John Gallo, Global Head of Sales and Co-Head of Global Markets Americas (GMA) for BNP Paribas, was honored in 2021 as one of the top 100 people in finance.
In the accompanying Q&A, Gallo, who since receiving this honor has been promoted to Global Head of Sales and Head of Global Markets Americas, pointed out that GMA “delivered a record performance in 2020, outperforming all competitors in terms of market share gains, including U.S. banks.” He noted that was at least in part due to the fact that BNP Paribas, a bank with operations in 68 countries, agreed in 2019 to “assume Deutsche Bank’s global prime finance and electronic equities business and clients.”
Additionally, John Gallo mentioned BNP Paribas’ acquisition in July 2021 of Exane, a leader in European equities.
“Leveraging Exane’s expertise in cash equities (execution and research) and derivatives,” he told Top 100 Magazine, “the transaction will further strengthen and widen the range of equity and derivatives services BNP Paribas can offer to institutional investors and corporates globally.”
In his estimation, the Deutsche Bank and Exane transactions signal the ambition of BNP Paribas “to become a global equities powerhouse,” as evidenced by its strength in fixed income, currencies and commodities. There is further proof of that in the fact that BNP is pursuing what he called “ambitious growth strategies in various emerging markets,” including Latin America. He offered as an example the fact that BNP had obtained a banking license in Mexico.
“We are already a clear leader in Europe, and strong in Asia and Latam,” he told Top 100 Magazine. “We recognize that one of our largest growth opportunities is in the U.S. and it is critical to be a real competitor on the world stage. In fact, our goal is to become a top player in global markets by 2025.”
He noted that BNP Paribas’ Corporate and Institutional Banking (CIB) franchise is “a globally recognized leader across 56 countries,” offering “capital markets, securities services, financing, treasury, and advisory solutions to roughly 18,000 corporate and institutional clients.” His shared leadership of global markets, meanwhile, offers “investment, hedging, financing, and market intelligence across all asset classes.”
John Gallo, who also serves on BNP’s management committee, has over 25 years’ experience in the financial industry and is regarded as one of the foremost authorities in areas like stocks, bonds, capital formation, hedge funds and asset management. (He recently shared his expertise in a Bloomberg piece.) He joined BNP Paribas in 2017, after serving the two previous years as the Head of Institutional Client Group at Deutsche Bank.
He described BNP Paribas as “truly a global bank” in the Top 100 Magazine interview, with a presence in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region, and increasing growth in the Americas.
“We’ve scaled in a way that helps all clients—individuals, community associations, entrepreneurs, SMEs, corporates, and institutions—to realize their potential through solutions spanning financing, investment, savings, hedging, and protection insurance,” he told the publication. “In addition, we are a leader in sustainable finance and diversity and inclusion.”
He added that no two days are alike for him, and that he relishes working with “a large group of highly intelligent and driven people, who collaborate to create value for the largest and most sophisticated institutions and corporations in the world.”
John Gallo, a graduate of Fordham University, spent the early years of his finance career at Lehman Brothers, starting off in the back office and in time becoming the youngest managing director in the firm’s history. He later assumed the position of Global Head of Liquid Market Sales, one of Lehman’s largest divisions.
He also worked at Citigroup from 2008-15, serving as Head of Investor Sales for Global Markets in North America.
John Gallo has also served on the boards of such companies as Clickpay, Adjuvance Technologies, AMN, Inc. and Hourglass, and sits on the executive committee and the board of The Cathedral School of St. John the Divine in New York City, while also chairing the school’s finance committee.
Further, he endowed a scholarship to Columbia University in honor of his late nephew.
He emphasized in the Top 100 Magazine interview that he is particularly proud of his three children – his daughters, Annabelle and Jocelyn, and his son, Griffin. “Each in their own way, are the most incredible human beings,” he told the publication, “and I could not love them more or be prouder of them.”
