Darrel Hackett is the U.S. Chief Executive Officer of BMO Financial Group, after having served as President of BMO Wealth Management – U.S. since 2014. In this role, he is responsible for the overall performance for BMO Financial Group’s private wealth management businesses throughout the United States. The U.S. wealth management business accounts for over $130 billion in AUM/AUA and provides the full complement of wealth management and family office services, delivered by a team of 1,000+ professionals.
Darrel has held a variety of leadership roles since joining BMO in 2004. He formerly served as Senior Vice President & Head of North American Integrated Channels, where he was accountable for developing and executing BMO Financial Group’s multichannel strategy to optimize distribution channel mix (i.e., digital, branch, ATM), performance and functionality in the United States and Canada. Other key roles include Senior Vice President & Head, US Business Banking; Regional President – Chicago Metro; and Head, Acquisition and Integration Group where he led the integration of 7 bank acquisitions.
Before joining BMO, Darrel was a management consultant at McKinsey & Company. During this time, he led strategic engagements with Fortune 500 companies, with an emphasis on Financial Institutions. Darrel also held a variety of roles at the General Electric Company, where he began his professional career.
Darrel has a master’s of business administration from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business and a bachelor of science (cum laude) in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Darrel serves as an independent board director for Glatfelter (NYSE: GLT), a global B2B engineered materials supplier. He also is on the board of directors of BMO Harris Bank N.A., the board that governs BMO Financial Group’s principal banking subsidiary in the United States. Darrel’s civic involvement includes serving on the Board of Directors for the Art Institute of Chicago, the Rush University Medical Center, and Chicago United. He is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago (Membership Committee), Economic Club of Chicago, and the Executive Leadership Council. Some of Darrel’s recognitions include Savoy Magazine’s “100 Most Influential Blacks in Corporate America” and “Most Influential Black Corporate Directors”, 2020 Women In Capital Markets – Champion of Change, 2009 Crain’s Chicago Business “40 Under 40” and 2007 Chicago United – Business Leader of Color.