Ellen Costello is President and Chief Executive Officer of Harris Financial Corp., a large regional retail, business and wealth bank serving more than one million personal and business customers in Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin through its network of more than 280 branches. Harris is part of Toronto-based BMO Financial Group, one of North America's leading financial services providers. Ms. Costello is responsible for the U.S. personal and commercial banking business, driving profitable business growth organically and through acquisition.

Prior to joining Harris, Ms. Costello was with BMO Financial Group’s Investment Banking Group as Vice-Chair and Head of Securitization, Credit Investment Management and Merchant Banking groups. In addition, she led the New York office, working in collaboration with the Investment Banking Group’s executive team on strategy and governance for its U.S.-based businesses.

After joining BMO Financial Group in 1983, Ms. Costello held progressively senior positions in Corporate Banking and Treasury, including leadership positions in Derivatives and as Regional Treasurer, in Asia. In 1995, she was responsible for strategy development as Senior Vice-President and Deputy Treasurer; and in 1997, was appointed Executive Vice-President, Global Treasury Group, responsible for the foreign exchange, financial products, money markets, loan syndication/trading and managed futures businesses. In 2000, she was named Head of Securitization and Credit Investment Management; in 2003, Head of BMO Capital Markets, New York; and in 2006, assumed responsibility for merchant banking.

Ms. Costello has a BBA from St. Francis Xavier University and an MBA from Dalhousie University. She is on the Board of Directors for United Way of Metropolitan Chicago, the Chicago Public Education Fund, After School Matters, Chicago Community Trust, Economic Club and Executives' Club of Chicago. She is a member of the Bankers' Club of Chicago, the Chicago Network, Chicago 2016, the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago and the Financial Services Roundtable.

(December 2008)

E. Costello (high resolution picture, jpg, 141 KB)