Mr. Côté is a partner of Secor Consulting Inc., a Montreal-based consulting firm specializing in business strategy which he founded in 1975, and of which he was the President until June 2007. In 1989 and 1990, he was Director of Strategic Planning and Communication for the Office of the Prime Minister of Canada. From 1986 to 1988, he worked as an economic advisor to the Premier of Québec. Mr. Côté holds an M.Sc. in Economics from the Graduate School of Industrial Administration of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is also a Fellow of the Center for International Affairs of Harvard University. Mr. Côté has also taught at the Université de Sherbrooke and the Université du Québec à Montréal. Mr. Côté was appointed as a member of ING Canada’s former Advisory Board in 1999, and was previously a member of our Board of Directors from 1997 to 1999.

Mr. Côté is Chairman of the Human Resources Committee and a member of the Conduct Review & Corporate Governance Committee.

* Denotes independent director