René F. Jones

René F. Jones is the chairman and chief executive officer of M&T and its principal banking subsidiary, M&T Bank. He was elected to this position, and to the Board of Directors of M&T and M&T Bank, in December 2017.

Jones 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 served as M&T’s chief financial officer from 2005 to 2016.  He was appointed to the management committee in 2005 and was named vice chairman in 2014.

Before joining M&T Bank, Jones held numerous positions at The Group Inc. He began his career with the Boston-based office of Ernst & Young, where he served clients in a variety of industries, with a primary emphasis on financial services. It was at this time that Jones earned his designation as a certified public accountant.

Jones received a Bachelor of Science degree in management science from Boston College and a Master of Business Administration degree with concentrations in finance, organization and markets from the University of Rochester’s Simon School of Business.

An active member in the community, Jones serves on the boards of The Jacobs Institute and the Burchfield Penney Art Center. He is also a board member for ACV Auctions, Inc., the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s Federal Advisory Council and Massachusetts Historical Society’s Council of Overseers.

In 2016, Jones was recognized by Canisius College as “Outstanding Accountant in Western New York.” In 2012, he was named to the “All-American Executive Team: Best CFOs” by Institutional Investor.