Lawren Scott Thomson (born January 1970) is a Canadian businessman who since 2022 has been president of the

Bank of Nova Scotia The Bank of Nova Scotia (), operating as Scotiabank (), is a Canadian multinational banking and financial services company headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. One of Canada's Big Five banks, it is the third-largest Canadian bank by deposits and ...

. Thomson began his career in 1998 with

Goldman Sachs The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational investment bank and financial services company. Founded in 1869, Goldman Sachs is headquartered in Lower Manhattan in New York City, with regional headquarters in many internationa ...

as an investment banker. From 2003 to 2008 he held executive roles with BCE, from 2008 to 2013 was a vice-president of

Talisman Energy Talisman Energy Inc. was a Canadian independent petroleum company that existed between 1993 and 2015. The company was created from the assets of BP Canada after British Petroleum divested its 57 percent stake in June 1992. It was one of Canada' ...

, and from 2013 to 2022 was president of Finning. On 1 December 2022 Thomson became president of the Bank of Nova Scotia, succeeding Brian J. Porter.

Early life and education

Thomson was born in Vernon, British Columbia in January 1970 to Duane and Carol Thomson. He went to elementary school in

Penticton Penticton ( ) is a city in the Okanagan, Okanagan Valley of the British Columbia, Canada, situated between Okanagan Lake, Okanagan and Skaha Lake, Skaha lakes. In the 2021 Canadian Census, its population was 36,885, while its Census geographic un ...

, and graduated from high school at KLO School in

Kelowna Kelowna ( ) is a city on Okanagan Lake in the Okanagan, Okanagan Valley in the British Columbia Interior, southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. It serves as the head office of the Regional District of Central Okanagan. The name Kelowna ...

. After high school he went to Okanagan College for a year, then transferred to Queen's University, where he graduated Bachelor of Arts in economics and political science in 1992. Thomson went next to the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

, where he received a master of business administration in 1998.

Career

Thomson began his career in 1998 as an investment banker with

. In 2003 he left Goldman to join BCE in Toronto, where he was appointed vice-president for corporate strategy, mergers and acquisitions. Later he was appointed executive vice-president for corporate development and planning for BCE and Bell Canada Inc. On 2 July 2008, Thomson left BCE and joined

Calgary Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...

as its executive vice-president and chief financial officer. On 17 June 2013, Thomson left Talisman and appointed president of Finning, based in

Surrey, British Columbia Surrey is a city in British Columbia, Canada. It is located south of the Fraser River on the Canada–United States border. It is a member municipality of the Metro Vancouver regional district and metropolitan area. Mainly a suburban city, Surr ...

. Thomson was elected a director of the Bank of Nova Scotia on 12 April 2016. On 26 September 2022, the bank announced that Thomson would succeed Brian J. Porter as president. Thomson left Finning on 15 November, and began as president of the bank on 1 December. On 1 February 2023, Thomson assumed the additional role of chief executive officer.Stefanie Marotta, "Meet Scotiabank’s new boss, wildly different from the old boss," ''Globe and Mail'', (26 October 2023).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomson, L. Scott 1970 births Queen's University at Kingston alumni Scotiabank presidents Living people Goldman Sachs people