BBVA Bancomer: A leader in sports and culture
The traditional way of viewing companies as mere places of work, where people go to earn a salary has been superseded for some time now by more evolved organizational outlooks. It is now an obsolete vision. Today, the most admired corporate organizations across the globe take an interest in development, well-being, quality of life, culture and human talent. And many get involved in sports.
BBVA Bancomer is great example of this in Mexico. For the past eight years it has led the Bank Games, a kind of Olympic Games where bank employees have competed for the past 51 years. In 2016, BBVA Bancomer came in first in the medal count with 495 awards – 185 more than its closest competitor. The bank earned first place in track, jai alai, indoor soccer, soccer, swimming, table tennis, the triathlon, as well as in cultural activities like singing and theater.
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1The BBVA Bancomer contingent at the 2016 Bank Games
The BBVA Bancomer delegation won 488 medals, finishing first of 48 participating institutions
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2Flag ceremony
Every year,the BBVA Bancomer management board gives athletes and participants the flag, inviting them to abide by the values that define us: team work, leadership, perseverance and discipline.
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3BBVA Bancomer baseball team
The baseball team is deeply rooted in BBVA Bancomer’s culture of sports, with the most experienced players at the Bank Games and World Corporate Games.
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4Cycling at the World Corporate Games
Just like the Bank Games, BBVA Bancomer also won the World Corporate Games, thanks to the teams’ discipline and perseverance.
BBVA Bancomer’s history of success in sports and culture is both a vision and a reality. Nine years ago, in 2008, the bank’s senior management made the firm decision to do everything necessary to make the bank the leading organization in the Games. It made sure it had first class coaches, optimal sports facilities to practice and gave the athletes and artists the best materials, uniforms and equipment. The strategy paid off.
The institution that had won first place for the previous four years fell to second, and BBVA Bancomer has remained the leader for eight years in a row. The bank believes that doing sports and cultural activities helps to create the best possible work environment, in addition to the psychological and physical health benefits for participating individuals.
A vehicle to promote relevant values
Participating in these activities actually has a direct effect on the quality of life and performance of those involved. Gonzalo Pérez Rodríguez, who formerly worked at the National Commission of Physical Culture and Sports (CONADE) and is currently BBVA Bancomer’s Deputy Director of Cultural Activities and Sports notes that these activities are also the best vehicle to share and promote relevant values and attitudes like discipline, security, team work, and working under pressure.
The benefits of participating in these activities also tend to impact employees’ family members by way of example. Not to mention the positive impact regular exercise has on health, even more relevant in a country with high diabetes and obesity rates among adults and children. It is important to underscore the dedication, discipline and enthusiasm with which BBVA Bancomer employees embrace the bank’s sports activities, as well as the corporate decision to be leaders.
Last year, the institution participated in the World Corporate Games for the first time – the most important multi-sport event for companies in the world – to test the waters. It won the title, earning first place in bowling, swimming and the triathlon. But that’s not all. Many BBVA Bancomer athletes have taken on the challenge of participating in international championships with the bank’s support, going to Canada, the U.S., El Salvador and France to compete.