BBVA USA’s Rosilyn Houston once again named one of the Most Powerful Women in Banking by American Banker

Previously included from 2016 - 2018 as one of its Women to Watch, Houston was advanced in 2019 to its Most Powerful Women in Banking list in spot no. 20 of 25. In 2020, the outlet took a temporary break from its ranking, instead grouping the women by role.

In recognizing her, American Banker pointed out Houston’s efforts around employee health, specifically those around breast cancer awareness.

After learning that cancer was one of the leading medical issues for employees and their family members and that breast cancer was the top cancer diagnosis for the bank, Houston challenged herself and her team to create educational opportunities for women in the bank and in the community. During breast cancer awareness month, for every mammogram screening completed by an employee, the bank sponsored a screening for uninsured women in low income communities in the Birmingham and Houston markets. The effort resulted in a 25 percent increase in screenings for the eligible employee population in Birmingham and Houston. This effort is extended to women in Dallas and Phoenix communities in 2020.

Before the pandemic came to US shores, Houston focused her 2019 efforts on programs that empowered employees and boosted employee satisfaction, as well as connected BBVA’s core values into all of the bank’s program offerings. As a result, the bank’s engagement index, a ratio that measures the percentage of employees engaged and committed to the bank versus those that are disengaged, both rose and exceeded the recommended target ratio for the first time.

Houston: " I continue to be honored to serve our employee population and enact meaningful change for them in my role."

“Coming out of 2019, I’d wager a guess that none of us expected that we’d have to face down a global pandemic and social unrest in 2020,” Houston said. “We had a banner year as a team in 2019, but I knew I could do the most good for our diverse workforce by understanding and responding to the issues in 2020. It has been the largest and most multifaceted challenge of my career, but I continue to be honored to serve our employee population and enact meaningful change for them in my role.”

Houston said her role as the head of the bank’s Talent & Culture team has never been more important - or fulfilling - than in 2020. Houston has served as Chair of the bank’s Pandemic Response Team.

“The nomination process for American Banker’s Most Powerful Women in Banking is rigorous and challenging, which makes being selected for the list a distinct honor,” Houston said. “At the same time, it’s powerful to look back over the course of a year and see the progress we’ve made on our One Team commitment. I’m honored that in a field of talented women, American Banker sees the efforts of me and my team as worthy of inclusion in this elite list.”

For more on American Banker’s Most Powerful Women in Banking feature, click here.

For Houston’s American Banker Profile article, click here.

For Houston’s executive biography, click here.