Benjamin has been with BMO since 2016, by way of the GE TF acquisition, and has been on the North American Commercial Banking team throughout his tenure. He enjoys anything that involves being outdoors, and on any given weekend you’ll typically find him on a bike trail.

Dean Folias is the Chief Compliance Officer (CCO) for BMO Direct Invest Inc., as well as interim CCO BMO Asset Management Corp. and Stoker Ostler Wealth Advisors, Inc. He has over 20 years of industry experience.  Dean began his career as a Securities Compliance Examiner with the Texas Securities Board, conducting inspections of investment advisers and broker-dealers.  He served in various compliance and supervisory positions in the private sector including at First Union Securities, Inc., Securities America, Inc., and Raymond James and Associates, Inc.  Dean was also the CCO for Howe Barnes Hoefer & Arnett, Inc., a dually registered broker-dealer and investment adviser. He has been with BMO Financial Group since 2018 as a Senior Compliance Manager in BMO’s Legal and Regulatory Compliance Department. Dean has a BS in Economics from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a JD from Quinnipiac University School of Law.

Appointed President, BMO Financial Group, Quebec, and Vice-chair of BMO Capital Markets on November 1st, 2022, Mr. Baillargeon has been with the Bank of Montreal since 2004. Over the years, he has made his mark in a number of capacities, including director, strategic relationship manager and trusted advisor to many companies in a wide range of economic sectors. From 2013 to 2022, in his leadership role at BMO Capital Markets, Quebec, he led a team that handles some of the Bank's biggest and longest-standing clients, an experience that has allowed him to develop a keen understanding of the Quebec economy and the role that BMO's 5,000 Quebec employees have played in it for over 200 years. Prior to joining BMO, Mr. Baillargeon worked as a lawyer with major law firms in Montreal and New York, where he developed an expertise in corporate and securities law. Mr. Baillargeon is also a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and a member of the Quebec, New York and Massachusetts bars. He holds a Bachelor of Common Law degree and a Bachelor of Civil Law degree from McGill University. Mr. Baillargeon supports numerous organizations that strive to reduce social and economic inequalities. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Centraide du Grand Montréal, the Montreal Children's Hospital Foundation, and the Chambre of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal, in addition to chairing of the Board of Fusion Jeunesse.

Jayen leads workstreams focused on innovation and technologies for the energy transition at BMO’s Climate Institute. While he started his career in engineering roles in the mining and oil & gas sectors including at Suncor, for 8 years prior to joining BMO he led investments in renewable energy and clean technology including at Brookfield. Earlier in his career he advised policymakers and industry executives on energy technology at the International Energy Agency (IEA). Licensed as a Professional Engineer in Ontario, Canada, Jayen graduated as a chemical engineer from the Ecole Nationale Superieure de Chimie et de Physique de Bordeaux, France, and holds an MSc Chemical Engineering from the University of New Brunswick, Canada and an MBA from the University of Cambridge, UK.

Jonathan Hackett is the Co-Head, BMO Energy Transition Group and Head, Sustainable Finance and Managing Director. In these roles he advises clients on opportunities as they navigate the transition to a low carbon economy, supports clients in navigating the impact of ESG on their access to capital, and advises on sustainable financing structures. Jonathan’s team also includes BMO’s $250MM impact investment fund which has a mandate to invest in companies that are producing solutions in the sustainability and energy transition space. Prior to joining BMO in 2017, Jonathan was a principal with the Boston Consulting Group and also a researcher in residence at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics where he completed his doctoral research in Quantum Gravity and Topology.

Lesley- Anne ‘s career has crossed over the financial, hospitality, wellness, and healthcare industries. Currently, she manages Human Resource projects across BMO that have spanned several areas such as employee experience, workplace transformation, learning, and regulatory. Lesley-Anne brings deep experience by building strong partnerships to lead and deliver numerous strategic initiatives, programs, and departments. She was instrumental in creating and managing the IFL Wellness Centre. She played a key role in Sales and Marketing for the IFL and developed and led programs to increase BMO’s brand value and drive financial revenue.  In the area of sustainability, she led the IFL’s ISO 14001 program and in 2016, the IFL was the first building in Canada to be certified to the new ISO 14001:2015 standard under her leadership. She embodies BMO’s Purpose and winning culture as a recipient of Ambition 2025 Annual award, Being BMO Annual award and numerous Quarterly Spotlight awards. Lesley- Anne obtained her Honours Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology degree at the University of Waterloo and is fluent in French. She also obtained her Advanced Executive Hospitality Certification from Cornell University and holds her Occupational Health & Safety Certification from Ryerson University. Lesley-Anne is on the Board of Directors for the Catholic Family Services of Toronto and is a recognized ambassador to the community through United Way, Kids Help Phone, and The Eczema society of Canada.

Michelle Marais is a Senior Compliance Officer specializing in equity analytics. She joined BMO’s Fair and Responsible Banking - Fair Lending team in 2021, utilizing her experience combining policy research and statistical analysis and is excited to be able to use these skills in her Climate Institute Fellowship. Previously a Senior Analyst on Chicago Public Schools’ Data Science and Insights Team, she has a Master of Science in Analytics from the University of Chicago as well as a BA in Public Policy from Duke University

Mike Beg as Head, Real Estate Finance, Canada is responsible for management of BMO’s Commercial Real Estate Finance group and its client relationships across Canada. He brings over 30 years of banking experience, including commercial and real estate lending in Ontario and British Columbia, risk management and strategic investment roles supporting the bank's Canadian and U.S. businesses, and diversified industries corporate finance with a focus in private equity acquisition and cross-border financing. In addition to founding BMO’s industry leading and global award-winning commercial construction and income property securitization programs, and leading the launch of Canada’s first ever retrofit financing program in partnership with Canada Infrastructure Bank, Mike is an advocate for housing policies that support sustainable supply and affordability of residential housing, and to that end is a board member of Toronto’s BILD homebuilders’ association. Mike holds both a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance and a Diploma in Urban Land Economics from the University of British Columbia. He also holds an MBA from Dalhousie University and is a Fellow of the Institute of Canadian Bankers (FICB), and sits on the investment committees of BMO’s BRE and Private Wealth GAM funds that invest in Canadian commercial real estate.

Sharon Haward-Laird is General Counsel of BMO Financial Group and leads the bank’s legal and regulatory compliance groups. She is responsible for corporate governance, banking regulation and supervision, and litigation. She also oversees the bank’s ethics, ombudsman, sustainability and investigations practices, and is executive committee lead for sustainability at BMO. She is a member of BMO’s executive committee and chairs the bank’s enterprise regulatory and reputation risk committees. Since joining BMO in 2000, Sharon has held a number of senior roles across the bank’s corporate functions and operating groups including Deputy General Counsel, Capital Markets and Head of Corporate Communications, Government and Investor Relations. Most recently, Sharon was Head, North American Treasury & Payment Solutions (“TPS”) with responsibility for defining and executing strategy for treasury management, commercial payments, corporate card, trade finance and liquidity solutions. She redefined TPS strategy with a focus on the customer while leading a multi-year effort to rationalize technology applications, improve platform stability, and modernize payments infrastructure. As a result of these efforts, TPS achieved strong business results and was recognized with awards including the Aite Group 2019 Cash Management and Payments Innovation Award for Digital Channel Capabilities and the 2019 Celent Model Bank Award for Payments Services Hub Implementation. Sharon obtained her Bachelor of Laws from the University of Toronto and practised commercial litigation at Torys LLP. She was previously named to Lexpert’s Top 40 and 40 Internal Legal Counsel. Sharon has been a member of the Board of Directors of Moneris Corporation and BMO Nesbitt Burns Inc. and was Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of Interac Corporation. In 2019 and 2020, American Banker named Sharon one of the Most Powerful Women to Watch. Sharon is a proud supporter of the United Way and was previously responsible for the bank’s corporate donations and employee giving teams. She is a passionate advocate of the need for open dialogue about mental health and speaks regularly on the topic. She has also served on the board of Writer’s Trust of Canada.