Erminia (Ernie) Johannson

Ernie Johannson serves as Senior Advisor to BMO Financial Group. Ernie was most recently BMO’s Group Head of North American Personal and Business Banking, a member of the bank’s Executive Committee, and co-head of the bank’s North American Personal & Commercial Banking line of business. In that role, Ernie led a highly engaged team responsible for helping 10 million personal and business banking customers make real financial progress.

During her tenure, Ernie supported BMO’s efforts to accelerate growth, building on her passion for delivering exceptional customer service and her track record of innovating and generating sustainable growth in a rapidly changing environment. She was instrumental in BMO’s acquisition and integration of Bank of the West, which doubled the size of BMO’s Personal & Business Banking business in the U.S. in 2023. That same year, she also led the acquisition of AIR MILES, Canada’s top loyalty rewards program with nearly 10 million collectors.

Under her leadership, the Personal and Business Banking teams were recognized for best-in-class products and customer experience, including ranking number one in the J.D. Power 2023 Canada Retail Banking Satisfaction Study. The team also earned prestigious recognitions in Canada and the United States for digital innovation and customer experience, including being named one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company.

Since joining BMO in 2012, Ernie has delivered results leading diverse businesses and corporate groups, including serving as Chief Risk Officer for Canadian Personal & Commercial Banking and North American Personal and Business Banking. Before joining BMO, Ernie was Executive Vice President of Customer Strategy and Integration at Fidelity Investments, and held senior positions at CIBC, including Senior Vice President of Marketing and Strategy, and Senior Vice President of Credit Cards.

Ernie chairs the board of the Canadian Bankers Association. She previously served on the boards of the U.S. Consumer Bankers Association, Payments Canada and Moneris Solutions Corporation and was chair of the Canadian Marketing Association.

American Banker magazine included Ernie on its list of the Most Powerful Women in Banking for six consecutive years, starting in 2019. In 2020, Forbes named her one of the 13 Women Changing the Money Industry not Even the Coronavirus can Stop, and in 2022 she was named to Women Inc.’s list of the Most Influential Women Executives in Corporate America.