Banking and Finance
Regional president, BMO Wealth Management
BMO Financial Group | Milwaukee
Jud Snyder is BMO’s senior executive for southeastern Wisconsin. Earlier this year, he was named regional president of BMO’s wealth management division, overseeing a team of wealth management professionals located across Wisconsin, Minnesota and Colorado. Snyder was previously president of BMO Harris Equipment Finance for 11 years. Snyder joined M&I Bank in 1994 and moved progressively through the organization until BMO’s acquisition of the bank in 2011. Snyder sits on the boards of United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee, Teach for America Milwaukee and Froedtert Health.
Education: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Madison
What was your first job, and what did you learn from it?
"Working in a small, family held liquor store in Madison. It was a great first experience in working as part of a small team, for a caring and generous owner. I learned how powerful it is when leaders truly care about their teams."
What piece of advice has had the most significant impact on your career?
"Be present, ask for more and be willing to step outside of your comfort zone in your professional career. Sometime embracing change and taking a risk on something new ends up being the most rewarding and engaging thing any of us can do."
If you could have dinner with any two business leaders, who would you choose and why?
"Although maybe not technically a business leader, I would have loved to have had the chance to have dinner with Paul Volcker (former Federal Reserve chairman). To be able to learn from and hear about how he thought through some of the pressures and challenges he had to deal with in leading through the late 1970s and early '80s as Fed chairman would have been fascinating."
What are some of your favorite destinations/places to visit?
"I love being outdoors and spending time in the mountains. We typically spend time out west in the summer and get to Arizona when we can in the winters. There are few things more peaceful than hiking in the mountains."
What is your favorite Wisconsin restaurant and what do you order there?
"This is a tough one. There are so many good restaurants in Wisconsin and in Milwaukee in particular. A few favorites include: Buckleys (their Nashville Chicken sandwich is amazing!), Morel, Cloud Red and Ardent."
What would people be surprised to learn about you (fun fact)?
"I never planned to go into banking or finance. I was a Russian (and economics) major in university and thought I’d work in the foreign service. Banking was originally intended to be a brief stop after college to allow Russia to settle down. It’s a good reminder that we never know where we (or our kids) will end up in life."
What was your first car? How long did you drive it for?
"My first car was a 1980s silver hatchback Toyota Tercel. It was passed down to me from my mom midway through college. It was a great car, manual transmission, AM/FM radio. . . the works."
What’s the toughest business challenge you’ve had to overcome?
"Leading through the 2008-2010 financial crisis was absolutely the hardest thing I've done in my career. The fear and anxiety in both the market as a whole and in all of our teams was really challenging. During that period, I learned the importance of consistent and candid communication. How important it is for a leader to be present with their team, even (and especially) when you don't know the answer or where things will end up."
What advice would you give to a young professional?
"Take the risk on that job that seems like a stretch. Ask for more. Be intellectually curious. Do what you say you are going to do. And don't forget to be kind, especially when things get hard."
What is one thing you would change about Wisconsin to make it even better?
"We can do better for our children, especially in Milwaukee. There is no simple or easy answer however I strongly believe that every child deserves to have a stable home and access to a quality education. We all know that if we provide kids with a strong education early in life, their life and the lives of their family will be considerably better in the years ahead."
