About

Simon Fish’s extensive list of initiatives to shape and innovate within the legal profession have not gone unnoticed, with peers singing his praises for being the best in the field. One nominator describes him as ‘an exemplar of the pursuit of excellence in the practice of law, dedication to his clients and commitment to the broader world’. Fish took up his role as executive vice president and general counsel of BMO Financial Group, the operating valve of the Bank of Montreal, in 2008, a Canadian chartered bank offering investment, brokerage, corporate, commercial and personal banking and trust services throughout the world. There he is described as having ‘restructured’ and ‘breathed new life’ into the legal and compliance team, helping the bank navigate its way successfully through the financial crisis. Prior to this role he enjoyed stints in the mining industry where he served as executive vice president general counsel of Vale and earlier in oil and gas as vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary of Shell Canada. He has been instrumental in BMO’s legal group being viewed, both internally and externally, as a high performing team boasting some of the highest employee engagement levels in the bank. Fish is also known for promoting diversity and inclusion as he is a founding member of Legal Leaders for Diversity, a group of progressive general counsel who have committed to advancing diversity in their legal departments. Additionally, Fish helped BMO further expand its banking and wealth management businesses through several recent transactions including: a joint venture with COFCO Trust Co. (one of China’s largest, state-owned enterprises) in 2012, the acquisition of Hong Kong based Lloyd George in 2013, the $1.3bn acquisition of UK-based F&C Asset Management in 2014 and the US$8.7bn acquisition of GE Capital’s transportation finance business in the US and Canada in 2015. Fish’s team spearheaded the creation of the Environmental, Social and Governance Report (ESG) and public accountability statement detailing how BMO manages the environmental, social and governance impacts of its business. Fish is described by a source as the ‘epitome of how the general counsel of a major corporation can promote the welfare of the corporation and its multiple constituencies’. It is clear that Fish has displayed exemplary aptitude and talent, paving the way for other general counsel in the region. Fish was named Canada’s general counsel of the year in 2013 and ranked among Canada’s Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers in the legal profession in 2014.