PARIS, Feb 11 (Reuters) - BNP Paribas (BNPP.PA), opens new tab has appointed Philippe Maillard as group chief operating officer, effective February 11, France's biggest bank said on Tuesday.

The facility is managed by BNP Paribas 3 Step IT, a joint venture between BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions and 3stepIT.

Formed in 2000 by retail bank Banque Nationale de Paris’s hostile takeover of investment bank Paribas, the combined BNP Paribas now operates in 63 countries and has 183,000 employees.