Brian Johnston Porter (born 9 February 1958) is a Canadian banker who served as the chief executive officer (CEO) of the Bank of Nova Scotia from 2013 to 2022.
Early life and education Brian Johnston Porter was born on 9 February, 1958, in Calgary, Alberta, to Johnston Donald Porter and Shirley Ann Wight. In 1980, he received a bachelor of commerce from Dalhousie University.
In 1998, he attended the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.
Career Porter began his career in 1981 with the investment brokerage house McLeod Young Weir, and by 1986 had become a vice-president. In December 1987, McLeod Young Weir was acquired by the Bank of Nova Scotia and renamed ScotiaMcLeod. In 1988, he was elected a director of ScotiaMcLeod and in 1990 became a senior vice-president. In 1996, he became managing director for institutional equities.
From 2005 to 2008, he was the bank's executive vice-president and chief risk officer, from 2008 to 2010 was group head of risk and treasury, and from 2010 to 2012 was group head of international banking.Canadian Who's Who 2018, (Grey House Publishing, 2017), 825.
On 1 November 2012, Porter succeeded Richard Earl Waugh to become the bank's president,Boyd Erman, "Scotiabank makes Porter clear successor to Waugh; Chief of international banking named president," Globe and Mail, (31 October 2012). and on 1 November 2013 succeeded Waugh as chief executive officer.Carolyn King, "Bank of Nova Scotia's Waugh to Retire; Porter to Become CEO," Wall Street Journal, (31 May 2013). He held the office until December 2022, when he was succeeded by Lawren Scott Thomson.Stefanie Marotta, "Meet Scotiabank's new boss, wildly different from the old boss," Globe and Mail, (26 October 2023).
In 2023, Porter was appointed as the chair of the Ontario Infrastructure Bank. As of 2025, he also serves as a director of Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd., chair of the Board of Governors of Huron University College at Western University, and chair of the Atlantic Salmon Federation (Canada). He previously held the position of chair of the University Health Network (UHN) Board of Trustees in Toronto.
Personal life On 24 May 1986, Porter married Megan Anne Mustard. They have three children.
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