Rachael Orde joined BMO, her introduction to the equipment finance industry, in 2016. Since then, she has been involved in a number of projects and initiatives to drive the success of BMO’s equipment finance division. She has held positions of increasing responsibility in the functions of credit, pricing and sales and relationship management operations. Currently, Orde leads a team of seven, including relationship management associates and a pricing manager.
Orde loves bringing people together. Whether it be within a single function or cross-functional, she is passionate about aligning a diverse group of people to a common purpose. She believes one of the most important qualities of a good leader is being a good connector.
Orde is always eager to take on a new challenge, and she loves learning new things. An important aspect of Orde’s job includes operations and sales effectiveness. She aims to break down barriers and increase efficiency through collaboration, communication and problem solving. Recently, Orde took on the integration of a CRM system between multiple lines of businesses, and she successfully integrated systems that created efficiencies and provided time savings value.
Other notable projects she has completed include automating processes and streamlined reporting to increase efficiency in the business.
Orde’s passion for helping others has guided her throughout her career. She recognizes customers’ needs are constantly changing and evolving. She enjoys working with business leaders and key stakeholders to guide them in making decisions that benefit them and their businesses.
Orde also enjoys giving back and empowering young women in banking and equipment finance. She has been very involved in community organizations as well as in BMO’s enterprise resource group, BMO Alliance for Women, as U.S. vice chair. In the role, Orde helped organize strategic initiatives that promoted the inclusion, development, advancement and support of women in her organization.
Orde feels fortunate to have had remarkable mentors throughout her career that have taught her the value of collaborative leadership. She recognizes the importance of mentoring young women in the industry and actively promotes inclusion on her team and within her company.
“Rachael is among the very best EF professionals I’ve met and worked with during my career. What truly sets Rachael apart from others is that she possesses a unique ability to identify and address issues before they become larger problems, given a comprehensive skill set that touches every part of the organization,” Tom Sbordone, managing director and national sales manager at BMO Commercial Bank’s U.S. equipment finance division, says. “Her strong leadership and empathy skills are combined with a deep knowledge of the equipment finance business in such a way that she can bring together all the core competencies of the business. That is a skill set that very few people master. She leads by example every day, and her colleagues appreciate her strong work ethic and advocacy on their behalf. Being able to balance her work, life and family goals, especially as the mother of one-year-old twins, is truly a testimony to her talents and perseverance. I’m proud to call her a colleague and a friend.”
“Never stop asking ‘why.’ early in my career, i was nervous to ask too many questions for fear of being judged. Eventually, i stopped caring and started asking ‘why’ again. This led to me bringing new ideas to the table. Asking ‘why’ doesn’t show weakness, but rather shows that you care about what you are working on!”