BMO Financial Group's Pat Cronin and Maria Tihotchi Awarded by Women in Capital Markets

TORONTO, Nov. 28, 2018 /CNW/ - BMO Financial Group today announced that Pat Cronin and Maria Tihotchi were honoured by Women in Capital Markets (WCM) for leadership and high performance, respectively, at a ceremony Tuesday evening in Toronto.

"Setting new norms that pave the way for women is not possible without leadership. Pat and Maria are using their influence to meaningfully bring down barriers and encourage more women to consider careers in the industry," said Darryl White, Chief Executive Officer, BMO Financial Group. "Today, 40 per cent of the leaders who are driving BMO's performance and growth are women – and our work continues. Change agents like Pat and Maria fuel our commitment to advancing the next generation of talented women to leadership roles. We salute them both."

Pat Cronin, formerly Group Head of BMO Capital Markets and recently appointed to Chief Risk Officer of BMO Financial Group, received the WCM Award for Transformational Leadership – which recognizes senior executives who have made a lasting contribution to gender diversity and inclusion at their firm and are driving organizational and cultural change with measurable impacts.

Mr. Cronin has demonstrated leadership and commitment to raising awareness and implementing programs that support diversity and inclusion at BMO. For example:

• He is a member of the WCM Advisory Council and actively supports BMO's involvement with WCM as a Gold Corporate Champion and founding partner of the "Return to Bay Street" Program
• He championed the development of the New York City-based Financial Women's Association's (FWA) "Back2Business" Program. BMO Capital Markets is also a member of the FWA's President's Circle
• He implemented an Inclusion Learning Series that most notably included "Unconscious Bias" training for every North American employee in BMO Capital Markets

Maria Tihotchi, Director, Global Structured Products, Trading Products, BMO Capital Markets, received the WCM Rising Star Award – which recognizes high-performing professionals whose entrepreneurial spirit, leadership and social responsibility have made a unique contribution to the capital markets industry.

Ms. Tihotchi was honoured for her passion about giving back to her community, her work in encouraging young women to consider careers in capital markets, and advancing gender diversity within the bank and in the industry more broadly. She actively supports the advancement of other women by serving as a mentor and trusted advisor to peers, junior colleagues and to new recruits in BMO Capital Markets' Rotational Program.

All WCM award winners are nominated based on an extensive set of criteria and then selected by a jury panel.

BMO Financial Group's Commitment to Diversity

Diversity and inclusion are core BMO values – drivers of sustainability that influence business strategy. BMO creates an environment where everyone is valued, respected and heard; where employees can bring their best selves to work – for the benefit of their co-workers, their communities and customers, and themselves. As a result of sustained efforts to build a diverse workforce and create a culture of inclusion, BMO has seen strong progress against diversity and inclusion goals. Key highlights include:

• 40 per cent of senior leadership roles are held by women
• 25 per cent of senior roles are held by Minorities or Persons of Colour
• Bloomberg recognized BMO as one of the top-ranked Financial Institutions for gender equality for three years in a row
• Thomson Reuters recognized BMO as one of the most diverse and inclusive companies in the world for two years in a row
• BMO is a two-time winner of the Catalyst award
• BMO was recognized as one of the best places to work for LGBTQ Employees by The Human Rights Campaign Foundation

About BMO Capital Markets
BMO Capital Markets is a leading, full-service North American-based financial services provider offering corporate, institutional and government clients access to a complete range of products and services including equity and debt underwriting, corporate lending and project financing, mergers and acquisitions advisory services, securitization, treasury management, market risk management, debt and equity research and institutional sales and trading. With approximately 2,500 professionals in 30 locations around the world, including 16 offices in North America, BMO Capital Markets works proactively with clients to provide innovative and integrated financial solutions.

BMO Capital Markets is a member of BMO Financial Group (NYSE,TSX: BMO) one of the largest diversified financial services providers in North America with $765 billion total assets as at July 31, 2018.

About WCM
With more than 1500 members, WCM is the largest network of professional women in the Canadian financial sector and the voice of advocacy for women in our industry. WCM is committed to the advancement of women in the capital markets and to increasing the number of women in senior leadership roles in the Canadian economy. We work with our partners, members and the broader public to promote initiatives that successfully increase the economic empowerment of women and move the dial on women's representation and impact in the boardrooms and executive suites of corporate Canada.  

SOURCE BMO Financial Group

For further information: Media Contacts: Amanda Robinson, Toronto, [e-mail], 416-867-3996