Manolo Sánchez is currently a director at the Boeing Employees Credit Union (BECU), Fannie Mae, MPower Financing, and Stewart Information Systems, as well as a trustee at the Center for Houston’s Future. He teaches disruption in financial services with a focus on cryptocurrencies and blockchain at Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business. In addition, Sánchez is an advisor to several fintech and blockchain start-ups.

He has served as a director of OnDeck Capital (purchased by Enova International Inc. in October 2020), Bancoppel SA, the American Bankers Association, the Institute of International Bankers, the Greater Houston Partnership, the Financial Services Roundtable, and BITS (the technology policy division of the Bank Policy Institute).

His banking career at BBVA (Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria) Compass spanned over 27 years, including 10 years as chair and CEO, with positions in the United States, Mexico, France, and Spain and executive roles in risk management, real estate, correspondent, corporate, and investment banking. As a member of BBVA’s global executive committee, Sánchez has represented the bank on national and international forums and has been a frequent speaker at major industry events. During his tenure at BBVA’s US subsidiary, the bank grew from 2,000 to 10,000 employees and from $3 billion to $100 billion in assets through the integration of six banks and $40 billion of organic lending. Sánchez spearheaded the development of award-winning mobile apps and a new core banking system, which earned BBVA Compass the recognition of the 2013 Model Bank of the Year by Celent. In the midst of the financial crisis, Sánchez and his team mobilized their volunteers to become a model of community involvement and landed the top spot in American Banker’s Reputation Survey in 2011.

Sánchez has volunteered extensively in the communities where he has worked, with a focus on education, health, and the arts. He serves as a director of Good Reason Houston, KIPP Texas, Brighter Bites, and Texas Children’s Hospital. He is a past director of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; the Houston Grand Opera; and the Houston Symphony and is past chair of The Post Oak School board.

A graduate of Yale University, Sánchez earned master’s degrees in international relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science and in advanced European economics from the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium. He has been recognized with Spain’s Order of Civil Merit, the 2017 Arrival Award for immigrant achievement from the University of Houston Law Center, the 2015 Hispanic Male Executive of the Year by the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and the Laredo Gateway Rotary Club’s 2014 Paul Harris Fellow award.

A native of Murcia, Spain, Sánchez first came to the United States as a high school exchange student. In addition to English and Spanish, he speaks French, German, and Arabic. A naturalized US citizen, he lives in Houston with his wife and three children.