José Sevilla
José Sevilla Álvarez | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1964 |
| Nationality | Spanish |
| Occupation(s) | Business leader, banking executive |
| Years active | –present |
| Known for | President of Unicaja (2024–present), former CEO of Bankia |
José Sevilla Álvarez (born in 1964) is a Spanish business leader currently serving as the President of Unicaja, a position he took on in 2024.
Career
Sevilla graduated with a degree in Economics and Business from the Colegio Universitario de Estudios Financieros (CUNEF), which is linked to the Complutense University of Madrid. His professional journey began in investment banking, with roles at Merrill Lynch and FG Inversiones Bursátiles. Between 1997 and 2009, he worked at BBVA, where he was part of the Management Committee from 2003 until 2009. In May 2012, he joined Bankia as an executive director and was promoted to CEO on 30 June 2014.
Savings banks
During a 2015 interview about Bankia’s restructuring, Sevilla highlighted the necessity of removing political influence from governance: "The first thing we did was to change all the board members... no politicians on the board was a must. We don’t want any political influence." Candidates for the board with political affiliations were excluded.
He remarked that many savings banks suffered from a lack of market discipline due to unclear ownership structures, as they were not publicly traded and their traditional owners were depositors. Sevilla criticized these boards for insufficient accountability, growing complacency, and underestimating risks arising from both their actions and failures to act.