Darrel Hackett
Executive Vice-Chair and Senior Advisor, BMO Financial Group
Darrel Hackett serves as Executive Vice-Chair and Senior Advisor for BMO. In this capacity, he provides strategic counsel to the senior leadership team, supporting clients, community and stakeholder engagement.
Darrel joined BMO in 2004 and has held a variety of senior leadership roles. Most recently, in June 2023, he was appointed to serve as the U.S. CEO of BMO Financial Group, Chief Executive Officer of BMO Financial Corp., and President and Chief Executive Officer of BMO Bank N.A. – a top 10 U.S. bank by assets. In this role he was a member of BMO Financial Group’s Executive Committee and Chair of the U.S. Management Committee, responsible for leadership, strategy and performance of BMO’s U.S. operations.
Prior to this, Darrel served as President, BMO Wealth Management U.S. He also served as Senior Vice President & Head of North American Integrated Channels, Senior Vice President & Head, U.S. Business Banking, Regional President, Chicago Metro and Head, Acquisition and Integration Group.
Darrel has extensive board leadership experience. He has served on the BMO Financial Corp. Board of Directors since 2023, contributing to the Governance, Risk Oversight & Capital, and Fiduciary Committees. He also currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Art Institute of Chicago, The Clearing House, Rush University Medical Center, the Economic Club of Chicago and is a member of the Federal Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve Board.
Darrel has been recognized with several honors for his leadership and community impact, including the 2025 Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and the 2024 Arts Philanthropy Award by the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.
Darrel has a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business and a Bachelor of Science (cum laude) in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He is widely recognized for his commitment to business growth, community engagement, and leadership development across the financial services industry.