Bank of Montreal (TSX:BMO) has appointed the head of its Canadian banking division, Frank Techar, as chief operating officer (COO) of the overall bank.

Techar, president and CEO of personal and commercial banking for Canada, will become COO on November 1, assuming overall responsibility for the bank’s personal & commercial and wealth businesses along with its retail distribution channels. The move is designed to create greater alignment between North American personal, commercial and wealth businesses. Reporting lines for BMO Capital Markets remain unchanged.

The move was announced Wednesday by Bill Downe, president and CEO of the bank. “Customers are served best by bankers and teams who are able to integrate product and service in a seamless package, not constrained by organizational boundaries,” said Downe. “The efficiency and stewardship that comes from looking at these businesses through a common lens will allow us to respond, at the right pace, to changing market conditions, new trends, and disruptive technologies.”

Techar said, “To continue building a successful company we must increasingly anticipate changes in the way financial services are purchased and consumed, deploying new capabilities and enabling technology. I’m looking forward to working more closely with Gilles Ouellette (president and CEO of BMO’s private client group) and Mark Furlong (president and CEO, BMO Harris Bank, N.A.), as we focus on these opportunities across our businesses.”

Prior to taking over Canadian banking in July 2006, Techar also led the bank’s U.S. personal and commercial business from 2002 to 2006, and was president and CEO of BMO’s Chicago-based Harris Bankcorp, Inc. He began his career at BMO in the corporate banking division in the U.S. and UK.

He currently serves on the United Way of Greater Toronto’s Board of Trustees, he is a director of St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto and has been named a Life Trustee of Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. Techar is also a member of the executive council of the Canadian Bankers Association (CBA). He has a Bachelor of Science and Engineering degree from Princeton University and an MBA from the University of Denver.