Réal Raymond
President and Chief Executive Officer
National Bank of Canada

Réal Raymond, President and Chief Executive Officer of National Bank of Canada since March 2002, is responsible for the strategies, orientations and development of the Bank and its subsidiaries. In this capacity, he is supported by an executive committee comprised of eight of the Bank's most senior officers. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Raymond held the position of President and Chief Operating Officer.

Mr. Raymond has worked at the National Bank since 1970. In 1977, at the age of only 27, he became one of the youngest branch managers of the Montreal-based institution, before joining the Corporate Banking division in the mid-1980s. This marked the beginning of a rapid rise through the Bank.

In 1987, Mr. Raymond was promoted to Senior Manager - Corporate Banking, Eastern Canada, a position he held until 1989, when he was appointed Vice-President of that sector. In 1991, he became Senior Vice-President - Real Estate and Corporate Banking for all of Canada, after which his career moved more towards financial markets.

In 1992, Mr. Raymond was appointed Senior Vice-President - Treasury and Financial Markets, and in 1997 he joined the ranks of Lévesque Beaubien Geoffrion, the leading Quebec securities broker (which has since become National Bank Financial), as Senior Executive Vice-President. In the fall of 1999, he was appointed President - Personal and Commercial Bank, in which position he was responsible for the Bank's day-to-day operations. He continued in this position until his appointment as President and Chief Operating Officer in July 2001.

Mr. Raymond sits on the Board of Directors of the National Bank and is Chairman of the Board of the subsidiaries National Bank Trust and National Bank Life Insurance. In addition to his professional activities, Mr. Raymond is actively involved in a number of well-known Quebec institutions. He sits on the Board of the Fondation de l'UQAM, of St. Mary's Hospital Foundation and of the Cercle des Présidents. He is also President of the Quebec Association of MBAs and Vice-President of the Centre Immaculée Conception.

Réal Raymond has an MBA from the Université du Québec à Montréal and a diploma from the Université Laval and the Institute of Canadian Bankers. In 1990, Mr. Raymond successfully completed the renowned Executive Management Program at the University of Michigan.