Montreal-based National Bank of Canada announced on Monday that Martin Gagnon has been appointed executive vice president, wealth management, as well as co-president and co-CEO of the bank’s brokerage arm, National Bank Financial Ltd., effective July 1.
This change is part of a succession plan that will see Gagnon succeed Luc Paiement, who will act as an executive advisor to the bank during the coming years.
In almost 35 years with National Bank, Paiement has held several strategic positions in the wealth-management, corporate and investment banking and institutional equity sectors.
“On behalf of the Office of the President, I would like to sincerely thank Mr. Paiement for his contribution to the Bank’s success,” says Louis Vachon, National Bank’s president and CEO, in a statement. “Thanks to his strong interpersonal skills and engaging leadership, he has fostered a culture of customer service excellence within his teams. We are pleased to be able to continue counting on his strategic input, and to welcome Mr. Gagnon to his new role.”
Gagnon began his career with National Bank in 1987 in the treasury department. He went on to hold positions in financial engineering and asset/liability management within financial markets before leaving the bank in 1993 for other pursuits, including working at Goldman Sachs Group Inc. in Canada and the U.S.
Gagnon returned to National Bank in 2003 as co-CEP of Innocap Investment Management, the subsidiary responsible for hedge fund operations. He held that position until his most recent appointment in 2011 as senior vice president, intermediary business solutions, in the wealth-management department.