Since December 2000, Stephen Fay has been a senior leader with Indigenous Banking at BMO Financial Group. In his various roles up to the present, Stephen is accountable for developing long-term strategic recommendations that allow BMO to pursue opportunities in the Indigenous market. Stephen also serves as a leader externally, advocating and representing BMO Financial Group, developing and nurturing relationships with leaders and associations at the national level, and leading the development and positioning of holistic financial solutions.

Stephen began his career with BMO in 1980 and has extensive experience through a range of roles including Assistant Manager, Branch Manager and Commercial Account Manager. As a Commercial Account Manager, he was accountable for managing BMO’s relationship with one of Canada’s largest First Nation communities. In 1998, Stephen assumed the role of Commercial Banking Area Manager, and was accountable for a large team of Account Managers, including those managing Indigenous files.

Since joining Indigenous Banking, Stephen has been instrumental in establishing the first On-Reserve Housing Loan Program in western Canada and for negotiating BMO’s participation in the First Nation Market Housing Fund, established by the Federal Government in 2007. Stephen has contributed to several other industry “firsts”, some of the most notable being his involvement in arranging financial support for the first Indigenous owned dialysis and MRI clinics in Canada.

Stephen is a graduate of Wilfred Laurier University, with a degree Economics and Political Science. He has been a member of the Aboriginal Financial Officer’s Association since 2004. Stephen also served a full term on the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business Board of Directors.