This interview initially appeared in the May-June Latino Leaders Magazine edition on July 23^rd, 2025.  

Latino Leaders Magazine is a dynamic publication dedicated to connecting influential business leaders, showcasing the significant economic contributions of Latino-led and Latino-owned businesses, and inspiring future business and community leaders. 

BMO is proud to partner with Latino Leaders Magazine’s Index500, celebrating the leaders who are breaking barriers, building communities, and driving impact across industries. 

Read the interview featuring Alan Tannenbaum below. 

The Latino community in the U.S. represents one of the fastest-growing populations in the economy – creating jobs, expanding markets, and growing wealth. It is not only culturally vibrant and inspiring but also a compelling business opportunity.  

As a long-standing partner of the Latino community, BMO deepened its commitment last year by collaborating with Latino Leaders Magazine to rank Latino-owned businesses in the U.S. by revenue. The Latino Leaders Index500, powered by BMO, highlights the scale, strength, and investment potential of this vital segment of the economy, while helping understand the unique opportunities and challenges Latino businesses face.  

We interviewed Alan Tannenbaum, CEO and Group Head of BMO Capital Markets, to discuss how the bank is working to champion Latino leaders and entrepreneurs by elevating their stories to the wider business community. 

Latino-owned businesses are among the fastest-growing segments of the U.S. economy. From your vantage point at BMO Capital Markets, what really stands out to you about this segment of the business community? 

We’re always eager to celebrate success, yet few groups have contributed as much and have been acknowledged as little as Latino business leaders. And I mean that broadly, across the wider business community. Consider their contributions to the global economy. Latino businesses in the U.S. collectively represent the fourth-largest economy in the world, generating somewhere between US$3.6 and US$3.7 trillion of GDP output. To put that into context, that puts them somewhere between Japan and India. It’s amazing. We’re talking about hundreds of companies – some of which are very, very large – that are contributing to our economy and in very meaningful ways. That’s why we support the Latino Leaders Index500. It is not just about celebrating individual accomplishments; it is about elevating the visibility of Latino businesses. 

They cover every aspect of our economy, but we see particularly strong representation in construction, infrastructure, engineering, and agribusiness, all areas where we have a lot of expertise as a bank. Take our annual Farm to Market Conference, which attracts up-and-coming innovators with the industry’s heavyweights. As much as the conference gives us an opportunity to showcase our expertise, it is about bringing leaders together to share knowledge and make new connections that help businesses scale their operations.  

BMO Capital Markets works with clients across various industries. How are you helping founders and executives scale and compete locally and globally? 

As you mentioned, we work with businesses in all types of industries, but we also work with businesses of all sizes.  Whether you’re a director of a large, publicly-traded company or you’re an executive with a small, family-owned private business, we make it a point to listen to your needs and think through options that best suit your company’s goals.  Solutions are not “one size fits all.”   

BMO Capital Markets has over 2,700 professionals in over 30 locations worldwide, so we are well equipped to advise executives and owners on how to scale and compete with solutions like mergers and acquisitions and capital raising, to name a few.  And whether we’re providing valuation analysis on an intriguing acquisition target, evaluating capital return options for public shareholders, or providing market intelligence to help inform decisions like expanding the geographic footprint, we’re working side-by-side and taking feedback as to what’s most impactful for you (the client).  

One area where we truly excel is through our willingness to work with businesses that are earlier in their lifecycles or smaller than our competitors would typically invest time.  We see the potential in everyone seeking guidance or financial support.  Whether it is an established business looking to accelerate its growth, an entrepreneur with a game-changing idea, or a 70-year-old business owner who would like to sell their business and start spending more time with their grandchildren, we’ll listen to what they are looking to accomplish and then provide them with the advice and solutions to achieve their goals.  Our One Client approach is at the center of everything we do, and we see our clients benefitting from the experience every day.   

When it comes to engaging with the Latino community, what are some of the ways BMO distinguishes itself?  

We’re committed to helping all businesses succeed, but especially the Latino-owned, Latino-led companies. That pledge comes from the top down and we’re backing that up with real financial commitments. Beyond our support for the Latino Leaders Index500, there is our EMpower initiative, a US$40 billion program we launched in 2024 to address the barriers faced by underserved communities and businesses in the U.S. We’re already active in the community, supporting established leaders and removing barriers for the next generation of Latino entrepreneurs.  

It sounds like BMO supports the entire community, not just clients.  

Exactly. Our approach is that we want to celebrate the success of these Latino-owned and operated businesses, whether they bank with us or not. That is what the Latino Leaders Index500 is all about. It is the community helping one another. We’re proud to be part of that. It is not a quid pro quo. It is about making sure those leaders know that if they need more support, we’re here to help.  

There are three things on everyone’s mind right now – tariffs, tariffs, and more tariffs. How is the bank helping clients navigate the uncertainty? 

Operating in an environment of fluid global trade and tariff policies can be challenging for businesses. For over two centuries, BMO has helped clients succeed in all economic cycles, providing the steady hand needed to guide our clients through periods of uncertainty. We’ll help clients understand different ways to offset the risk from the trade disputes, talking them through alternative supply chain configurations and helping them understand their impact on cash flows and financial statements. Our investment banking teams, in particular, are adept at working with companies to look at alternative financial scenarios and advise on the potential value impacts related to that and use our vast network to make connections to offer alternatives to clients. For companies that want to grow their footprint beyond the U.S. to include Canada, LATAM, Mexico and beyond, I don't think there's a better bank in the Americas.  

What characteristics or traits within the Latino community inspire you?  

As an immigrant myself, I know what it is like to leave everything behind and build a new future. It takes a special personality and resilience to take that leap and I see those same traits and drive in the Latino community. It is what I think makes them so successful. As much as we’re celebrating the Latino business community, I think it is important to remember that these leaders are not only role models to Latinos, but to so many all over the world. That is the part of this story that really resonates with me. At BMO, we want to do everything in our power to help this community succeed.