Onur Genç, recognized by Forbes Spain and Turkey's Capital Magazine
Capital Magazine ranked BBVA’s CEO at the top of its list of the 50 most influential Turkish executives working abroad. And Forbes Spain ranked Onur Genç the third best Spanish CEO of the decade for Spanish Ibex-listed companies.
Onur Genç was recognized on two separate occasions – almost simultaneously – for his work as BBVA’s CEO -- a position he began at the end of December 2018, replacing Carlos Torres Vila, the current Group executive chairman.
The Turkish publication Capital Magazine notes that Onur Genç stands out among other executives in the international financial sector for his solid career, particularly over the past two years. BBVA Group’s current CEO joined the bank in 2012 as executive vice president of Retail Banking at Garanti BBVA. In 2015 he was named deputy CEO of the Turkish bank, and also assumed responsibilities in the wholesale banking area. In January 2017, he was appointed CEO of BBVA USA and Country Manager of BBVA’s operations in the U.S. He took over as CEO of the BBVA Group on December 31, 2018.
In addition to reporting on Onur Genç’s career, Capital Magazine also included his advice for young Turkish professionals interested in starting an international career: things like having an open mind, language skills and experience in other countries. For BBVA’s CEO, a scholarship or a long-term project abroad is an experience that provides a very valuable competitive advantage, as it allows you to live and work in different environments and experience other cultures, the publication notes.
Also in Spain
Meanwhile, Forbes Spain magazine recently ranked BBVA’s CEO third in its list of Spain’s 50 best CEOs of the decade for listed companies. Onur Genç managed to make this list a mere thirteen months after being appointed to the BBVA Group’s number two position.
According to Forbes Spain, this year’s ranking is based on four factors. First, the company they lead must have higher-than average profitability for shareholders. At its 2019 earnings presentation, BBVA announced near double-digit profitability metrics (not including the goodwill adjustment in the U.S.), with an ROE of 9.9 percent (compared to an average of 5.9 percent for comparable European peers as of September 2019), and an ROTE of 11.9 percent (vs. a 7.0 percent average for European peers, as of Sept. 2019).
The other factors used to build the ranking include voting by a jury-- with representatives from business schools, asset managers, consulting firms and HR experts -- as well as values defined by Forbes, such as innovation and leadership.