Officer200920156
Jose Ignacio GoirigolzarriChief Executive Officer200120098
Francisco GonzalezExecutive Chairman2000201818
Pedro Luis UriarteChief Executive Officer199920012
Who was CEO of BBVA before Onur Genc?
Carlos Torres Vila was CEO of BBVA from 2015 to 2018, before Onur Genc took over in 2018.

Company Overview

BBVA is a Spanish banking group that earns more abroad than at home. It is Spain's second-largest bank, but Mexico produced ~$5.95B (EUR5.264B) of its ~$11.9B (EUR10.511B) net attributable profit in 2025, with Turkey, Colombia, Peru, Argentina, Uruguay and a corporate and investment banking arm making up the rest. The group employed 127,174 people at the end of 2025 and served 81.2 million active customers. The company is headquartered in Bilbao, Spain.

Onur Genc

Chief Executive Officer

2018 – Present

8 years (current)

Legacy

Took over as CEO on December 31, 2018, the day Carlos Torres Vila became executive chairman. Genc joined Garanti in 2012, became its deputy CEO in 2015 and ran BBVA's US business from January 2017; before banking he spent 13 years at McKinsey and rose to senior partner. Under him BBVA transferred BBVA USA to PNC in 2021, reported record net attributable profit of ~$11.9B (EUR10.511B) in 2025 with ROTE of 19.3 percent and an efficiency ratio of 38.8 percent, and pursued Banco Sabadell from May 2024 until the all-share offer lapsed in October 2025 with 25.47 percent of voting rights tendered.

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Carlos Torres Vila

Chief Executive Officer

2015 – 2018

3 years

Legacy

Chief executive from May 2015 until December 31, 2018, when he became executive chairman and Onur Genc took over as CEO. He had joined BBVA in 2008 to run strategy and corporate development and led digital banking from 2014. As chairman he was the architect of the offer for Banco Sabadell that lapsed in October 2025.

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Angel Cano

Chief Executive Officer

2009 – 2015

6 years

Legacy

Appointed chief executive in September 2009, replacing Jose Ignacio Goirigolzarri. He led the bank through Spain's property crisis and the restructuring of the savings banks, including the 2012 absorption of Unnim Banc and the 2014 bid for Catalunya Banc, and the November 2010 agreement to buy 24.9 percent of Garanti in Turkey. The board replaced him in May 2015.

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Jose Ignacio Goirigolzarri

Chief Executive Officer

2001 – 2009

8 years

Legacy

Chief executive of BBVA from 2001 to 2009, the period that covered the USD4.1 billion buyout of the rest of BBVA Bancomer in 2004 and the USD9.6 billion purchase of Compass Bancshares in 2007. He later chaired Bankia and CaixaBank.

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Francisco Gonzalez

Executive Chairman

2000 – 2018

18 years

Legacy

Chaired Argentaria before its 1999 merger with BBV and then BBVA until December 2018, 22 years at the head of the group in total. He drove the bank's technology rebuild and the 2007 purchase of Compass Bancshares in the United States. In July 2026 Spain's National Court ordered him and the bank to stand trial in the Villarejo case.

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Pedro Luis Uriarte

Chief Executive Officer

1999 – 2001

2 years

Legacy

Chief executive and vice chairman of BBV from September 1994 and of the merged BBVA until he retired at the end of 2001. He ran the integration of BBV and Argentaria and the first wave of Latin American purchases, including the 2000 move that gave BBVA control of Bancomer in Mexico.

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Challenges & Strategic Context

BBVA must manage credit quality, regulatory capital, currency translation, Mexico concentration, Turkish volatility, digital-bank competition, and political scrutiny around Spanish banking consolidation.

BBVA CEO and Leadership FAQ

Who is Onur Genç and when did he become CEO of BBVA?

Onur Genc is a Turkish executive who became chief executive of BBVA on December 31, 2018, the date Carlos Torres Vila moved up to executive chairman. Genc had run BBVA Compass in the United States from January 2017 and was deputy CEO of Garanti in Turkey before that, after 13 years at McKinsey where he rose to senior partner.

What has been Onur Genç's primary strategic focus as BBVA CEO?

Genc oversaw the USD11.6 billion transfer of BBVA USA to PNC agreed in 2020 and closed in 2021, lifted group return on tangible equity to 19.3 percent by 2025 with a 38.8 percent efficiency ratio and record profit of ~$11.9 billion (EUR10.511 billion), expanded branch-free banks in Italy and Germany, and ran the offer for Banco Sabadell that lapsed in October 2025.

Who is Carlos Torres Vila and what is his role at BBVA?

Carlos Torres Vila is the Group Executive Chairman of BBVA, having served as CEO from 2015 to 2018 before succeeding Francisco González as Chairman in January 2019. Torres Vila originally joined BBVA in 2008 as head of strategy and corporate development, driving the bank's digital-first transformation.

Who was Francisco González and what was his legacy at BBVA?

Francisco González served as Chairman of BBVA from 2000 to 2018, having previously led Argentaria. González is credited with transforming BBVA from a traditional Spanish regional lender into an international digital banking leader, famously declaring that BBVA was a software company with a banking license.

Who were the leaders who managed the 1999 merger between BBV and Argentaria?

The 1999 merger creating modern BBVA was co-chaired by Emilio Ybarra (former Chairman of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya) and Francisco González (Chairman of Argentaria), uniting the Basque industrial banking legacy with Spain's privatized state banking network.

Who was Pedro Toledo and what was his historical contribution to the bank?

Pedro Toledo was the visionary Chairman of Banco de Vizcaya who co-led the historic 1988 merger with Banco de Bilbao to create BBV alongside José Ángel Sánchez Asiaín, laying the initial foundation for modern Spanish financial consolidation.

How has BBVA's executive governance evolved under Carlos Torres and Onur Genç?

BBVA splits the top job: executive chairman Carlos Torres Vila handles strategy, capital allocation and the board, while CEO Onur Genc runs day-to-day banking, the country units and technology. The structure has been in place since December 31, 2018, when Torres Vila succeeded Francisco Gonzalez as chairman.

What legal case does BBVA's former leadership face?

On July 9, 2026 Spain's National Court ordered BBVA, former chairman Francisco Gonzalez and 14 other defendants to stand trial over work commissioned from former police commissioner Jose Manuel Villarejo between 2004 and 2016, with charges that include bribery and disclosure of secrets. The case is pending and no judgment has been issued.

Who is the CEO of BBVA?

Onur Genç serves as the CEO, working closely alongside Chairman Carlos Torres Vila to aggressively drive the bank's digital expansion and Turkish market strategy.

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Content is for informational purposes only. Not financial advice. Data sourced from SEC filings, annual reports, and public records. See our full disclaimer and methodology.