News Releases

Harris Nesbitt Hires Investment Banking Veteran for Growing Healthcare Group

NEW YORK, June 27, 2005 – Harris Nesbitt, the U.S. investment and corporate banking arm of BMO Financial Group (NYSE, TSX: BMO), today announced it has hired Christine Gallagher as a Managing Director in its Healthcare Group.

Ms. Gallagher joins a team of twelve investment banking professionals focusing on the healthcare industry and will be responsible for leading Harris Nesbitt's life sciences effort. She will be based in New York.

With 20 years of experience, Ms. Gallagher was most recently a Managing Director at CE Unterberg, Towbin in New York, where she built and headed its healthcare group covering companies in biotechnology, specialty pharmaceutical and medical device sectors. During her 14 year tenure at JP Morgan Chase, she was a Managing Director of its healthcare group and prior to that a Vice President of Mergers and Acquisitions.

"We are thrilled to have Christine join Harris Nesbitt. She will be responsible for expanding our presence in the Life Sciences sector, a growing and dynamic market, and her vast knowledge and industry experience will serve our clients well," said Jim Love, Head of the Healthcare Group at Harris Nesbitt.

Ms. Gallagher completed her undergraduate studies at Colgate University where she graduated magna cum laude with a degree in Biology and received an MBA degree from New York University's Stern School of Business. In addition, she began her career conducting medical research at New York University Medical Centerand Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research.

For more than 11 years, Harris Nesbitt has helped biotechnology pharmaceutical, medical devices and healthcare service companies by providing financial, strategic and M&A advice.

Healthcare is one of ten sectors covered by Harris Nesbitt. The other industry groups to which the firm provides full-service investment products and services are: Consumer & Leisure; Commercial & Industrial; Business Services; Energy & Power; Financial Institutions; Financial Sponsors; Media, Communications & Technology, Real Estate & Construction; and Food & Agribusiness.

Harris Nesbitt is an investment and corporate bank offering clients access to a full range of products and services including investment and corporate banking, treasury services, market risk management, institutional investing and research. Harris Nesbitt is part of Harris, an integrated financial services organization providing more than 1.5 million personal, business, corporate and institutional clients with banking, lending, investing and financial management solutions. Harris Nesbitt is a member of BMO Financial Group (NYSE, TSX: BMO). For more information, please visit www.harrisnesbitt.com.