René F. Jones: Chairman and CEO of M&T Bank.
René F. Jones is chairman and chief executive officer of M&T Bank, a diversified, community-focused banking franchise with $200 billion in assets and a network of 1,000+ branches across the eastern U.S.
René F. Jones is one of four Black CEOs that leads a Fortune 500 company. The other Fortune 500 Black CEOs include Lowe’s Marvin Ellison, Walgreens Boots Alliance’s Roz Brewer and TIAA’s Thasunda Brown Duckett. Former Black Fortune 500 Black CEOs include Merck’s Ken Frazier, TIAA’s Roger W. Ferguson Jr., American Express Kenneth Irvine Chenault, Aetna’s Ronald A Williams, and Xerox’s Ursula M. Burns
Prior to becoming the Chairman and CEO of M&T Bank in December 2017, René served as M&T’s CFO from 2005 to 2016, responsible for managing the company’s financial operations. In 2005, he was named to M&T’s Management Group, a group of senior executives responsible for the company’s strategic direction. He has more than two decades of experience in accounting, including banking and public accounting.
René joined M&T Bank in 1992 as an Executive Associate and went on to hold a number of management positions within the Finance Division. He was appointed to the Management Committee in 2005 and was named Vice Chairman in 2014.
Early Childhood
René F. Jones was born and raised in Ayer, Massachusetts. The town is where the United States Army Reserve military installation, Fort Devens, where René’s dad, an army sergeant, was stationed.
René’s father Matthew Jones, was an African-American sergeant under Gen. George C. Patton in World War II, when the Army was still segregated. He met René’s mother Lea in Belgium when he was 19 and she was 17. They returned to America in 1946 to get married. René is the youngest of his six siblings.
Early Career
Jones was an intern for two summers at Gillette Co., which spurred his interest in later getting an MBA. His first job out of school was with the accounting firm Ernst & Young in Boston, where he focused on financial services. Jones went on to the Group Inc., a small private equity firm in Concord, Mass. He researched companies that were being acquired, developing a broader understanding of business.
Positions:
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer for Manufacturers & Traders Trust Co. and Chairman & President at M&T Real Estate (both are subsidiaries of M&T Bank Corp.) and Treasurer at Sheas Performing Arts Center.
Past: Treasurer & Director at Wilmington Trust Corp.
Education
- Boston College (1982-1986)
Bachelor’s of Science, Management - University of Rochester - Simon Business School (1990 -1992)
MBA, Finance & Organizations and Markets
Board Memberships
- Director: Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s Federal Advisory Council, Independent Health Association, Inc., Burchfield Penney Art Center, Jacobs Institute, The Westminster Foundation, M&T Insurance Agency, Inc., Wilmington Trust, M&T Securities, Inc.
- Member: ACV Auctions, Inc.,
- Trustee: Roswell Park Alliance Foundation, Massachusetts Historical Society’s Council of Overseers, Boston College,
Accolades
- Canisius College’s 2016 “Outstanding Accountant in Western New York.”
- 2012 “All-American Executive Team: Best CFOs” by Institutional Investor.
- Buffalo Business First Power 250 List #2 - 2021
Personal Life
René Jones is married to his college sweetheart Bridget Dougherty. They have two daughters, Haley and Sophie.
René F. Jones profile is part of our Black Excellence Series.
