BMO Financial Group today announced that Jacques Nantel, secretary general of HEC Montréal, has joined its advisory council on retirement. In addition, Mel Cappe, president and CEO of the Institute for Research on Public Policy, now chairs the council.

The other members of the council are: Dr. Michael Baker; Don Coxe; Allan Gregg; Elena Hoffstein; Moshe Milevsky; and Pamela Wallin.

“On behalf of BMO, I am pleased to welcome Dr. Nantel to our advisory council and I thank Mel for accepting the role of Chair,” said Kris Vikmanis, head of retirement marrket, BMO Financial Group. “Our Council looks beyond the financials of retirement, to explore issues like health and wellness, professional and career development, elder care and philanthropy to ensure we are coming up with creative ways to meet the broader needs of our clients.”

BMO has leveraged the council’s expertise to develop materials and solutions for clients and to help educate BMO employees about retirement-related issues. Several members have participated in BMO’s podcast series, which examines a range of issues impacting Canadian boomers.

“I have been tracking consumer behaviour since the start of my career and I look forward to sharing my findings, in particular those related to the baby boomer generation, which has so marked our society in the last five decades,” said Nantel

“Our role is to provide insight and guidance to BMO regarding the issues, strategies and solutions related to the ‘new retirement’ that baby boomers are facing,” said Cappe.

Cappe has held the position of president and CEO of the Institute for Research on Public Policy in Montreal since June 1, 2006. Before that, he spent more than 30 years in the Canadian public service, including postings as Canadian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Deputy Minister of several departments and Clerk of the Privy Council.

Since March 2007, Nantel, has been secretary general of HEC Montréal, the oldest business school in Canada and among the world’s top-rated. His work focuses mainly on the impact of new technologies on consumer behaviour and the marketing strategies of organizations.