Spain and the HR Model: Building Structures that Can Support a Top-10 Ambition

 Grupo BBVA, a thriving Spain-based multinational financial services group, appointed Juan Ignacio Apoita as its chief manager of human resources in order to develop a global HR structure with centralized policies. This was needed to help the group achieve its aim of becoming one of the world’s 10 leading finance businesses by 2010.

"We attach great importance to the function of human resources," says Apoita, "because we need to have the right people in the group to implement the business strategy." To do this, he focuses a great deal on the professional development of people, with an approach based very much on the identification of top performers, and also on their retention and development.

Apoita also wants to have a common culture shared across the group globally. Policies are delivered to employees through the use of international communication tools that are automated and online. As a result of his approach to HR, he says, "we have a tremendous attraction capacity as an organization."