National Bank (the “Bank”) today announced that William “Bill” Bonnell, Executive Vice President, Risk Management, and Chief Risk Officer (CRO), will retire from his role effective November 1, 2024, while staying on as a strategic advisor for an interim period. On November 1, Jean-Sébastien Grisé, currently Senior Vice President and Chief Credit Officer, will be appointed as Mr. Bonnell’s successor. He will join the Bank’s Senior Leadership Team reporting directly to Laurent Ferreira, President and Chief Executive Officer. These changes are part of a rigorous succession planning and development process.
“On behalf of the Board and Senior Leadership Team, I would like to recognize Bill for his significant contributions to the Bank over his 23-year tenure and to our industry throughout his career. As our CRO over the last 12 years, Bill has been instrumental in perpetuating our strong risk culture and in steering us through every stage of the economic cycle. I look forward to continuing to benefit from his expertise and sound advice ahead of his well-deserved retirement,” said Laurent Ferreira.
Bill Bonnell joined the Bank in 2001, bringing international experience and deep expertise in credit and market risk management. He held leadership roles in credit risk management, proprietary trading and market risk management prior to his appointment as CRO in 2012. Mr. Bonnell also made his mark on the banking industry and community throughout his career, notably having served as chair of the board of directors of both the Risk Management Association and the International Financial Risk Institute as well as having served on the board of the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation.
Jean-Sébastien Grisé is a seasoned risk management executive who has held a succession of leadership roles since joining the Bank in 2015 as Vice President, Risk Management, Personal Banking, Wealth Management and SMEs. In 2016, his role was expanded to include credit risk management for Commercial Banking and in 2019, he was appointed Senior Vice President and Chief Credit Officer, Commercial, Retail and Wealth Management. He has held his current role since 2023. Previously, he worked for a multinational conglomerate for over 15 years in increasingly senior roles in credit-related functions. Mr. Grisé is a member of the Risk Management Association, Climate Risk Consortium since 2021 and has previously served as secretary of the board of the International Financial Risk Institute.
As CRO, Jean-Sébastien Grisé will be responsible for overseeing the management of financial and non-financial risks across the Bank and will lead our Risk Management and Compliance functions.
“I am pleased to welcome Jean-Sébastien to the Senior Leadership Team as Chief Risk Officer, following nearly a decade of close collaboration. His deep expertise and understanding of the Bank and its risk landscape, coupled with his strategic vision and unifying leadership, will serve as invaluable assets as he takes on this new role,” added Laurent Ferreira.