Neil J. McKinnon
Neil John McKinnon | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Cobalt, Ontario, Canada |
| Died | August 4, 1975 (aged 64) |
| Occupation | Banking executive |
| Years active | 1925–1973 |
| Known for | President and chairman of Canadian Bank of Commerce and Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce |
Neil John McKinnon (17 January 1911 – 4 August 1975) was a prominent Canadian banking executive who held the positions of president and chairman at the Canadian Bank of Commerce and subsequently at the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. Beginning his career at the Bank of Commerce in 1925 in Cobalt, Ontario at just 14 years old, McKinnon advanced steadily. In 1945, he transferred to the bank's Toronto headquarters as assistant general manager, was promoted to general manager in 1952, then vice-president and director in 1954. He assumed the presidency in 1956 and became chairman in 1959. After the 1961 merger with the Imperial Bank of Canada, McKinnon was appointed president of the newly formed institution and later took on the chairman role in 1963. He concluded his tenure as chairman in December 1973 and passed away in 1975 at age 64.
Biography
Neil John McKinnon was born on 17 January 1911 in Cobalt, Ontario. At age fourteen, he commenced employment with the Canadian Bank of Commerce. By 1945, he had risen to assistant general manager at the Toronto head office and was named general manager in 1952, becoming the youngest to hold that position since Sir Byron Edmund Walker in 1886. He followed James Stewart as president in 1956 and succeeded him again as chairman in 1959.
When the Canadian Bank of Commerce merged with the Imperial Bank of Canada on 1 June 1961, McKinnon became president and chief executive officer of the merged entity, while Lindsay Stuart Mackersy served as chairman. In May 1963, McKinnon took over the chairmanship from Mackersy, with Page Wadsworth stepping into the presidency. McKinnon resigned as CEO at the close of 1965 and retired from his chairman role in December 1973.
In addition to his banking career, McKinnon held board memberships at several leading companies such as Canada Life, Brascan, Allied Chemical Canada, TransCanada Pipelines, Ford Motor Company of Canada, Campbell Soup Company, Honeywell, Conoco, Falconbridge, and MacMillan Bloedel. He was also a member of distinguished organizations including the Toronto Club and Rideau Club.
He married Phyllis Adelaide Cowie in 1941, with whom he had two children. McKinnon died from a heart attack on 4 August 1975 while swimming at his Lake Rosseau cottage.