Very positive results.
Gonzalo De La Rosa Valverde, HR Director Spain, point of view
13 years of consecutive labeling: how to be certified and why is this distinction important for the Group? Gonzalo De La Rosa Valverde, HR Director for Spain, shares his point of view and experience.
What is Top Employer and how does this certification differ from other HR labels?
(GDLRV): This certification evaluates the quality of HR practices in companies, and clearly stands out for its high level of excellence. It is a very comprehensive audit of 250 questions across 19 topics. The process takes about three months and includes five detailed interviews with an auditor.
This requires a significant amount of work from our teams, especially since each HR practice must be documented, justified and proven. What is interesting, but also challenging, is that the questions evolve every year to always match the latest HR trends.
What is the value of the Top Employer certification in the Spanish job market?
(GDLRV): In Spain, the Top Employer certification is extremely highly valued, both by candidates, companies, and the media. It therefore plays a key role in our employer brand and the visibility of our EVP (Employee Value Proposition).
Being certified allows us to position ourselves as an employer of choice in a very competitive job market, especially for attracting experienced profiles from large multinational companies.
What is the history of BNP Paribas Spain with the certification?
(GDLRV): I have been part of the Group for over 15 years. At the time, when I was HR DIrector of Personal Finance Spain, the certifications for Spain only concerned Personal Finance. When I returned to Madrid to take the role of HR Director for Spain, we wanted to extend the certification to the entire territory. It has now been five years since BNP Paribas Spain has been certified, and thirteen years that certain entites of the Group have been. This continuity is a real source of pride.
What are the key results achieved this year in Spain?
(GDLRV): This year, we achieved an overall score of over 95%, which puts us at the top of certified companies in Spain. This means that less than 5% of companies in the market have more advanced HR practices than ours. We are particularly strong in the "Attract" and "Unite" domains. Attractiveness, employer brand, and talent acquisition are our strengths, which are essential for a growing territory that recruits an average of 150 new employees every year. We also have very good results in terms of diversity, equity and inclusion, with over 50 nationalities represented in Spain and concrete initiatives in favor of inclusion and well-being.
What role did the new Employee Value Proposition play in these results?
(GDLRV): We deployed our new EVP in 2025, and it has been a genuine lever. It was very well understood and recognised during the Top Employer audit. It has also been widely valued externally, particularly on LinkedIn, our website, job fairs, and in universities. This consistency between discourse, practice and communication has clearly strengthened our attractiveness.
What does the Top Employer audit bring you concretely beyond external recognition?
(GDLRV) : Beyond the label, the audit is a tremendous tool for progress. It highlights our strengths, but also our areas for improvement, particularly with regards to employee well-being or intergenerational transmission. It allows us to benchmark ourselves against the best market practices and identify new initiatives to implement in order to continue raising our standards. Internaly, for our employees, it's also generates a sense of pride and collective motivation. They are our best ambassadors, and this recognition is above all a reflection of their commitment and the work done by all HR and management teams. I thank them for this!
