BMO's Commitment to Inclusion and Future-Focused Learning Recognized with Four Brandon Hall Group Excellence Awards

• Gold and Bronze awards highlight BMO's leadership in making learning accessible to all employees

TORONTO, Aug. 27, 2020 /CNW/ - BMO Financial Group has been recognized by Brandon Hall Group for its continuing efforts to create a bold and inclusive workforce with the skills to meet existing and emerging customer needs.

BMO was honoured with four Human Capital Management Excellence Awards, which were announced virtually on August 20. An official ceremony will be held in January 2021 for the globally-renowned recipient organizations.

BMO received a Gold award for Best Use of Section 508 Requirements for Training – to recognize advances in creating barrier-free learning experiences for employees with disabilities – and three Bronze awards for Best Advance in Senior Manager Development, Best Certification Program, and Best Learning Team.

"We are proud to be recognized by Brandon Hall Group for our commitment to learning and inclusion and ensuring diverse groups – including those with disabilities – have equitable access to growth opportunities and advancement," said Karen Collins, Chief Talent Officer, BMO Financial Group. "Our approach to learning ensures employees have access to leading-edge programs and platforms that support their professional development and enable them to bring their best to our customers and communities."

The prestigious Brandon Hall Group Excellence Awards highlight organizations around the world that have experienced measurable results from successfully deployed programs, tools, and strategies. Award categories recognize learning and development, leadership development, talent management, and corporate initiatives that are evaluated based on need, design, functionality, innovation, and overall corporate benefits.

For more than 25 years, BMO has been at the forefront of corporate learning, investing more than $86 million annually in employee development.

"At BMO, we're passionate about creating an environment where everyone can thrive. A key way we level the playing field is through learning – by making it accessible to all employees, including those who use adaptive technology. The goal is to create solutions that hit the mark, with experiences that feel like they were 'made for me,'" said Gina Jeneroux, Chief Learning Officer, BMO Financial Group. "As we focus on innovating and building skills for today and the future, we champion opportunities for team members to learn and grow in ways that matter to them."

BMO's 2020 Brandon Hall Excellence Awards:

• Gold – Best Use of Section 508 Requirements for Training (Best Accessibility Solution): Awarded for BMO's learning design practices, which ensure programs are fully accessible and create an engaging experience for all employees – including those with disabilities. These practices are evident in the Learn fromDifference for All (LFD4A) program, created to deepen a culture of inclusion and belonging across the company and reinforce BMO's commitment to supporting a society with zero barriers to inclusion.
• Bronze –Best Advance in Senior Manager Development: Awarded for BMO's flagship Senior Leadership Development Program (SLDP), which was reimagined for leaders in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa to ensure the company's top global talent have access to the highest standards of leadership development. The program explores the unique opportunities and challenges that seasoned leaders encounter as they steer multi-layered teams and work horizontally across the organization to drive results.
• Bronze – Best Certification Program: Awarded for BMO Forward, BMO's "future of work" learning program. This program supports every employee in the company to build the skills they need for the digital future, including digi-tech, artificial intelligence, data science, and cybersecurity, along with "human" skills such as empathy, resilience, judgment, and cultural intelligence. Employees who develop and apply these skills earn digital badges – verified "micro-credentials" that highlight their achievements.
• Bronze – Best Learning Team: Awarded to recognize BMO's learning professionals who create cutting-edge solutions that empower employees to build the skills they need for their jobs, careers, and the future, as well as deliver results for customers and the company. Many of these solutions are anchored in BMO IFL (Institute for Learning) – a corporate university and a state-of-the-art facility that reflects the organization's commitment to learning and development – and BMO U, a dynamic, mobile platform that provides access to thousands of videos, podcasts, articles, courses, and other bite-sized learning experiences.

For more information on BMO's commitment to building a diverse and engaged workforce, visit: https://bmocareers.com/why-bmo/.

About BMO Financial Group
Serving customers for 200 years and counting, BMO is a highly diversified financial services provider - the 8th largest bank, by assets, in North America. With total assets of $974 billion as of July 31, 2020, and a team of diverse and highly engaged employees, BMO provides a broad range of personal and commercial banking, wealth management and investment banking products and services to more than 12 million customers and conducts business through three operating groups: Personal and Commercial Banking, BMO Wealth Management and BMO Capital Markets.

SOURCE BMO Financial Group

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