Canada's BMO names Blaesing and Doucet as global corporate banking co-heads

By Nivedita Balu

TORONTO, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Bank of Montreal BMO.TO has named Catherine Blaesing and Jerome Doucet as co-heads of global corporate banking within its capital markets team, an internal memo from Carrie Cook, its global head of investment and corporate banking, shows.

BMO is focused on strengthening its business in the United States and improving profitability as it looks for opportunities outside of its Canadian home market.

Here are some details:

• Blaesing and Doucet will be responsible for growing BMO's corporate banking franchise.

• Blaesing, who joined BMO in 2001, previously led its corporate banking diversified industries teams across North America in food, consumers and retail, industrials, tech and Canadian diversified and financial institutions.

• Doucet, a veteran with 30 years' experience in corporate banking, joined BMO in 2017. He most recently was head of global natural resources corporate banking.

• Blaesing and Doucet, who will report to Cook, are replacing Brad Chapin, who retired on January 31.

• Separately, Kim Prado, formerly CIO of U.S. Capital Markets, has left BMO, an internal memo seen by Reuters shows

• Prado and four others left BMO after it brought in a new operating model, which includes simplifying processes.

• BMO declined to comment.