BBVA surpassed 35 percent women in leadership roles
The bank has reached 35.4 percent women in managerial positions, exceeding the target of 35 percent by 2024. Initiatives such as the global program ‘Yo soy talento feminino’ (I am female talent), is helping to boost the development of women with greater potential.
In 2022, BBVA set the target of reaching 35 percent women in management roles by 2024. A concrete and measurable objective accompanied by a series of initiatives that have helped to end the year by surpassing the foreseen figure. The number of female managers in the entire Group stood at 35.4 percent at the end of 2024. In the past year, 266 women were promoted to leadership positions worldwide.
“To have the best teams, diversity is critical. Therefore, in 2022 we set an ambitious target to promote gender equality. Thanks to the commitment of the entire organization, we have managed to surpass this target,” said Paul Tobin, Global Head of Talent and Culture at BBVA.
The program, ‘Yo soy talento femenino’ has been a fundamental part of making this evolution a reality. Over the past two years the initiative has been identifying BBVA female professionals with the greatest potential and supporting them in their careers through specific training, mentoring, coaching and networking. In Spain, 19 percent of women in the program have been promoted to managerial roles. This program was also recognized as a model of success by the United Nations Development Programme in its study,‘Gender Finance: Financial Centers for Sustainability Network 2023’.
Gender diversity measures
Among the various educational activities that are part of ‘Yo soy talento femenino’, the CEOE and Esade ‘Promociona’ programs stand out, aiming to develop the skills needed to be a successful leader and have an impact on their teams and on other female managers; as well as ‘Progresa’, which is geared toward women in middle management positions; and ‘Proactiva for young women with high potential.
In Spain, over half of the female employees in the program have participated in the training, ‘Impulsando Talento Feminino’ (Empowering Female Talent), which helps them to adopt tools to accomplish objectives and take the reins of their career. Another quarter have been mentored by senior leadership as part of the ‘Top Female Mentoring’ initiative. In addition, various communication workshops were held to enhance public speaking skills, as well as sessions where former participants in the initiative share their experiences.
All of these efforts have been externally recognized by the magazine Financial Times, which named BBVA the best European bank for diversity in its report ‘Europe’s Diversity Leaders 2025’; and by Equileap, a company specializing in gender equality metrics, distinguished BBVA as the only Spanish bank in its ranking of the 100 best companies in this area.
Furthermore, the bank’s Board of Directors currently has seven female members out of 15 (47 percent female presence). Meanwhile, female representation on the management committee reached 23.8 percent in 2024, with five women out of the 21 members.
The bank has already set a new target for 2026: a ratio of 36.8 percent female managers.