Matthew Lombardi has been with BMO Financial Group for twenty years, stepping into the contingent talent space in 2014. Now, as the head of external talent solutions, Lombardi oversees a program that comprises approximately 12,000 external talent. “I take it seriously,” he says. “We have the opportunity to future-proof the bank through contingent talent.”

He adds that the most effective way to transform an organization is through its people. With the rise of a gig economy comes a pool of talent looking for great experiences rather than just a job, and Lombardi believes that embracing total talent management will attract the best talent to BMO Financial. “I want to provide the organization the means to engage with great talent in a simple, agile and fast-paced way.”

Keeping the human-centric workforce trends in mind, Lombardi established a road map for the next two years to transform the external talent workforce. He also spearheaded a passion project nicknamed “Boots to Suits,” creating an internal employee resource group squarely focused on helping veterans transition back to civilian life. Bank of Montreal is the official bank of the Canadian Defence Community, and Lombardi’s goal is for the bank to become its employer of choice. “It’s an amazing pool of skilled, disciplined talent that embodies service over self,” he notes.

Earlier this year, Lombardi was honored with a Gold Stevie Award by the American Business Awards for Transformational Sourcing Relations Leadership.