BMO Global Asset Management expands Into Australia

BMO GAM says Australian investors will benefit through greater access to a world-class team of asset managers and a group of professionals committed to service excellence.

Bank of Montreal (TSX:BMO) has had a presence in Australia since 2004, when BMO Capital Markets Ltd. opened a representative office in Melbourne offering investment and corporate banking services to global clients doing business in the Asia Pacific region.

“With BMO’s growing presence in Asia Pacific, we can offer our current and potential clients more investment options to choose from and easier access to our global network and wide breadth of expertise,” said Gilles Ouellette, president and CEO, private client group, BMO Financial Group.

“Australians have more money invested in managed funds per capita than any other economy so there’s tremendous upside for our asset management business in the region,” said Barry McInerney, co-CEO, BMO GAM. “Since the Australian superannuation system was made mandatory in 1992, it has grown significantly and is the fourth largest in the world.”

To lead the firm’s efforts in Australia, it has appointed Ravi Sriskandarajah as managing director, BMO GAM. Sriskandarajah has more than 15 years of asset management experience and was most recently head of institutional sistribution in Australia for one of the world’s largest asset managers. He will be based out of Melbourne and will spend a significant amount of time in Sydney as well.

BMO GAM’s expansion into Australia follows the 2012 opening of an office in Abu Dhabi.

BMO GAM provides asset management services through BMO Asset Management Inc. and BMO Asset Management Corp.’s multi-disciplined teams based in Toronto and Chicago/Milwaukee and a network of boutique managers strategically located across the globe.