News Releases

CHICAGO, July 11, 2023 – For the eighth consecutive year, BMO U.S. has received a top score of 100 on the Disability Equality Index (DEI) and has been named among the Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion. The DEI is a comprehensive benchmarking tool that helps companies build a roadmap of measurable, tangible actions that they can take to achieve disability inclusion and equality in the workplace.

The DEI survey was launched in 2015 by Disability:IN and The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) and has served as a robust disability inclusion assessment tool for Fortune 1000 firms.

The 2023 DEI measured: Culture & Leadership (30 points); Enterprise-Wide Access (10 points); Employment Practices (40 points); Community Engagement (10 points); Supplier Diversity (10 points); and Non-U.S. Operations (not weighted).

“BMO’s commitment to disability inclusion is a prime example of how we carry out our Purpose, to Boldly Grow the Good in business and life,” said Vanessa Lewerentz, Chief Inclusion Officer, BMO. “BMO is dedicated to eliminating barriers to inclusion by continuing to build a diverse, equitable, and accessible culture. Achieving a score of 100 on the DEI for the eighth consecutive year is a testament to our continued focus and progress to building an inclusive society for our employees and the communities we serve.”

BMO Without Barriers

BMO Without Barriers is the company’s employee resource group for colleagues interested in issues related to visible and non-visible disabilities, with more than 3,000 members worldwide. Some of the initiatives the group has worked on in the past year include:

• Accessible design guidelines for all BMO spaces: Partnering with corporate real estate teams to create a more accessible work environment, reflected at both BMO Place (Toronto) and BMO Tower (Chicago).
• Accessibility Plan in Canada: Co-developing the actions BMO is taking to ensure a barrier-free Canada by 2040, informed by qualitative data from members and resulting in a feedback form on BMO.com.
• Accessibility Checker training: Creating learning for colleagues on how to review files created in the Microsoft product suite to improve accessibility.

For more information on the DEI report, or to download a free copy of the report, please visit: https://disabilityin.org/what-we-do/disability-equality-index/2023companies/

About BMO Financial Group
BMO Financial Group is the eighth largest bank in North America by assets, with total assets of $1.25 trillion as of April 30, 2023. Serving customers for 200 years and counting, BMO is a diverse team of highly engaged employees providing a broad range of personal and commercial banking, wealth management, global markets and investment banking products and services to over 13 million customers across Canada, the United States, and in select markets globally. Driven by a single purpose, to Boldly Grow the Good in business and life, BMO is committed to driving positive change in the world, and making progress for a thriving economy, sustainable future and inclusive society.

Media Contact:
Scott Doll, Chicago, scott.doll@bmo.com