Book Mailing: Starting February 24, hardcover copies of Personal Account will be shipped to paid registrants.
Please note: The stated registration fee for this event only applies to customers residing in Canada and the U.S.A. If you are registering for this livestream from outside of these countries, please contact events@rotman.utoronto.ca regarding your registration as shipping fees vary depending on your location.
Book Synopsis: After nearly four decades at Bank of Montreal, former President and CEO Tony Comper shares leadership lessons from his experience at the helm of one of the world’s largest financial institutions.
Anthony “Tony” Comper likes to say that he can sum up his remarkable career in Canadian banking in 25 stories. In a business often filled with big personalities and memorable characters, Tony’s motto is Festina Lente — make haste slowly.
In Personal Account: 25 Tales about Leadership, Learning, and Legacy from a Lifetime at Bank of Montreal, Comper chronicles how he guided the bank’s software evolution on real-time banking and the introduction of ABMs. He also saw BMO evolve from traditional lender to facilitator in the market, partnering with businesses to create a more vibrant source of capital. That innovation included Tony’s role in integrating women and new Canadians into BMO while fighting anti-Semitism in the community. He was also critical in creating new banking models for the Indigenous community.
A first-person analysis of the major transitions in his almost four decades at the bank. A memoir of turbulent, challenging times. An examination of surviving the most severe financial shocks without jeopardizing the nation’s financial stability.
Personal Account is equal parts warm memoir, teaching lesson, and a reminder of the value of legacy.
About Our Speakers:
Tony Comper, C.M., Past President and C.E.O, BMO Financial Group
Tony Comper was appointed CEO of BMO Financial Group in February 1999, and also served as Chairman from July 1999 to May 2004, when the bank moved to a non-executive Chairman model.
Member of the International Advisory Committee, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute of St. Michael’s Hospital; Honorary Chair, Board of Governors of the Yee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care; The Advisory Board for The Conference Board of Canada/Spencer Stuart National Governance Award and Member of the Investment Committee, Catalyst.
Served as Independent Lead Director of Spectra Energy Corporation, Houston; Served as Chair of the board of Directors, PPP Canada;
He received the Human Relations Award from the Canadian Council of Christians and Jews & the Award of Merit from B’nai Brith Canada He holds honorary degrees from the University of Toronto (LL.D.), Mount Saint Vincent University (D.Hum.L), the University of New Brunswick (D.Litt.); and Haifa University with his late wife Elizabeth.
Tony and his late wife Elizabeth also received the Scopus Award from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. They also founded FAST, a new initiative to combat antisemitism in Canada. In November 2009, Concordia University conferred the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Honoris Causa) on Tony and his wife Elizabeth. In January 2011, he received the Order of Canada together with his wife Elizabeth.
William Downe (Rotman MBA ’78), Former CEO, BMO Financial Group
William Downe spent a long and distinguished career with BMO Financial Group, starting with Bank of Montreal in 1983 and holding a variety of senior management positions in Canada and the United States. Mr. Downe served as CEO of BMO Financial Group from 2007 to 2017. He serves on the board of Loblaw Companies Limited, ManpowerGroup and on the Social and Economic Policy Advisory Board of Rand Corporation. Mr. Downe has served as a board member and advisor to numerous private, public and non-profit organizations, including the Business Council of Canada, the International Monetary Conference, the Martin Prosperity Institute at the Rotman School of Management, St. Michael's Hospital and Rush University Medical Center, among others. He holds a BBA from Wilfred Laurier University and an MBA from the University of Toronto. Mr. Downe is a Member of the Order of Canada.
Questions: events@rotman.utoronto.ca, Daniel Ellul, (416) 978-6119