Dream big, dream bold: One student’s journey to a career in finance with BMO

Anthony Foti was ready to make the jump to a career in finance.  

A fourth-year undergrad in McMaster University’s Bachelor of Commerce program, he’d been funding his schooling with a summer job selling trampolines. Then he read a news article about BMO, and his future career path came into focus. 

“The piece was about the launch of BMO’s purpose, Boldly Grow the Good in business and life,” says Anthony. “I didn’t have a lot of relevant experience at the time, so I was looking for a company that would take a chance on an underdog like me. That purpose statement was like a lightning bolt. This was obviously a company that had a strong culture, and that cared about its people. I knew that if I could get in the door with BMO, it would open up opportunities.” 

Months later, as he was preparing to return to McMaster to pursue his MBA, Anthony made his move. After scouring BMO’s LinkedIn jobs page, he applied for – and secured – a summer position with Technology & Operations as a Trade Desk Support Analyst for BMO Capital Markets. He calls the role “a monumental leap from trampoline sales”.  

“It was an intense, fast-paced work environment,” he says. “And the stakes were high. I was processing multi-million-dollar trades. But they put me through an incredibly deep onboarding process, and I was well supported, so I got comfortable in the role pretty quickly.”  

Anthony’s first experience with BMO was so positive that he began exploring additional opportunities within the bank. By taking advantage of the networking opportunities provided by the bank’s Student Experience Program, he was able lock in a winter co-op internship as an Analyst on BMO Private Wealth’s Investment Manager Research (IMR) team.  

“I was interested in the advisory function of a bank, but I didn’t know what it really entailed,” says Anthony. “That role gave me the opportunity to work with advisors by building and back testing the custom portfolios they used in pitches to ultra-high net worth clients. By the end of my four-month placement, I had helped bring in over $100 million in new assets to the firm.” Excited to continue his work with the IMR team, Anthony rejoined them for his third internship.  

During his time with IMR, one of Anthony’s responsibilities was to host conferences for BMO Investment Advisors and Counsellors. A chance encounter led to the final placement of his MBA – an analyst position with the National Accounts team of BMO Global Asset Management (GAM). “I met the team at a conference and was intrigued with their work,” says Anthony. “They build relationships with dealer head offices and integrated dealer/manufacturers, ensuring that BMO GAM investment products are approved for advisor use, incorporated into fund-of-fund programs, and featured on dealer platforms. This placement felt like the sweet spot for me – it combined my experience in Private Wealth with the sales component I loved about the advisory space.” 

Sweetest of all was the news Anthony received at the end of his placement with BMO GAM: He had landed a full-time position with the National Accounts team as an Associate. It was the culmination of more than two years of bold decisions and hard work. 

Reflecting on his journey from applicant to intern to full time employee, Anthony offers this advice to student interns looking to break into the financial services industry. “First, be intentional about networking. The more people you have meaningful conversations with, the better you’ll understand how the business works, and the more opportunities you’ll see,” says Anthony. “Second, make your goals known. The people in your network can’t help you if you can’t articulate your career aspirations. And third: when in doubt, say yes. Don’t be afraid to stretch, to push your boundaries, and to try new experiences. BMO is all about being bold, and I took that to heart.”