Derek White, former chief design and digital officer at Barclays, has left London for Madrid to take up the position of global head of customer solutions at BBVA.

Starting in the new role on March 1, White is tasked with the transformation of the customer value proposition, including global product and design, customer experience, launching new products and services and leveraging Big Data and customer analytics.

“BBVA is a global institution that is transforming banking and creating the future of financial services,” says White. “I can’t wait to join the team.”

White had been working at Barclays for over 10 years, since the 2004 acquisition of Juniper Bank (now Barclaycard US). In his latest role at Barclays, White led the digital banking initiative, embracing disruptive technologies and the start-up ecosystem, while overseeing the design and launch of market-leading applications, platforms and services.

A well-known figure in the London fintech industry, White was the creator of Rise, Barclays’ accelerator programme for financial technology start-up. Barclays has told GTR there is no direct replacement for White yet, but Lubaina Manji, head of the group innovation office, has taken on responsibility for the accelerator programme.