Bank of Montreal 2012 Annual Report Download - page 7

4 BMO Financial Group 195th Annual Report 2012
better decisions with better information and have
confidence in the choices they make. Never dictating
and certainly never preaching, we uphold a simple
commitment to making money make sense.
Banking, like all disciplines, can be approached in
many ways. Our preference is to work with customers
side by side; to demonstrate that it’s better when
employees are empowered to find better ways of doing
things – and that empowerment begins with confidence;
to be passionate about eliminating clutter and waste,
where fewer layers amount to greater simplicity; to insist
that those who work here take seriously their duty to
society as a whole; to live up to the expectation that
we manage our bank responsibly; and finally to drive
for higher performance on behalf of our shareholders,
to whom we’re ultimately accountable.
And so, when we thought about what to put on the
cover of our annual report this year, we knew we weren’t
talking about something new. It is the way of great
companies – they are defined by people. Breaking down
complex questions into simple answers galvanizes this
bank and drives our market-defining promise. It is who
we are. The result is confident customers. We wouldn’t
have it any other way.
Last year we spoke of fundamental truths that
continue to matter even in a world of persistent change,
and how our commitment to customers would help them
to make sense of an uncertain time. In the intervening 12
months the world has seen tangible progress on the path
Appropriately, the 195th review of BMO’s achievements and
future goals pays tribute to the people whose interests we
serve, whose support we depend on and whose successes
are inextricably linked with our own. This report is
intended to speak to the bank’s stakeholders, personally,
about the ways in which our relationship with each of
them contributes to building the value of the company.
The beliefs we share here are the source of the strategic
decisions we make and of our confidence in the bank’s
ability to grow in a sustainable way.
Taken as a whole, the annual report to shareholders
speaks to both the bank’s financial measures of performance
and our confidence in the strategic priorities that guide
us as we pursue our longer-term objectives.
But fundamentally, this report is about people: the
passion and commitment of 46,000 employees who
serve customers so well, every day, and the loyalty and
repeat business of more than 12 million customers living
and working in Canada, the United States and markets
beyond. It is about our relationship with thousands of
suppliers, and as many communities, where our brand
represents the bank’s clear commitment to what we
believe matters to people. And it’s about what’s important
to the many millions of individual shareholders who own
our shares – outright or through mutual funds and
retirement accounts – and to those who manage
investments on their behalf.
Simplifying customers’ lives
It is our conviction that complexity can be translated.
Central to this is the belief that it is our job to help
customers have control of their financial lives, make
The Power
of Confidence
President and Chief Executive Officer’s Message