John Kerr is Director, Corporate Risk & Insurance with BMO Bank of Montreal in Toronto, Ontario. Established in 1817 as Bank of Montreal, BMO Financial Group (TSX, NYSE:BMO) is a highly diversified financial services organization. With total assets of $375 billion as at July 31, 2008 and 37,365 employees, BMO provides a broad range of retail banking, wealth management and investment banking products and solutions.
His career in risk management and insurance began just over twenty years ago with Canada’s largest life insurer, the Manufacturers Life Insurance Company. Between then and now, he has worked in a variety of positions for the country’s largest property and casualty insurer, The Co-operators General Insurance Company; the commercial lines department of a mid-sized Toronto insurance broker; the risk management department of a multinational building products manufacturer, Indal Limited, and most recently prior to joining Bank of Montreal, the Canadian Universities Reciprocal Insurance Exchange.
He is a member of the Toronto Chapter of the Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS), a past President of the Canadian Insurance Accountants Association, and was also the founding chair of RIMS’ Technology Advisory Council.
He has spoken on risk management, insurance, and information technology issues to client and peer groups and has taught business applications courses at the York Board of Education.
He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario and his Canadian Risk Management (CRM) Diploma from the University of Toronto.
John lives with his wife Angela and their three daughters in Oakville, Ontario.