.png)
Michelle Joliat has just begun a new role at Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan as the Managing Director, Project Delivery. Previously Michelle was the Managing Director and Head, Wealth Digitization, Robotics and Process Transformation at BMO Financial Group.
Michelle is a transformative leader that puts results and people first. With a background in STEM (B.Sc, M.Sc. MBA), management consulting, and entrepreneurship, Michelle has founded, grown, restructured, and saved companies. Michelle has worked across many industries including financial services, aviation, aerospace, pharmaceuticals, non-profit, diversified media and broadcasting, utilities, manufacturing, and others.
Michelle has led digital transformation for the last six years at RBC and BMO. In 2014 when RBC wanted to innovate and build its first Agile lab, Michelle was the leader that was chosen to develop and grow this new capability, methodology and team. With Michelle’s background and her ability to quickly learnand adapt, she thrived in software development and led RBC Wealth Management to a Global Private Banking Award for the 'Best Initiative of the Year in relationship management technology 2015' for the goals-based planning application myGPS TM (known as the most prestigious private banking award with over 190 submissions from over 60 countries). Michelle subsequently helped build RBC’s Agile Centre of Excellence.
In 2017 Michelle moved to a net new role in BMO Wealth Management as the Accountable Executive leading Digitization, Digital, Robotics, and Process Transformation. Michelle was responsible for the development of Wealth’s new client facing online portal (launched January 2019) and the North American Digitization Program across Nesbitt Burns (Investment Advisory business), InvestorLine (online brokerage) and both the Canadian and US Private Banks. Michelle founded the Robotics team within BMO Wealth Management and bots have been implemented that improve client experience, generate millions of dollars a year in revenues and cost savings, as well as avoid privacy breaches and account omissions.
In November 2019 Michelle received three prestigious awards including “Canada’s Tech Titans: Top 19 of 2019”, Outstanding Achievement of the Year at the 2019 Women in Finance Awards Canada, as well as Woman of the Year at the 2019 Women in IT Awards Canada.
Tips from recent article featuring Michelle: By Ginny Hamilton Community manager for The Enterprisers Project
"Teamwork and communication are among the core soft skills I believe IT leaders need today. Teamwork is vital to ensure everyone in the business and technology not only work together, but are also supportive of each other and truly collaborative. "
"To hone these skills, teams should work to get as close to clients and end users as possible. Engage in active dialogues, ask questions in Human Centered Design sessions, make sure you fully understand client and end user needs. Not only will this help build your communication skills, it will also foster transparency and teamwork."