Manolo Sanchez

Manolo Sánchez is currently a director at Fannie Mae (FNM), OnDeck Capital (ONDK) and BanCoppel (Mexico) after having served as chairman and 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 a Founding Advisor to SpringLabs, a fintech company developing a blockchain-based, peer-to-peer network to allow financial institutions to share credit and identity data. He is also an advisor to CDFI lender Aura and healthcare payments solution startup Affordify. During his 27 year banking career, Manolo worked in the US, Mexico, France and Spain, having served in executive roles in risk management, real estate, correspondent, community, corporate and investment banking.

During his tenure at BBVA Compass, Sánchez served as a director of 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 currently serves on the board of the Center for Houston’s Future. Manolo Sánchez is emeritus trustee and past Chair of the Post Oak Montessori School board, as well as trustee of Good Reason Houston, KIPP Houston charter schools and Brighter Bites. In addition to his volunteer work on education, he supports local arts organizations as a trustee of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, the Houston Grand Opera and as executive committee member of the Houston Symphony.

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