Bank of Montreal

Bank of Montreal's Bill Downe, the longest-serving chief executive officer among Canada's largest lenders, will retire Oct. 31 after spending a decade expanding the nation's oldest bank through acquisitions in the U.S. and overseas.

BMO recently won a diversity award for reaching its goal of having women in 40% of senior management jobs, and CEO Bill Downe argues equal treatment of employees will carry over to fair treatment of customers and create long-term profits for shareholders.

Canadian banks hope to create an environment where consumers have more control over who is able to view their personal data.