Ángel Ron, president of Banco Popular from 2006 to 2017, met Luis Valls in 1988 when Ángel was 25 years old and Luis was over 60. For this prestigious banking executive, the experience of working with Luis Valls was enlightening. Despite the age difference and their positions, Luis proved to be more than just a boss.

Valls, Ron notes, overcame numerous adversities, sometimes with little support, but developed a unique vision of banking. He did so with total commitment if he decided to support a cause, even when his support might contradict a previous opinion. When Ángel began his tenure as president of Banco Popular, Luis conveyed the importance of preserving the institution’s independence, always focusing on long-term profitability, shareholder protection, customer care, and excellent treatment of the staff.

Luis Valls surrounded himself with people who shared his values, principles, and worldview. Although there were people from Opus Dei in his circle, Luis was firm in seeking trustworthy individuals for their knowledge and moral convictions, not for their affiliation. An excellent example is Ron, who did not belong to Opus Dei and was chosen to succeed Valls in the position.

For the Catalan banker, interest in the work and the bank was his outstanding commitment, but helping others was always his main banner. In the 1970s, inspired by Luis Valls, the bank’s board of directors decided to donate their compensation as directors to foundations that carried out social work. Thanks to this generosity, thousands of people have benefited, and dozens of institutions today are grateful for their work.

Luis, always attentive to transparency, promoted the creation of an explanatory brochure detailing the foundations’ work, something unprecedented in those years and long before corporate social responsibility became a standard in companies. This was a source of pride for him, emphasizing the bank’s former president.

Luis Valls, Ángel Ron highlights, was an example of intelligence and dedication.

If Ron had the opportunity to talk with Valls today, “I would tell him that I missed him a lot. I missed him a lot in the most difficult moments I had to manage.”