Diversity

Financial Times and Statista have identified those paving the way for diversity in Europe in their report, ‘Europe’s Diversity Leaders 2025’. The publication ranks BBVA as one of the most diverse companies in Europe; it is the top Spanish bank on the list and 13th in the entire banking sector.

As is customary each year, BBVA has been joining in the LGTBIQ+ Pride celebrations in a bid to spread the word among employees about the importance of creating safe spaces for everyone. Shining the spotlight on LGTBIQ+ role models has been working wonders by raising awareness in the countries in which the bank operates. “At BBVA we want to be an even more inclusive and open company, with more role models, more stories and more safe spaces,” remarks Cristina Gabriel, Head of Diversity at BBVA.

The Age Friendly Institute has recognized the bank as a 50+ friendly company for its talent management policies and practices.

The challenge of diversity is one of the key transformation pillars for any company. In the case of BBVA, ensuring a diverse workplace, in the broadest sense of the term, allows the company to better address the needs of its diverse customer base and offer a more comprehensive service.

The financial institution had 34.7 percent women in leadership positions in 2023, with promotions of women surpassing those of men in all countries where the bank has a presence. BBVA has announced a new target for the next two years, aiming to reach 36.8 percent female managers.

BBVA employees have set up a working group to study and encourage the inclusion of people with disabilities in the workplace at the bank.

LGBT+ diversity is already the third-highest priority in corporate projects, behind only gender equality and inclusion of people with disabilities. Half of major Spanish companies have LGBT+ diversity programs. This figure drops to 34% in the case of IBEX 35-listed companies. These are some of the findings of the first major survey that looks at business management of LGBT+ diversity in Spain, promoted by BBVA, REDI and UN Global Compact Spain.

At the fourth annual Diversity Days, the bank launched a pledge to champion and support the universal values of human dignity, freedom, respect and equality. This new milestone marks the end of a year that has seen numerous initiatives in favor of diversity, including the target of 35% of management positions being held by women, implementing a protocol to fight harassment against LGTBI people, and launching a program to prevent ageism.

BBVA is the top Spanish financial institution in the ranking by the prestigious U.S. publication. The list, compiled from 170,000 employee surveys, includes the companies with the best work environment, with the most satisfied, proud employees.

The bank extends leave to its employees to care for sick family members, to accompany a partner in prenatal check-ups, to take young children in their first week of school, pregnancy protection measures to care for children or adoption and foster care processes. These are some of the improvements incorporated in BBVA's new Equality Plan, which also includes protocols against harassment in the workplace and non-discrimination of the LGTBI community.

Only 59.5% of LGBTI+ people are visible in the workplace. This was made known by the Federación Estatal de Lesbianas, Gais, Trans, Bisexuales, Intersexuales y más (FELGTBI+) at the talk on 'Family diversity and its visibility in the workplace' held in conjunction with BBVA on the occasion of International LGBTI+ Pride Day.

The bank has published an in-house guide to raise awareness among employees of the value of generational diversity. The goal is to confront any lingering prejudices about people’s age. "At BBVA, we have up to four different generations under one roof. We want to drive home the point that everyone here, regardless of age, is highly capable and brings value and talent to the bank," said Heather Spratt, who leads the BBVA employee group concerned with safeguarding generational diversity at the bank.

Garanti BBVA presented its sponsored platform ‘Women of Commerce’ as an example of good practice at the 67th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women held at the UN Headquarters in New York from March 6 to 17, 2023.

After announcing that the bank will have 35 percent women in management positions in 2024, BBVA has launched the high performance program ‘I am female talent’, which is geared toward the bank’s female employees with the greatest potential for growth. The bank has also presented a new remuneration policy for executive directors, which includes a diversity indicator as part of the variable incentives.

BBVA sees the challenge of diversity as one of the most important strategic pillars of its corporate culture and a wealth to be promoted. To this end, BBVA Switzerland is joining the Group's diversity and equality initiatives with a new project with WeBloom, a Swiss organization dedicated to diversity, inclusion and sustainability in science and technology.

The bank celebrates the third edition of Diversity Days, an internal event to promote diversity, inclusion and equality in the workforce through activities, conferences and events throughout the week. As part of Diversity Days, the bank informed its workforce about its Diversity Guidelines, a general guide for action that makes respect for differences, and thus for diversity, a fundamental pillar of the company’s strategy.

BBVA takes another step toward gender equality, setting a target for 35 percent of its management positions to be held by women by 2024. At the end of last year, this figure stood at 31.4 percent. This measure adds to a series of initiatives that are contributing to increasing the number of women in positions of responsibility.

The pandemic proved to be the turning-point for her to take the most important step of her life. Not without fear, Alicia García began a gender transition process to "not have to hide my identity and be able to be myself." This was a personal journey with an impact on her work environment. Although a lot less than expected.

In an organization as large and diverse as BBVA, with more than 110,000 employees in 25 countries, we are bound to encounter different family models that go beyond the one formed by two adults of different sex and one or more children. To better understand each type of family and their specific needs, the bank has created a guide to make that diversity visible. “We want to raise awareness that there are other family models besides the conventional one. At BBVA every family has their place, and we are under a duty to be aware of the needs and specific features of each one,” explains José Antonio Gallego, Diversity Discipline Leader at BBVA.

Women in Banking (WIB) was created with the purpose of leading and promoting conscious change regarding the value of women in decisive positions in the Spanish banking sector. The initiative was launched thanks to the backing of the Spanish Banking Association (AEB in Spanish), and seven other banks promoting it : BBVA, BNY Mellon, Citi, Deutsche Bank, ING, Sabadell and Santander.

The financial institution is launching the second edition of the BBVA CIB Female Graduate Training Program, an initiative to incorporate 20 fresh female graduates in the BBVA Corporate & Investment Banking area. This initiative offers the opportunity to unlock the potential of the selected women with immersive training for a year that includes placements in different teams and countries before joining the workforce. This program is aligned with the bank's diversity strategy and shows the bank's commitment to promoting female profiles in areas where they are less present.

The road to equality requires us to redefine gender roles to free them from stereotypes and prejudices inherited from past social norms. In this new paradigm, the company plays a key role if it wants to attract and retain the best profiles. In the search for this approach in favor of ungendered talent, BBVA is committed to programs and actions that reflect different family models, new paternities, the promotion of women and the visibility of role models to amplify the message of diversity.

For the fifth year in a row, the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index (2022 Gender Equality Index) has included BBVA in its annual report that analyzes companies’ commitment to this issue. The firm lists the bank due to the diversity and inclusion that helped it improve its rating by five points from the last edition. Garanti BBVA, the Group’s subsidiary in Turkey, is also part of the index.

Garanti BBVA joins Ecording to plant 100,000 seeds for female entrepreneurs and raise awareness of the importance of their work.

In its annual report, Intrama includes the success stories of more than 30 Spanish companies with the best practices in Diversity and Inclusion, of which BBVA is one. The global human resources consulting firm highlights the financial institution's strategic alignment of diversity policies, the communication of its projects and the training provided to its staff in this area.

“At BBVA, there are more than 100,000 people working in over 25 countries, with a wide range of different cultures, experiences, beliefs, languages, etc. This diversity is a fundamental part of the recipe to our success, and it will make us stronger to face the challenges and opportunities that lie before us,” said BBVA Chairman Carlos Torres Vila at the main event of the bank’s Diversity Days, a series of internal events being held for the second year in a row to share important advances in terms of diversity and inclusion, and to create a space for learning for all of the Group’s employees.

Garanti BBVA strives for sustainable development and the participation of women in economic activity. Now, the bank is celebrating the 15th anniversary of its comprehensive and continuous approach to supporting women entrepreneurs.

When Blanca Huergo knocked on BBVA’s door less than two years ago, she could never have imagined that she would wind up visiting its Madrid headquarters to meet with its top executives. This young Mathematics and Computer Science student at the University of Oxford has become a role model for many girls in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) career areas where they are scarce.

Diversity should not merely be a passing trend, but a fair way to perceive the world on a daily basis. Companies and startups must design their products and services without leaving anyone behind, taking into account all ages, body types and abilities.

Turkey recently held its women's wheelchair basketball championship which took place in Hatay this year. As part of its social commitment, Garanti BBVA has been supporting this sport´s men's and women's teams since 2013.