Francisco González Rodríguez

Francisco González purchased one million shares of the bank after his departure as the Group's executive chairman.

Francisco González is a self-made man obsessed with two things: technology and ethics/values. His greatest passion is playing golf. He likes to speak frankly, with “frankly” being one of the words he uses most commonly because he “greatly appreciates the courage of those who speak their mind.” He’s proud of the independence that has defined his managerial style – “you can either keep your distance, or you can steer your company into a series of commitments that have nothing to do with the interests of the shareholders,  the customers, the employees or the company at large", he has said on occasion.

It is difficult to summarize everything that has happened at BBVA since 1996 when Francisco González took the reigns as chairman of Argentaria, which would be come BBVA almost four years later, after the merger with BBV. For more than 20 years the Group has stood out thanks to the chairman’s unique approach, an unwavering commitment to values and responsible banking, and the giant leap he initiated to transform the Group into a leading 21st century bank. Ultimately, his tenure as chairman has been marked by values, people, and innovation.

BBVA's international expansion began in the mid 1990s. Today, with operations in more than 30 countries, the bank’s geographic diversification represents one of the great accomplishments of Francisco González's twenty-year tenure as executive chairman, and is a key factor in the Group's repeated positive results.

Francisco González was greeted warmly by the auditorium at Ciudad BBVA in Madrid where he was bid farewell with applause and a standing ovation. The bank’s executive chairman was interviewed by his successor, Carlos Torres Vila, in a memorable conversation that the Group employees could follow from more than 30 countries. After 22 years at the helm of the bank that has become BBVA, Francisco González declared that "with much effort," the legacy he leaves behind is "a bank in solid financial shape, an extraordinary project, and an absolutely exceptional team."

BBVA’s Group Executive Chairman met with the Board of Trustees of the BBVA Microfinance Foundation (BBVAMF) following the appointment of Anna Escobedo Cabral, expert in development and a leading voice in the defense of the most disadvantaged regions, as the Board’s new Chair. Francisco González praised Claudio González Vega’s work, who will step down as chair of the institution but will continue to contribute his broad experience in microfinance as member of the Board.

BBVA’s Group Executive Chairman took part in a seminar organized by Spanish newspaper ABC on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Spanish Constitution. In this four decades “Spain has become a consolidated democracy and from an economic standpoint, it has made great strides,” said Francisco González. “What has taken place in Spain over the last 40 years has been amazing”

BBVA Group Executive Chairman received the 'Lion Award' for the best corporate management, presented by online newspaper El Español. The award recognizes Francisco González’s impressive career and his role as “a great innovator in banking.”

This week, Spanish newspaper El Español will honor Francisco González’s professional career with a Los Leones award. On the occasion of the award, the current BBVA Group Executive Chairman sat down for an interview with the online newspaper to discuss the present and future challenges facing the banking industry at large, and his bank in particular, including his retirement from office, scheduled to take place on December 31, 2018. At BBVA “we’re creating a new bank,” he says. Now the institution customers are more satisfied, more likely to recommend the bank and more loyal.

BBVA Group Executive Chairman Francisco González said to participants in the BBVA Open Summit in Madrid that “data will define the future of the world.” Addressing an audience of hundreds of entrepreneurs, BBVA chairman added that for BBVA, data belongs to the customer.

BBVA executive chairman Francisco González attended this year’s meeting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank in Bali (Indonesia). He commented that resulting from today’s digital revolution, “ultimately there will be more wealth and prosperity for the whole world, and I hope less inequality; less difference between the have and have-nots." Francisco González’s remarks come from what will be one of his last international meetings ahead of handing over the baton to Carlos Torres Vila, after December 31.

BBVA’s executive chairman, Francisco González, believes that the success of a company's transformation is directly related to employee talent. "To have excellent people is a must" he said at the South Summit, an event held in Madrid this Wednesday. "If you don’t have the best people, it’s impossible to advance."

After announcing that he will be stepping down as BBVA Group Executive Chairman, which is set to take place at the end of December, Francisco González granted an interview to Spanish newspaper El Mundo. During the interview he went over his almost 18 year tenure at the helm of the bank, but mostly spoke about the future. Francisco González leaves a bank set for “huge success” in the new digital scenario, managed according to clear principles, by the best possible leader, Carlos Torres Vila.

On December 31, 2018, Francisco González will step down as BBVA Group Executive Chairman, after 18 years at the helm of the bank and almost four more as Chairman of Argentaria. Following the Board’s announcement regarding the approval of the chairman’s succession plan, we sit down with him for an hour to talk about the meaning of his decision.

The Board of Directors of BBVA approved the succession plan for the company’s chairman. The plan establishes that CEO Carlos Torres Vila is to replace Francisco González as group executive chairman when he leaves his post, which is expected to take place on Dec. 31st, 2018. The succession ensures the continuity of the transformation process which has placed BBVA at the forefront of the global financial industry.

Francisco González, the executive chairman of the BBVA Group, is a member of the International Advisory Panel of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and is a frequent visitor to the country. This weekend, he took part in the Singapore Summit, an event aimed at “connecting Asia with the rest of the world.” While there, Francisco González granted an interview to the Spanish daily ABC, in which he speaks about the “extraordinary moment” the bank is going through, having chosen to embark on a digital endeavor, the results of which have been striking. These results include an increase in digital sales, which accounted for 42 percent of total sales in July. “The first fruits of digitization have been really superb,” he says.

Francisco González weighs in on the challenges of the financial sector to compete with big tech firms in an article published on the ‘Singapore Summit’ website. BBVA Group Executive Chairman participated this weekend in the event - which analyzes Asia’s role as the driver of world growth – and in the annual meeting of the International Advisory Panel (IAP) of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).

BBVA's executive chairman Francisco González took part in a presentation in Madrid of Dr. Peter Weill's new book, ‘What's Your Digital Business Model?’ Professor Weill is chair and senior research scientist for the Center for Information Systems Research (CISR) at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

BBVA’s Board of Directors held this wednesday its monthly meeting in Barcelona. The previous day was taken up by a series of working meetings on the bank’s digital transformation. The Board also went over developments in its franchise in Catalonia and agreed to modify the composition of its committees.

BBVA Group Executive Chairman Francisco González thinks it is necessary to establish “a new global regulation," one that could benefit society as a whole with all the opportunities the digital era has to offer.  “We are living an unprecedented revolution, that could bring a never-before-seen level of well-being if we manage to make progress in a new legal architecture," he pointed out during a meeting at the Institute of International Finance (IIF) in Brussels.

BBVA’s Group Executive Chairman is convinced that, to tackle the enormous environmental, social and technological challenges that climate change poses, the social role of banks needs to completely change. “We need to reimagine the role of banking,” said Francisco González a few days ago, during the BBVA Sustainable Finance Forum event.

Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto has honored Francisco González with the Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle in recognition of his professional career. At the awards ceremony, BBVA Group Executive Chairman extended his gratitude and expressed confidence in the future of the country. “Mexico is destined to play a leading role in the community of nations. It has everything: resources, keen, hard-working people and its geographical location.”

BBVA Chairman Francisco González presented ‘The Age of Perplexity. Rethinking the World We Knew,’ the tenth book in the annual collection published by BBVA through its OpenMind project. In this publication, 23 internationally renowned and well-respected intellectuals address the big economic, political, and social questions raised by the technological revolution.

BBVA Group Executive Chairman Francisco González has been distinguished with the Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle, in the grade of Plaque. The Aztec Eagle is the highest distinction awarded by the Mexican government at international level. The award stands as a testament to  Francisco González’s outstanding career, "which has allowed to benefit Mexican society through projects in healthcare and education, stimulating young entrepreneurs in Mexico."

Representatives of the Government of Singapore, a beacon of innovation in Asia, and BBVA met at the institution’s headquarters in Madrid to share digital experiences and strengthen cooperation. The Government of Singapore inquired about BBVA’s digital strategy and set out its views on fintech and cybersecurity regulations.

BBVA Group Executive Chairman handed over the Francisco Giner de los Ríos Awards for Improvement in Educational Quality which acknowledge the effort on the part of teachers to spark their students’ curiosity and creativity while keeping in mind that the effort to learn and the pleasure of discovery always go hand-in-hand.