René F. Jones is chairman and chief executive officer of M&T Bank, which has $200 billion in assets and a network of more than 1,000 branches in the eastern United States.
Before being named chairman and CEO in December 2017, Jones served as M&T’s chief financial officer from 2005 to 2016. In 2005, he was named to M&T’s Management Group, a group of senior executives responsible for the company’s strategic direction. Jones joined M&T in 1992 as part of its executive associates program. He began his career in accounting at the Boston-based office of Ernst & Young before moving to a private equity firm.
Jones is vice chair of the Bank Policy Institute. He serves on the boards of ACV Auctions, Boston College, and the Pan-Mass Challenge, as well as on the advisory council of the University at Buffalo.
As one of only a few Black CEOs in the Fortune 500, Jones is passionate about equity of opportunity. He serves as a steward of the Council for Inclusive Capitalism and on the capital advisory committee of Aux21, a seed-stage firm investing in the future of global commerce with a focus on companies led by immigrant founders.
Jones received a Bachelor of Science in management science from Boston College and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Rochester.
