Manolo Sanchez

Manolo Sánchez is currently a director at Fannie Mae (FNM), Stewart Information Systems (STC), the Boeing Employees Credit Union (BECU) and MPower Financing, after having served as Chairman & CEO of BBVA Compass for 10 years. At Rice University’s Jones School of Business, he teaches disruption in financial services with a focus on crypto currencies and blockchain. Manolo is an advisor to several fintech and blockchain start ups.

He has served as a director of OnDeck Capital (ONDK purchased by Enova in October 2020), BanCoppel Mexico, the American Bankers Association, the Institute of International Bankers, the Greater Houston Partnership, the Financial Services Roundtable and BITS (the technology policy division of FSR). He is currently a trustee at the Center for Houston’s Future.

His banking career at BBVA, spanned over 27 years, with positions in the US, 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 fora and has been a frequent speaker at major industry events.

During his tenure at BBVA’s US subsidiary, the bank grew from 2k to 10k employees, and from $3bn to $100bn in assets through the integration of six banks and $40bn of organic lending. Manolo spearheaded the development of award wining 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 #1 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. Manolo is a past director of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, the Houston Grand Opera, the Houston Symphony, and past chair of the Post Oak Montessori School board.

A graduate of Yale University, Sánchez earned master’s degrees in international relations from the London School of Economics and in advanced European economics from the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium. Sánchez has been recognized with Spain’s Order of Civil Merit, the 2017 Arrival Award for immigrant achievement from the University of Houston, the 2015 Hispanic Executive of the Year by the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Laredo Gateway Rotary Club’s 2014 Paul Harris Fellow award and was named 2011 Alabama Citizen of the Year.

A native of Murcia, Spain, Sánchez first came to the U.S. as 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.

Teaching Interests:

• Fintech
• Cryptocurrencies
• Blockchain