Mario Pardo appointed new CEO of BBVA in Colombia
BBVA has named Mario Pardo Bayona the new CEO of BBVA in Colombia. He will replace Óscar Cabrera, who is leaving the Group to take on new personal and professional challenges, following a successful career in both Spain and Latin America.
Mario Pardo will take over the position starting in March. He is currently the Global Head of Enterprise Clients in the Client Solutions area. There, he was in charge of global strategy, innovation, product development and channels for companies and institutions. His appointment will be confirmed by competent governing corporate bodies shortly.
“I accept this challenge with great enthusiasm. I am grateful for the Group’s confidence in me. I want to continue Óscar’s [Cabrera] great work over the years in Colombia, and continue furthering the transformation process and BBVA’s growth in the country, with a clear focus on our customers and a profound commitment to sustainable finance,” he said.
Pardo holds a degree in Business Administration from ICADE. He joined the Group in October 2008 in the Corporate & Investment Banking (CIB) area, where he became Global Director of Corporate Finance. During this time, he also took over Strategy and Transformation at CIB, where he led the digitization process for all wholesale banking solutions. Prior to joining BBVA he worked for Goldman Sachs in London and Paris.
Óscar Cabrera Izquierdo has had a remarkable career at the BBVA Group, serving as Director of Strategic Planning in Spain, and CFO at BBVA in Mexico. He held the role of CEO of BBVA Colombia since 2008. “It has been more than 25 years of service at BBVA in which I had the opportunity to face great professional challenges, always accompanied by very talented teams. I begin a new stage in my professional life with the satisfaction of having contributed to the growth of this magnificent Group,” he said.
BBVA has had a presence in Colombia since 1996, following the acquisition of Banco Ganadero. The Group currently owns 95.47 percent of the Colombian subsidiary, which has over 6,800 employees and more than 540 branches. BBVA Colombia posted 6.8 percent growth in lending in 2019, with a net attributable profit of €267 million - a 25.5 percent increase from the previous year.