Maria Paz A. Garcia

Filipino, 57 years old, was appointed as Chief Compliance Officer (CCO) of Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) effective Jan. 1, 2024.  She heads the Bank's Compliance Division which oversees the implementation of the Bank's enterprise-wide compliance programs and is composed of the following departments:  Anti-Money Laundering Compliance, Regulatory Compliance, Data Privacy Office, Corporate Governance and Subsidiary Regulatory Oversight, Systems, Project Management and Analytics.

Atty. Garcia has more than 30 years of banking and investment management experience, 22 years of which had been fully dedicated to trust and investment operations covering the areas of Legal, Risk and Compliance. Prior to moving to BPI as its CCO, she headed the Legal Services and Family Office of BPI Wealth – A Trust Corporation (BPI Wealth).  From 2011 to 2022, she led the legal, risk management, compliance and accounts review functions of BPI’s trust and investment business (now known as BPI Wealth), a function she assumed as Head of legal, risk and compliance for four (4) years from 2007 to 2011 in ING Bank Trust Department when the latter was acquired by BPI.   She was Legal Counsel of Metropolitan and Trust Company – Trust Banking Group from 2000 to 2007 and a Legal Officer of Far East and Trust Company from 1992 to 1999.

She previously served as President and Director of the Trust Association of the Philippines (TOAP) and is currently a professor and faculty member of the Trust Institute Foundation of the Philippines (TIFP).

Atty. Garcia obtained her BA Economics degree from the University of the Philippines Diliman and her Juris Doctor from the Ateneo de Manila School of Law. She completed the Certificate Course in Strategic Compliance for the Banking Industry at the Center for Professional Development in Business of the De La Salle University in 2020 and has regularly undergone corporate governance courses and training provided.