Laurentian Bank Financial Group is recognized within the Canadian banking industry as a pioneer in corporate governance. Notably, it was the first in 1987 to separate the functions of chairman of the Board of Directors from those of President and Chief Executive Officer. Moreover, its policies and corporate governance rules meet the highest standards of the Canadian banking and financial industry. All of the members of the Board of Directors, apart from the President and Chief Executive Officer, are independent and unaffiliated with management.
Governance and
Social Responsibility
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Executive Committee
RANIA LLEWELLYN
President and Chief Executive Officer
Rania Llewellyn is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Laurentian Bank. Her appointment in 2020 was history in the making as she became the first woman to lead a major Canadian chartered bank. Under Rania’s leadership, Laurentian is a very different bank than it was two years ago. She quickly set into motion a new three-year strategic plan centred around the customer and underpinned by a new purpose to change banking for the better by seeing beyond numbers to bring hopes and dreams to life.
Having immigrated from the Middle East in her teenage years, it’s precisely these hopes and dreams of other new Canadians that Rania shares, and yet she keenly understands the many barriers they face. The challenges and opportunities she has experienced, both as an immigrant and a woman in a male-dominated industry, has inspired her to build the bank she always wanted to work for – one with a culture that views equality, diversity and inclusion as strengths and where everyone feels like they belong and has the chance to thrive. Her relentless focus on improving the customer experience and driving growth and shareholder value has earned her wide recognition and awards, including the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s Business Leader of the Year Award in 2023, being named on Maclean’s 2022 The Power List, and being included as one of the Top 25 Women of Influence in 2021.
Rania’s career in banking spans more than 27 years. Prior to joining Laurentian, she held various leadership roles at Scotiabank, where she began her career as a part-time teller. She holds Bachelor of Commerce and MBA degrees from Saint Mary’s University where she focused on Finance, Marketing and International Business. In 2022, Ontario Tech University awarded her with an Honorary Doctor of Laws, and she received an Honorary Doctor of Commerce from Saint Mary’s in 2014.
KARINE ABGRALL-TESLYK
Executive Vice President, Head of Personal Banking
As Executive Vice President, Head of Personal Banking, Karine Abgrall-Teslyk leads Laurentian’s “One Team” approach to Personal Banking, which includes the Quebec branch network, Products, Marketing, Digital Banking and B2B Bank.
Ms. Abgrall-Teslyk has 25 years of financial services experience, including retail distribution, transformation strategy, sales effectiveness, commercial banking and wealth management.
Prior to joining Laurentian Bank, Ms. Abgrall-Teslyk served as a Regional Vice President at a leading Canadian financial institution, heading one of its largest workforces to gain among the highest regional market share growth in 2020. She also grew its online brokerage business by implementing a customer focused culture and agile mindset, and previously served as a District Vice President in the Quebec & Eastern Ontario Region. Ms. Abgrall-Teslyk spent the majority of her career in Quebec at another major Canadian Bank in progressively senior roles. She has proven track record of designing and implementing significant transformational programs at both financial institutions.
Karine Abgrall-Teslyk holds a Bachelor of Commerce and an MBA from HEC Montreal.
SÉBASTIEN BÉLAIR
Executive Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer
As Executive Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer, Sébastien Bélair is responsible of the Bank’s strategy of engaging and empowering employees to work collaboratively as One Team. His focus is on building high-performing teams in an inclusive workplace where employees feel both inspired and proud to work.
Over his 30-year career in banking, Mr. Bélair served in a number of senior leadership roles, including as SVP, Human Resources Strategy and Efficiency at a leading Canadian financial institution. He has developed an in-depth knowledge of several sectors of activity, having worked in retail banking, call centres, operations, relationship management and transformation. He has a proven track record of driving results, finding innovative solutions and promoting diversity in the workplace.
Mr. Bélair holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Administration from HEC Montréal and an Executive Master of Business Administration from Queen’s University.
BINDU CUDJOE
Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary
Bindu Cudjoe is Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary for Laurentian Bank of Canada leading, managing, and overseeing the Bank’s legal, regulatory and compliance functions as well as matters related to corporate governance and reputational risks.
Before joining Laurentian Bank, Ms. Cudjoe held the position of Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary at Canadian Western Bank (CWB). Previously, Ms. Cudjoe worked in increasingly senior positions at BMO Financial Group and practised law at both Borden Ladner Gervais and McMillan LLP, where she served as partner.
Bindu Cudjoe holds a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from the University of Toronto and a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Calgary.
YVES DENOMMÉ
Executive Vice President, Operations
Yves Denommé is Executive Vice President, Operations. In this capacity, Mr. Denommé is responsible for driving efficiencies across the organization, reducing complexities and improving and streamlining end-to-end processes to improve the customer experience.
Before joining the Bank, Mr. Denommé served as Senior Vice President of Registries at an international leader and pioneer in electronic land registration systems and commerce. In that role, he oversaw partnerships with government to deliver essential services, while pursuing a growth and innovation mandate in the real estate and property markets. Previously, he spent 16 years with a global Fintech leader where he held several executive positions including leadership of global operations. Mr. Denommé’s experience spans financial services, operations, strategy, procurement, real estate, enterprise project management and technology.
Mr. Denommé holds a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering and Management from McMaster University, and an Executive Master of Business Administration from the University of Toronto. Additionally, he holds the Chartered Director certification.
YVAN DESCHAMPS
Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer
Yvan Deschamps is Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer. In this capacity, he is responsible for activities related to finance, accounting, treasury, taxation, investor relations and corporate development.
Mr. Deschamps joined the Bank in 2016 as Vice President, Corporate Development where he was responsible for evaluating M&A projects as part of the Bank’s strategic plan as well as overseeing investor relations. He then served as Senior Vice President, Finance, Accounting and Corporate Development gradually on-boarding additional responsibilities as part of a transition to his current role. Yvan’s 25+ year career spans the banking and financial sectors; media and telecommunications industries; pension funds and private equity; and aerospace and defense industries. He is recognized for his business acumen, negotiating skills and leadership in managing multi-disciplinary teams.
Mr. Deschamps holds a Bachelor of Business Administration and an M.Sc. Finance from the University of Sherbrooke. He is also a Certified Professional Accountant (CPA).
KELSEY GUNDERSON
Executive Vice President, Capital Markets
Kelsey Gunderson is Executive Vice President, Capital Markets and President and Chief Executive Officer of Laurentian Bank Securities. He is responsible for all the Group’s capital markets activities.
With 25 years of experience in the financial industry, Mr. Gunderson has held various management positions with major financial institutions and brokerage firms in Canada and the United States. He has developed a strategic vision and extensive expertise in capital markets and with institutional clients. He joined the organization in 2019.
Mr. Gunderson holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of British Columbia and an MBA from McMaster University, School of Business.
WILLIAM MASON
Executive Vice President, Chief Risk Officer
William Mason is Executive Vice President, Chief Risk Officer for the Group and is responsible for risk management, credit management and legal affairs.
Prior to joining the Group, Mr. Mason held the position of Managing Director, Bank Supervision with the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI). He has also spent more than 30 years with financial institutions in various senior management roles including asset liability management, risk management, treasury and capital markets.
ÉRIC PROVOST
Executive Vice President, Head of Commercial Banking and President, Quebec Market
As Executive Vice President, Head of Commercial Banking, Éric Provost is responsible for leading the Commercial Business Services activities in offering comprehensive financing solutions and expertise to businesses through real estate financing, commercial banking, as well as equipment and inventory financing. These activities cover a range of different sectors across Canada and the U.S., including Transportation, Construction, Technology and Office Equipment, Manufacturing, Corporate Aviation and Recreational Products. He also serves as the CEO’s key lieutenant in the Quebec market and advises the CEO on ways to grow the Bank’s presence and market share in Quebec.
Prior to joining Laurentian Bank in 2012, Éric held various senior management positions over a 12-year period at a leading commercial lender including Vice President – Commercial, Manufacturing sector for Eastern Canada, as well as Vice President, Commercial Excellence.
BEEL YAQUB
Executive Vice President, Chief Information Technology Officer
Beel Yaqub is Executive Vice President, Chief Information Technology Officer. In this capacity, he is responsible of overseeing Laurentian Bank’s network infrastructure, cyber security, data privacy and management, application engineering, cloud enablement and IT vendor management.
Prior to joining Laurentian Bank, Beel served as Chief Data Officer and Senior Vice President at a major Canadian bank. With more than 20 years of experience, he has a solid track record in leading transformational change and driving performance across multiple technology and business disciplines.
He holds an MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business.
ESG Report
Donation
Laurentian Bank Financial Group has always been actively involved in local communities by way of its donations to non-profit organizations. We participate in socioeconomic life by offering the financial products and services needed by individuals and businesses, as well as by thinking globally and acting locally as a socially responsible corporate citizen.
DONATION PROGRAM
We are committed to corporate responsibility via the donations it makes to a diverse range of organizations active in the communities in which we operate. More specifically, we support initiatives that can generate significant benefits for local communities.
HOW TO SUBMIT A REQUEST FOR A DONATION
Given the large number of requests received daily, only organizations whose requests have been accepted will be contacted.
We encourage you to consult the list of ineligible requests before submitting yours.
Please fill out the request form and submit by e-mail to:
Donation@lbcfg.ca