Bank of Montreal has appointed Chicago-based lawyer Christine Edwards to its board of directors, the bank announced on Tuesday.

Edwards is a partner in Winston & Strawn’s corporate practice group. Her focus is on the regulation of the financial services industry—particularly the securities and banking industries—as well as corporate governance and public and regulatory policy issues.

“We are pleased to welcome Christine to the board of directors,” said David Galloway, chairman of the board. “She is a well-respected lawyer with deep expertise in financial services, and is also actively involved in the civic life of Chicago – a key market for BMO.”

Edwards has worked for over 25 years in the financial services industry. Prior to joining Winston & Strawn, she was the executive vice-president and chief legal officer at Bank One Corporation, a predecessor to JPMorgan Chase, with responsibilities for the Company’s Law, Compliance, Regulatory and Government Relations functions. She has also served as executive vice-president and chief legal officer for such financial services firms as Morgan Stanley and ABN AMRO, North America.

Edwards serves on number of civic and educational boards. She is a member of the board of trustees, the executive and nominating and governance committees and chair of the audit committee for Rush University Medical Center.

She serves on the board of visitors of the University of Maryland School of Law and the board of the Chicago Network. She is also a vice-president and board member of the Chicago Finance Exchange, and a member of the oversight board of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Center for Capital Markets Competitiveness.

Edwards received a B.A. in English and Education in 1974 from the University of Maryland (College Park) and a J.D., with honours, from the University of Maryland School of Law (Baltimore) in 1983.

IE