BBVA Compass has appointed a new head of asset management and trust to its global wealth unit.

BBVA Compass has appointed a new head of asset management and trust to its global wealth unit.

Based in Houston, TX, Maria Holmes will also lead BBVA Securities’ registered investment advisor programme, which the firm is looking to strengthen. Holmes is expected to transform and lead the BBVA Compass’s innovation process, the firm said in a statement.

Within the firm’s global wealth unit, Holmes will head the firm’s trading activities; investment operations; risk management; and product development teams.

Holmes has been in the industry for over 14 years, specifically focussing on insurance, investment and advisory services. She previously served as national sales director for Santander’s US securities business. Prior to this, she directed wealth management teams and programs at Citi and Fifth Third Bank.

Holmes inherits an investment platform that helps clients build, protect and share wealth via dedicated portfolio management, tax efficient trading, and an in-house fixed income team and trust system, the firm said in a statement.

BBVA Compass is a financial institution primarily based in the South of the US, and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BBVA Group.