BMO Financial Group: Boldly Growing the Good

BMO Financial Group is a Canadian chartered bank and the 8th largest bank in North America by assets. Offering a wide range of services from commercial and corporate banking to personal banking and trust services, it employs approximately 56,000 full-time employees. BMO employees are guided by the banks purpose, Boldly Grow the Good in business and life, by shared values of integrity, diversity, responsibility, and empathy, and by the commitments BMO has made to driving progress: for a thriving economy, a sustainable future, and an inclusive society.

Our Partnership

Gowan Consulting has been a workplace partner to BMO since 2003, providing a variety of services to enhance workplace health and wellbeing, including:

  • Ergonomic assessments and training for individuals and groups
  • Work accommodation assessments and intervention
  • Job and success coaching
  • Training delivered to BMO teams, including the following topics: Disability Awareness Training (Neurodiversity, seizure awareness, scent sensitivity, hearing and sensory limitations, etc.); Unconscious Bias in the Workplace; Mental Health and Resilience for Employees; Manager Mental Health Training; Psychological Health in the Workplace; and various health and wellbeing topics for employees and managers.
  • Consulting services on: ergonomic seating standards; input device standards; assistive technology; workstation design for the North American Call Centre in Mississauga and Toronto shared office hoteling space; and design plans for customer areas to ensure accessibility for older adults.

Key Initiatives and Achievements

 
Providing Accommodations during Onboarding and Training

During 2010-2012, as part of BMO’s efforts to create an employee base that reflects the diversity of the community they serve, Gowan was involved in assessing and providing work accommodation support to employees with disabilities during their onboarding and training process to ensure the employees had the support they needed to succeed.

 
Supporting Diverse Suppliers

BMO has demonstrated its passion and advocacy for Canadian supplier diversity through several initiatives, including its Supplier Diversity Program, and growth initiatives that set supplier diversity goals at the line-of-business level.

BMO was awarded “Top Corporation in Supplier Diversity” at WBE Canada’s 2022 Excellence Awards, recognizing their leadership in advancing supplier diversity in Canada. In 2019, the bank invited Gowan Consulting to join WBE. In 2023, they nominated Gowan as Diverse Supplier of the Year, and Gowan was one of three finalists.