Leadership Team

Jorge J. García is President and Chief Executive Officer of Popular, Inc. (“Popular"), Banco Popular de Puerto Rico (“BPPR") and Popular Bank. In this role, he leads the organization’s strategic direction and oversees its banking operations in Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and mainland United States. Before assuming this role, he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Popular from April 2024 through August 31, 2026, guiding the company’s financial strategy and performance.

Jorge has dedicated more than two decades to Popular, building a strong career across finance, accounting, and executive leadership. From March 2012 to April 2024, he served as Senior Vice President, Corporate Comptroller, and Chief Accounting Officer of Popular, where he oversaw the organization’s financial reporting and accounting practices. He previously served as Senior Vice President and Director of Finance and Accounting at Popular Bank from June 2009 to March 2012. From 2007 to 2009, as Vice President of Popular Bank, he led strategic initiatives related to asset sales and restructuring.

He serves on the Board of Directors of Popular, Popular Bank, and Popular North America, Inc. since September 2026, and on the Board of Directors of BPPR since April 2024. He also serves on the Board of Trustees of Fundación Banco Popular, contributing his leadership to the foundation’s community and philanthropic initiatives.

Camille Burckhart is Executive Vice President and Chief Information and Digital Strategy Officer of Popular.  In this role, she leads the organization's information technology, digital, payments, data & AI strategy, advancing Popular's transformation agenda and strengthening the technology capabilities that support its customers, employees, and business operations. Before assuming this role, she served as Senior Vice President in charge of the Technology Management Division from December 2010 to June 2015.

Camille has been a member of the Board of Trustees of Fundación Banco Popular since October 2018 and served on the Board of Directors of Nuestra Escuela from August 2016 to August 2025. With a deep understanding of the impact that technology has on Puerto Rico’s economic development, she is an active participant in the entrepreneurial and startup ecosystem and a promotor of emerging talent, seeking capstone projects and internships to prepare university students with real-world business and technology challenges.

Beatriz (Betina) Castellví is Executive Vice President and Chief Security and Operations Officer of Popular, responsible for cybersecurity and privacy, fraud prevention, and operations. In this role, she leads protection and prevention efforts that help safeguard Popular, its customers, and its operations. Effective October 2025, she assumed oversight of the Corporation’s business operations function.

Prior to her current role, she served as Senior Vice President and General Auditor of Popular from November 2012 to April 2018. She also held several leadership positions across the corporation over a 15-year period, with responsibilities spanning audit, risk, broker dealers, and security.

Betina [PH2.1]has served on the Board of the Jane Stern Dorado Community Library since January 2021, where she has chaired the Technology Committee since March 2022 and served as Vice President of the Board since September 2025.

Luis E. (Ike) Cestero is Executive Vice President of BPPR and leads the Retail and Business Solutions Group. In this capacity, he is responsible for advancing the organization’s retail and business banking strategy, strengthening customer relationships, and enhancing the products and services that support Popular’s continued presence and growth across Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

Throughout his career at Popular, Ike has held key leadership positions across the organization. From July 2017 to April 2023, he served as Executive Vice President of BPPR, leading the Retail Banking Group. Previously, he served as Senior Vice President in charge of Retail Banking Administration from May 2009 to June 2017.

Manuel Chinea is Executive Vice President and Chief Experience and Administration Services Officer of Popular[MS4.1]. In this role, he leads the experience and administrative services functions that support Popular’s customers, employees, and business operations.

He brings more than a decade of operational leadership experience across Popular. He has served as Executive Vice President of Popular since January 2016 and as Chief Operating Officer of Popular Bank from February 2013 to June 2026.

Manuel has served as a member of the Board of Trustees of Fundación Banco Popular since October 2013. He has also served on the Board of Directors of the Hispanic Federation since June 2016, including as Chairman from July 2020 to July 2023 and as Treasurer since July 2023. 

From January 2022 to June 2026, he served in the New York State Department of Financial Services Advisory Council on Community Development Financial Institutions (“CDFIs”) and Minority Depository Institutions (“MDIs”). In September 2024, he was appointed to the Community Development Advisory Board of the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, further extending his leadership in support of community-focused financial institutions. 

José R. Coleman Tió has been Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel since January 2022, and Secretary of the Board of Directors of Popular[MS5.1] and its banking subsidiaries since May 2024. In October 2025, he assumed the oversight of the Corporation’s Strategic Planning division. From April 2017 to May 2024, he served as Assistant Secretary of the Board of Directors of Popular and its banking subsidiaries. From February 2017 until December 2021, he was Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel of Popular. 

Prior to joining Popular, José provided independent legal and financial advisory services from May 2016 to January 2017. He previously held senior roles at the Government Development Bank for Puerto Rico, including Executive Vice President and General Counsel, from January 2013 to May 2016. Earlier in his career, he was an Associate at Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP from 2008 to 2013.

Alex Flores is Executive Vice President of BPPR's Specialized Businesses Group, where he oversees the strategic direction of the organization's mortgage, auto, and insurance businesses. From January 2023 to December 2025, he served as Division Manager for Popular Mortgage, BPPR's mortgage business.

Throughout his career at Popular, Alex has led business lines through periods of growth, transformation, and transition. From March 2015 to December 2022, he served as Division Manager of deShow, a BPPR division he helped establish to manage foreclosed properties. From 2010 to 2015, also as Division Manager, he led strategic initiatives that included the reorganization of Popular's auto lending business and the acquisition of significant consumer and mortgage loan portfolios.

Before joining Popular, Alex was a management consultant with McKinsey & Company from 2005 to 2007, advising clients across the telecommunications, utilities, banking, and consumer goods industries. Earlier in his career, from 1998 to 2003, he held leadership roles at The Coca-Cola Company, where he managed channel marketing and distribution systems across the Caribbean. 

María Cristina (MC) González Noguera is Executive Vice President and Chief Communications and Public Affairs Officer of Popular.   In this capacity, she leads Popular’s enterprise-wide communications strategy and corporate sustainability agenda, shaping how the organization engages with employees, customers, communities, media, and other key stakeholders across its markets.

Before joining Popular, MC served as Senior Vice President of Global Public Affairs at The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. from July 2016 to March 2021. Earlier in her career she served as Director of Communications to First Lady Michelle Obama and Special Assistant to President Barack Obama from July 2013 to May 2015. 

Since November 2020, MC has been a Director on the Board of Directors of Televisa-Univision Communications Inc., the leading Hispanic media company. She also serves as an Advisor to the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service at Tufts University, her alma mater.
 

Eli S. Sepúlveda is Executive Vice President of Popular and BPPR, responsible for leading the Commercial Credit and Services Group. In this role, he oversees key commercial credit and service functions that support the organization’s business clients and contribute to the strength and quality of its commercial portfolio. From January 2010 to April 2023, he led the Commercial Credit Group in Puerto Rico.

Eli has served as a member of the Board of Managers of the Puerto Rico Idea Seed Fund, LLC since December 2016, supporting entrepreneurship and early-stage investment in Puerto Rico. 

Lidio Soriano is Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Popular. In this role, he leads the company’s financial strategy, reporting, and oversight functions, helping support Popular’s financial strength and long-term business priorities. Previously, he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Risk Officer of Popular from August 2011 to August 31, 2026. Lidio has been a member of the Board of Directors of Popular Bank since October 2014. 

Prior to joining Popular, he spent 17 years in senior finance and risk roles at other financial institutions, including Chief Financial Officer, Head of Retail Bank and Mortgage Operations, Head of Commercial and Construction Mortgage, and Head of Interest Rate Risk, among other positions.

Lidio has served on the Board of Directors of the Puerto Rican League Against Cancer since August 2018, contributing his leadership to the organization’s mission of supporting cancer patients and advancing cancer care in Puerto Rico. 

Beyond his professional accomplishments, he has been a dedicated advocate for youth sports, championing initiatives that foster discipline, teamwork, and the overall development of future generations.

Luis Sousa is Executive Vice President and Chief Risk Officer of Popular, Inc. ("Popular"). In this role, he leads the organization's risk management function, overseeing the enterprise-wide framework for identifying, assessing, monitoring, and managing risk across the Company.  From November 2019 to August 2026, he served as Senior Vice President and led the Credit Risk Management Division. Previously, he was Vice President in the same division, overseeing areas that included Quantitative Analysis and Puerto Rico Commercial Credit Risk.

With more than 20 years of experience in financial services, Luis has held roles in audit, risk management, and credit risk oversight, giving him practical experience managing risk across all levels of the organization.

He has served on the Board of Directors of Casa de España de Puerto Rico since 2018.

Israel Velasco is Executive Vice President and Head of U.S. Operations for Popular Bank. In this role, he leads the organization’s U.S. business operations and helps advance Popular’s strategic priorities across its mainland markets. From June 2005 to June 2026, he served as Senior Vice President and Florida Market Executive of Popular Bank. Prior to joining Popular, he was President and Chief Executive Officer of Colonial Bank from 1998 to 2005.

Israel has served on the Board of Directors of Junior Achievement of Greater Miami since 1998, as Chairman from 2000 to 2008, and Vice Chairman since 2020, advancing the organization’s mission to equip young people with the skills and experiences needed to pursue economic opportunity. He has also served on the Board of Directors of the Florida Bankers Association since 2021 and on the Florida International University President’s Council since 2003.