Louis Vachon (; born 1962) is a Canadian banker, financier, and business executive. He is currently the chief executive officer of National Bank of Canada, the 6th largest bank in Canada. Louis Vachon announced his intention to retire on October 31, 2021, after nearly 15 years in the role. He has been CEO since 2007, previously serving as the bank's chief operating officer. Before taking a full-time position at the bank, he was the president and CEO of National Bank Financial Group, the 4th largest investment bank in Canada. He was named CEO of the Year by Canadian Business in 2014, and the following year he received mixed media coverage for being the highest compensated banking executive in the country. Vachon is an Officer of the Ordre national du Québec. He is a Member of the Order of Canada and of the Ordre de Montréal and a recipient of the Global Citizens Award from the United Nations Association in Canada. Early life and education Vachon was born in 1962, in Quebec, Canada. His family started an eponymous pastry company and his father served as the Dean of School of Business at Sherbrooke University. He spoke about his upbringing in Canadian Business, stating, "Being a successful business person was highly valued in our family." He entered Bates College, in Lewiston, Maine in 1979 and became interested in finance early on. Paul Erdman's The Billion Dollar Sure Thing played a role in his interest and shaped his early thoughts on financial markets. Vachon graduated from college in 1983, with a B.A. in economics, and went on to graduate from The Fletcher School of Tufts University, with an M.A. international finance. Vachon is a chartered financial analyst (CFA). Banking career Vachon began his career in 1985 at Citibank and joined Lévesque Beaubien Geoffrion in 1986. He then moved to Bankers Trust in 1990 where he stayed for six years. National Bank Financial Vachon became the president and chief executive officer of Innocap Investment Management, a subsidiary of National Bank of Canada in 1996. In 1997, he became a vice president in the firm, charged with its treasury and overseeing its financial markets. He eventually became the CEO and president of National Bank Financial, the 4th largest investment bank in Canada. During the 2008-2009 financial crisis, the investment bank was one of the only financial institutions to see profit through the crisis. In early