Peter Aceto

Strategic Advisor & Toronto Forum Chair

Peter Aceto is a three-time CEO, a MacKay CEO Forums Chair, and a Strategic Advisor to the CEO of MacKay CEO Forums. He works closely with CEOs navigating complexity, growth, and leadership inflection points. In parallel, he provides select CEO- and board-level advisory and consulting services through Aceto Leadership Performance, supporting organizations during periods of transformation, scale, and strategic reset.

Peter was a founding member of Tangerine Bank’s (formerly ING Direct) senior leadership team and served as President and CEO from 2008 to 2017. During his tenure, he helped transform ING Direct from a monoline savings institution into Canada’s most trusted “everyday” bank, culminating in its $3.1 billion acquisition by Scotiabank in 2012. Prior to becoming CEO, Peter held senior roles including Chief Risk Officer, Chief of Staff, Chief Lending Officer at ING Direct U.S., and General Counsel at ING Direct Canada.
Following Tangerine, Peter has remained deeply engaged in Canada’s financial services and fintech ecosystem as an operator, investor, board member, and advisor. He has served as CEO on three occasions, including leading the successful turnaround of one of Canada’s largest mortgage brokerage businesses, Mortgage Alliance, restoring performance, stability, and strategic focus.
Most recently, Peter joined the executive leadership team at KOHO Financial, where his mandate was to lead the federal banking strategy. Within 11 months, he developed the full business case, secured board approval, and submitted a complete Schedule I bank application to Canada’s regulator (OSFI).

Peter is a board member of Fintechs Canada and is widely recognized for his leadership in customer-centric transformation, culture, governance, and risk. He is the author of Weology: How Everybody Wins When We Comes Before Me, a Globe and Mail bestseller, and has received numerous awards for leadership in business, design, communication, and human resources, including the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for contributions to Canada and community service.