Abhilash

Abhilash Menon

Senior Technology Officer, BMO Financial Group · Toronto, Canada

I am a senior technology leader in financial services, with two decades of experience modernizing finance and risk platforms — from legacy systems to cloud-based data and analytics. I think of my role as an orchestrator of change: mobilizing technology groups across the Enterprise, Finance, and Risk to turn strategy into scalable solutions.

I lead large-scale data integration and migration programs, direct multidisciplinary teams, and partner with business stakeholders to turn technology strategy into long-term value. Outside work, I co-direct a Buddhist meditation centre and write about technology, leadership, and living deliberately.

Experience

Senior Technology Officer · BMO Financial Group

Jul 2021 – Present

  • Report to the Managing Director of Finance Technology; lead large-scale data integration across Finance and Credit Risk systems in North America, grounded in agile and design thinking.
  • Manage full-time, contract, and offshore teams while partnering with Finance stakeholders to align technology strategy with business objectives.
  • Drive data integration for cloud-based planning and forecasting; lead Credit Risk data initiatives, including master/reference data automation and the ACL-PCL reporting redesign.
  • Oversee technology governance for 11 applications across Financial Performance & Analytics and Risk reporting, with a ~$5M annual budget.

Senior Technology Officer — Bank of the West integration · BMO Financial Group

2023

  • Led the Bank of the West Finance integration through planning and testing for Legal Day 1, coordinating Finance, Technology, and QA stakeholders.
  • Prioritized ~20% of critical applications delivering ~80% of the value, with a risk-based cutover and conversion strategy across source systems.
  • Streamlined IFRS 9 outputs into Finance Capital and Credit Risk reporting, and delivered efficiency gains through the ACL/PCL data automation program.

Co-Director · Buddhist meditation centre (FPMT-affiliated)

Aug 2023 – Present

  • Provide strategic support to the Centre Director and Board of Directors to realize the centre’s long-term vision and five-year objectives.
  • Lead fundraising and donor relationships; build and mobilize a core team of volunteers.
  • Oversee financial audits and support programming that sustains the continuity and quality of teachings.

Senior Technology Specialist · BMO Financial Group

Jun 2019 – Jan 2021

  • Defined and executed a roadmap to transform the portfolio’s legacy applications, reducing footprint by 25% (22 applications) over five years.
  • Transitioned L1/L2 support to a global partner for ~50% cost savings; assessed the impact of M&A and divestiture initiatives on financial systems.
  • Reimagined P&BB Finance reporting, migrating from the legacy WebFOCUS platform to Power BI.

Advisory IT Specialist · IBM

Jan 2015 – Jun 2019

  • Application support management and technology lead for strategic initiatives as part of IBM Global Business Services (client: BMO Financial Group).

Senior Technical Lead · IBM India

Mar 2010 – Jan 2015

  • Technology team lead at IBM Global Business Services for Bank of Montreal’s Corporate Finance portfolio.

Technical Consultant & Lead · Oracle

Jul 2005 – Mar 2010

  • Technology lead and business analyst for an equity-monitoring program for Deutsche Bank, covering position-monitoring and fixed-income compliance systems.

Skills

Data IntegrationPlatform & Cloud MigrationTechnology GovernanceCredit Risk & Finance ReportingAgile & Design ThinkingStakeholder ManagementTeam Leadership