[Photo: BMO CEO Bill Downe]

Bloomberg News reports that Bank of Montreal’s Bill Downe, the longest-serving CEO among Canada’s largest lenders, will retire 10/31/17 after spending a decade expanding the nation’s oldest bank through acquisitions in the U.S. and overseas. Downe transformed BMO through acquisitions - including its purchases of General Electric's transportation-finance business in December 2015 and Milwaukee-based Marshall & Ilsley Corp in 2011.

DARRYL WHITE - COO, BMO FINANCIAL GROUP.    White, who joined BMO in 1994, was appointed COO on 11/1/16. Prior to his current role, Mr. White, 56, held the position of Group Head, BMO Capital Markets in 2014, and served as CEO of BMO Nesbitt Burns legal entity from 11/1/14 to 11/1/16. 

In earlier years with BMO, Mr. White has held a variety of senior management positions including, the following:

• Executive MD and Head of Investment & Corporate Banking (I&CB), Montreal;
• Deputy Head, I&CB, Canada;
• Global Head, Equity Capital Markets; and,
• Global Head of I&CB, where he oversaw the bank’s relationships with corporations and government, as well as trade finance and international financial institutions.