Charlie Piermarini is President and CEO of Harrisdirect, the seventh-largest direct brokerage in North America. He is responsible for guiding the organization's strategic direction and managing the execution and delivery of all brokerage products, services and initiatives for the US business.

Charlie previously served as Executive Managing Director of BMO Nesbitt Burns, Capital Markets, responsible for identifying, recommending, and leading the implementation of strategic initiatives, including e-commerce, for the Capital Markets lines of business.

Prior to that, he was Executive Vice President of Harris Bank in Chicago, responsible for electronic contact channels and e-commerce initiatives. Charlie also served as Senior Vice President of the BMO Financial Group in Canada, responsible for new e-ventures on a North American basis.

Charlie began his career at Harris in 1979 and has nearly 18 years with the BMO organization. From 1986 to 1988, he was Treasurer for BMO in London. He returned to Toronto in 1988 as BMO Senior Vice President and Global Head of Money Market and Derivatives Trading and Sales.

In 1989, Charlie joined Household International as Vice President of Capital Markets, responsible for all funding, trading and fixed income derivatives activities for the largest independent finance company in the United States. In 1992, he joined NationsBank in Charlotte, N.C., as Senior Vice President, Portfolio Management, where he successfully diversified the nation's largest bank treasury portfolio into interest rate derivative and foreign government security products. Charlie rejoined the BMO organization in 1997.

Charlie received his BA from Washington University in St. Louis and his MBA from the University of Chicago.

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