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A trio of high-powered banking executives has joined new-to-Southern- California BMO Financial Group in Los Angeles to lead the $1.5 trillion bank’s wealth management, commercial banking and California operations.
The three veteran bankers have diverse backgrounds, joining from different banks and are based in BMO’s new office in Century City. Michele Havens was appointed BMO’s head of U.S. private wealth and will lead national operations from her office in Los Angeles. She will work alongside Tony Sciarrino, who was hired as head of U.S. Commercial Bank and Halé Behzadi as vice chair for California. All three executives will report directly to BMO’s U.S. chief executive Darrel Hackett.
“We had the opportunity to bring in some incredible senior talent. It wasn’t necessarily by design that we had three senior leaders right here in Southern California, but there’s great talent in this market. They’re going to be incredibly important as we continue to grow our presence here,” said Hackett, who sat down with Business by LA Times Studios last month to discuss the bank’s growth with the new executives.
Havens joined from Northern Trust Bank, where she worked for 24 years, most recently was the president of Northern Trust’s west region, is responsible for leading BMO’s U.S. wealth management business including family office, investment management and private banking. Sciarrino most recently led commercial operations across the western United States for JPMorgan Chase. Havens and Sciarrino are members of the BMO U.S. Management Committee.
Behzadi joined as vice-chair in a newly created role that will oversee operations in California. She will work to deepen client relationships, expand market share, and enhance brand awareness. She most recently served as chief executive of Citi Private Bank North America, where she led integrated sales teams across 23 North American offices.
The three new executives understand that they are joining a bank with a long history, but approach their roles with a chance to build and grow their respective divisions. In order to do so, the impetus is on collaboration - client needs cross over their unique business lines, requiring their touching base frequently.
“Ultimately we’re in the relationship business and, fortunately, we are hiring experienced people and many other people who have connections to the community,” said Havens.
For Behzadi, the opportunity to join BMO was based on the bank’s commitment to the market, culture and capabilities. Behzadi, who concluded a one-year term as chair of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp.’s board of directors last year, understands the needs of business owners in a diverse economy.
“Every day there’s new innovation, new wealth creation and an opportunity for us to jump in.”
— Tony Sciarrino
“You have to think about all the different ways people either create wealth or are engaged in business,” Behzadi said. “We work with all types of individuals, business leaders as well as very wealthy individuals so we have to align our specialty with what those people need and do it in partnership.”
The Bank of the West acquisition provided a foundation to bring on new employees who bring additional M&A capabilities, wealth management advisory and private banking expertise. In Southern California, that’s been important for clients in the media and finance space, as well as niche sectors such as the wine industry.
“Every day there’s new innovation, new wealth creation and an opportunity for us to jump in,” said Sciarriano.
Many successful business owners struggle with various aspects of running and transitioning a multi-generational business, and the BMO team expects to be highly collaborative when working with business owners and high-net-worth individuals, whether they have questions related to business operations, wealth management or other issues. One area that Havens cited as a consistent question was related to the idea of a family office, which manages wealth for an individual family, but can be costly to operate or creates concerns around risk and control. Many individuals forego a family office, she said, and outsource that work, but still desire the elevated client experience that would come from a dedicated office.
“You have to think about all the different ways people either create wealth or are engaged in business.”
— Halé Behzadi
Opening an office in Century City puts the bank at the center of Southern California’s sprawling – and incredibly powerful – key industries. A network of branches is important, but having an office located amidst myriad high-profile law firms, media and entertainment companies, and other professional services has elevated their ability to meet their clients wherever they are located. Engaging With a New Community BMO is headquartered in Montreal, with its U.S. headquarters in Chicago. While it has a deep history of doing business in California dating back 160 years, it historically had the deepest market penetration in the Midwest.
That changed with its $16.3 billion acquisition of Bank of the West in 2023 that added nearly 1.8 million customers and more than 500 additional branches, commercial banking and wealth management offices. Bank of the West was a West Coast regional bank with offices in nine states that was headquartered in San Francisco. The company had more than $90 billion in assets at the time of the acquisition. As of January 31, 2025, BMO Financial Group was the eighth largest bank in North America by assets, with total assets of $1.5 trillion.
BMO’s expansion occurred at a volatile time for the banking sector. Just a few weeks after the close of the Bank of the West acquisition, Silicon Valley Bank collapsed. This stunning development was followed shortly by the shuttering of both Signature Bank and First Republic Bank. The veteran banking executives saw that volatility in the market was seen as an opportunity for growth. “We’ve only begun, and you’re going to see us double down in this market in a big way. We’re going to be known as California’s bank and as the best commercial bank on the continent,” said Sciarriano.
After integrating operations with Bank of the West. BMO secured beneficial and highly noticeable partnerships with soccer teams LAFC and Angel City Football Club, in addition to naming rights to the now-named BMO Stadium in Exposition Park. Those deals stood as exemplary of how organizations that operate with a similar purpose reach out to, and want to do more, for their communities. BMO is also a partner with Major League Soccer teams CF Montréal, the Vancouver Whitecaps and Toronto FC.
“We partnered with them not just because they have an audience that is attractive to us, but they operate with a similar purpose. Our purpose is to boldly grow the good in business and life,” said Hackett.
Angel City allocates 10% of the partnership back into the community through the Angel City sponsorship model. For the BMO partnership, it supported Girls Play Los Angeles, which enables 400 high school-aged girls and non-binary youth across Los Angeles access to soccer.
It extended those local team partnerships this year with BMO “fan cards,” which are available with a BMO personal checking account. The card offers fans access to special team events, discounts on apparel and gear, and other exclusive perks. It partnered with LAFC’s Denis Bouanga and Angel City FC’s Madison Hammond to promote the fan cards with a new series of commercials.
“Ultimately, we’re in the relationship business. Fortunately, we are hiring experienced people who have connections to the community.”
— Michele Havens
A Comprehensive Wildfire Response With a Personal Story
When wildfires destroyed thousands of homes in Southern California, including several employees and customers, BMO responded by contributing $3 million to relief efforts, marking one of the largest donations from a financial services company. Sadly, Havens was among those who lost their homes.
“I couldn’t have been more touched by how well BMO showed up for me and my family. We have another colleague who also lost his home entirely and many, many others that were disrupted by the evacuations. Going forward, access is absolutely critical, and we’ve seen locally the banking community already come together,” said Havens.
