Frank Techar was named President and Chief Executive Officer, Personal and Commercial Banking Canada, BMO Bank of Montreal in July 2006. In this position, he oversees the strategic direction for delivery of banking services through BMO Bank of Montreal to more than 7.5 million retail and commercial customers across Canada.

A native of Minnesota, he previously served, from September of 2002, as President and Chief Executive Officer of Harris Bankcorp, Inc., BMO’s U.S. regional bank based in Chicago. Prior to that, he was Executive Vice-President, Small Business Banking in BMO Bank of Montreal's Canadian operations, serving 400,000 small and medium-sized businesses across Canada.

Mr. Techar began his career with BMO Financial Group in the Corporate Banking Division, and spent 12 years in various positions in Denver and Houston. He went on to gain international leadership experience as Senior Vice-President and General Manager of BMO Financial Group's offices in London, England, as the senior company executive in Europe before moving to Canada in 1999.

Prior to his career with BMO Financial Group, Mr. Techar held a variety of corporate banking positions with First Interstate Bank in Denver, Colorado, and various engineering positions with USG Corporation in Oakfield, New York.

He earned a bachelor of science and engineering degree from Princeton University in 1978, an MBA from the University of Denver in 1983, and completed the University of Southern California Executive Program in 1992.

Mr. Techar has been an active member of both Chicago and Toronto’s business and civic communities. He continues to serve on the board of Rush University Medical Center and chaired the annual giving campaign for United Way of Metropolitan Chicago. He serves on the campaign cabinet for the United Way of Greater Toronto.

(April 2009)